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Today’s workforce is a diverse pool of people from multiple generations who bring distinct perspectives, work attitudes and work behaviors to the workforce. A leading challenge for employers has become how to manage a multigenerational workforce effectively. The collaboration, cooperation and creation of a company that is based on the coexistence of four generations, foster a high work performance environment, implement policies and procedures that support the vision of the organization, while creating an environment that values and respect cultural differences and diversity.

Multi-generation

Traditionalists (1925/1949) “silent” respect the chain of command. This generation is loyal and expect a long-term relationship with the company; can be great mentors for the company. And the Boomers (1946/1964) have experience and knowledge. This generation prefer leadership style and ensure to make a difference. Their communication preference is, face to face, personal interaction, personal calls and e-mail. Something interesting about this group is that they do not want to retire, which is challenging companies to learn how to manage this generation.

Generation X (1961/1981) seek work-life balance. This generation is flexible, independent, and a generation of entrepreneurs. They value freedom and responsibility in the workplace, have a disdain for structured work hours and being micromanaged. Communication preference for this generation is, via e-mails, conference calls, and text messages. And the Millennials (1982/2000) are the most diverse and most educated generation. Their work-life balance has to be part of their work, this generation desires flexibility. This generation is optimistic, multitask, and tech-savvy. Millennials communicate with the whole world through social networks, text messages, blogs, and e-mail (McNamara, n.d.).

Will there be challenges managing a multigenerational workforce? Yes there will be, however a company that creates a culture for managing a multigenerational workforce will be successful. Some of the challenges may be, recruiting, training, how to overcome communication styles, generational stereotypes and cultural differences. These challenges can be overcome by the company establishing policies and procedures that addresses company expectations in the workforce and creating a diverse culture that foster a culture for all generations.

A multigenerational workforce is one of the most important assets for a company. The experience and knowledge of some and the desire to be innovative and the enthusiasm of others will contribute to the value and progress of an organization. Workforces that are multigenerational, when managed properly will have the competitive advantage, be a high performing organization and employ high work performers, by leveraging the talents and skill sets to obtain maximum job performance from each generation.

Recruiting 

Recruiting is defined as “Any activity carried on by the organization with the primary purpose of identifying and attracting potential employees” (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2019). With the advancement in technology, there have been many advancements in the way recruitment is done.  Digital technology has become a key in Western society which is directly affecting how people are now finding jobs. With resources such as LinkedIn, Zip Recruiter, Indeed, and Monster, the need for recruiting by newspaper ads and fliers has almost disappeared. According to Dalessandro C. (2018) “

With job boards, networking platforms, and employment agencies recruiting by anything other than a technology-based application has become almost obsolete.  Because millennials have grown up surrounded by technology, they are comfortable with searching for a job using online resources. Though research shows that older generations are interacting with different digital technologies, millennials lead these groups in technology use (Raine & Perrin, 2016).  Tech savvy boomers are more likely to be recruited using an online resource. 

Even with the advancements in technology, recruiting requires a human aspect to place the right people in the right positions.  Many companies are also asking their employees to help with the recruitment process by offering referral incentives. Referrals are people who apply because someone in the organization prompted them to do so (Noe et al., 2019).  When a person working for the company truly believes in the company and their contribution to the organization, they can help successfully advertise for the company by word of mouth.  Recruiting by referrals can easily be done by someone belonging to any generation.     

Motivational Theory 

One of the most difficult tasks an employer will face is how to motivate their employees. An employer needs to be able to motivate and inspire their employees to work towards a vision help by the employer (Leonard, K., 2019).Motivation in the organization is important, motivation improve the performance of the employee, leads to the achievement of the organizational goals, build workplace relationships and stability in the workplace. Having motivated employees is essential for the success of any business big or small. By motivating your entire workforce, you can achieve maximum productivity. In order to do this many companies will adopt different Motivational Theories. 

Maslow’s theory explains that an individual is motivated according to the level of needs, and he will progress depending on how well these needs are addressed at each level. Needs at a basic level include security, social needs, psychological needs and favorable working conditions. The needs are addressed by ensuring there is security at the workplace and workers are friendly and respectful. Organization leaders need to be mindful that motivation is realized based on a need and in order to effectively motivate a multigenerational organization, organizations to understand the need of the employee, champion a culture of camaraderie, and give recognition, when are where recognition is due.

Sexual Harassment 

In a multigenerational workplace organizations need to have the responsibility to maintain a work environment that is free from harassment, which includes sexual harassment, as well, implement policies and procedures that foster a work environment that is understandable for all generations. For example, the Me-Too movement is a movement that was started by the survivors of sexual violence in order to bring awareness, create solutions and stop sexual harassment and violence (Metoomvmt.org, 2018).

In recent years the movement has gone viral on many social media platforms and has helped change and bring awareness to sexual harassment in the workplace. The Me-Too movement has changed the workplace in several ways. It has brought attention to negative actions. The movement has highlighted the problems that must be dealt with, all while showing the importance of evolution in training and regulations.

    Sexual harassment is defined by the EEOC as, unwelcomed conduct that is sexual in nature (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, Wright, 2019). Interaction between co-workers has been of the biggest changes in recent years regarding the movement. What has been considered standard or acceptable behaviors are now received or viewed as potential harassment. Sensitivity and openness to report sexual harassment has increased due to the movement, making actions such as speaking too closely, comments about appearance, hugging/physical touch and questioning about one’s personal life unacceptable and punishable (Smarrt,2017).

There is a very big generational disparity between what baby boomers and the millennials consider sexual harassment. Women above 50 years feel that the society is at the risk of entering an era characterized by sexual correctness that is so extreme, leaving men feeling like they are under extreme scrutiny in relation to their interaction with their female counterparts. Research has found that older women consider certain behaviors acceptable, and their younger compatriots consider them inappropriate. For instance, wolf-whistling is deemed acceptable and flattering among older women, yet younger women consider it improper.(McGoogan, 2017).

The baby boomer women were so immersed in other serious battles like equality rights, and probably didn’t have the time to deal with sexual harassment. The millennial generation on the other hand is deeply focused on sexual harassment that is widespread, as well as the institutional silence that exists over sexual abuse women face at the workplace.

This is a historic moment in the workplace, four generations are “transforming the way work gets done” and as modern medicine improves and people are living longer, older generations are putting off retirement, the possibility to have five generations will become a norm. Leveraging the emotional intelligence that is fostered from each generation, the benefit each generation brings, technically, socially and innovation which will result into a high performing multigenerational organization. Companies that anticipate the addition of Generation Z entering the workforce and know how to manage and engage different generations in the workforce, will be most successful.

Millennial Medium –Sales Representative In-house Training Program

· Potential Candidate - Identify potential candidate based on performance evaluation.

· Career Development Plan - Establish a career development path for potential candidate.

· Training Implementation -implement training program for candidate based on career development path.

· Training Assessment - Establish assessment to test knowledge, skills, and abilities for candidate and award with certifications or continuing education credits.

· Feedback and Evaluation - Seek feedback from the candidate and continually evaluate the program for effectiveness and keeping relevant training material.

References

Dalessandro, C. (2018). Recruitment Tools for Reaching Millennials. International Journal of  Qualitative Methods, 17(1), 1–7. doi: 10.1177/1609406918774446 

Leonard, K. (2019). How to Apply Motivational Theories in the Workplace. How to Apply Motivational Theories.