Please respond to Daniel, and Tori
100 words each. due by Friday.
Thank you!
Please respond to Daniel, As an HR leader, generational differences are something that I am learning about almost every day. By definition, I am a Millennial. My generation was labeled as “lazy” and “entitled”. We (Millennials) were already facing high levels of scrutiny before we even entered the work environment. Generational studies have always been interesting to me, and I have found that a commonality that persists is how the influences of technology and the overwhelming desire for acceptance and inclusiveness have changed over the past three decades. These changes in social practices coupled with the improvements in technology, have changed the way our society works, travels, communicates, and interacts with one another. Gabrielova & Buchko (2021) discusses how millennials (those born 1981-1996) make up the larger part of the workforce in the United States today. Early millennials are leading and managing later millennials, and Generation Z (those born between 1995 and 2012) are entering the workforce. Gen Z or iGen is a group that has always had smartphones, personal and laptop computers in the classrooms. As a leader, and a millennial, I remember at the beginning of my career (early 2007), social media had just become prevalent, and cellphones were not “smart” yet. As I progressed in my career and became a manager, newer, younger, and technology-savvy personnel are beginning to be hired. The key value I find in Gen Z is their knowledge and ease of the use of new technologies. Much of this generation is innovative and able to use technology to their advantage. The challenge of leading this generation is similar to Gen X managing millennials. Twenty years ago, the influence of social media outlets and dependency on carrying around a computer in one’s pocket was not as common as it is today. The technology did not exist in the form that it is used today. The workplace has evolved with the changes in technology as well. Technology is leveraged to improve processes and reduce administrative distractions faster and with little discrepancies. My line of work (HR) has proven to be challenging for Gen X as millennials have improved antiquated practices through the implementation of technology. Gen Zs’ are those that are able to reap the rewards of millennials and the implementation of said technology (subjective on my part to a certain degree). Desai & Lele (2017) discusses how Gen Z’s active use of media technologies, as well as the connectivity of communication technologies has changed the perception of the workplace today. Consequently, I have experienced challenges with communication barriers and perception issues. I personally refrain from social media, which sets me outside of the zeitgeist. The strain in the workplace that I have seen is the desire for instant gratification (as a result of the technology). There is little patience and there is seemingly more of a focus on cellphones than social interactions. To address the challenges is to embrace the technology and sociological and psychological aspects of the generational differences. Organizational development studies to include academic and practice must continue to improve and understand generational differences. The dynamic workforce and introduction of newer technologies will continue to reinvent the workforce. The shift is cultural and the demand for improved work environments will continue. Gabrielova, K., & Buchko, A. A. (2021). Here comes Generation Z: Millennials as managers. Business Horizons, 64(4), 489–499. https://doi-org.library3.webster.edu/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.013 Desai, S. P., & Lele, V. (2017). Correlating Internet, Social Networks and Workplace - a Case of Generation Z Students. Journal of Commerce & Management Thought, 8(4), 802–815. https://doi-org.library3.webster.edu/10.5958/0976-478X.2017.00050.7 Please respond to Tori, Currently we see that many individuals are working longer than they have in previous years. Written a few years ago, an article projected that by the year 2020, there would be 5 generations in the workplace, and the majority of them would be Millennials (Boysen, Daste, & Northern, 2016). Now that we are in 2021, we see that the projections made five years ago were spot on. Although it is great to have diversity in the workplace this level of diversity has the potential to create many challenges. The value systems that exist amongst the different generations may differ greatly depending on the individual. Each person’s lived experiences will play a role in how they respond to situations within the workplace. What is important to one generation may not be as important to another. For example, the belief is that generations prior to Gen Y and Gen Z had more loyalty to their organizations. Baby boomers in particular are not known for moving from one organization to the next frequently. It is rare to see this occur if at all. Most baby boomers believe in sticking with one company and then retiring from that company. However, Gen Y and Gen Z have no problem with staying with a company for a year or two and then taking that experience to an organization that is offering better opportunities. There is nothing wrong with either approach, but it shows the difference in value systems. Therefore, commitment and punctuality are just a few of the challenges that may present themselves in today’s workplace. We often evaluate people based on their age, and this is becoming a major challenge in the workplace (Bersin & Chaorro-Premuzic, 2019). Twenty years ago, there were not any Millennials in the workplace so therefore most of the workers came with similar skills and value systems. As technology has continued to advance and there are five generations in the workplace a problem is emerging. The older generations are not as quick to pick up on the technology that is being utilized by most employers. Although they may grasp the concepts eventually, they are not as quick to catch on as their younger coworkers. Feelings of inadequacy or inferiority may take place if the younger generations are being praised for their work and the older generations are struggling to keep up. Not only is technology having an effect on the workplace moral, but the quality of customer service is suffering as well. Previous generations were trained on the importance of customer service, and they were used to interacting with people face to face. Millennials have more experience with texting and communicating via electronic communication. This hinders their ability to communicate effectively on a face-to-face basis. In each scenario the employee can learn to adapt to the needs of the job, but it does create a challenge. It is important to implement diversity training within any organization. It does not matter the industry there is going to be a need to address the difference amongst the generations sooner rather than later. If each employee understands the common characteristics of each generation, they will be able to work alongside each other more effectively. Instead of shying away from our differences we should work to celebrate them. Employees can learn from one another and give each other praise for a job well done. When employees work well together that in turn produces improved outcomes for the organization. References Bersin, J. & Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2019). The case for hiring older workers. Retrieved from The Case for Hiring Older Workers (hbr.org) Boysen, P., Daste, L., & Northern, T. (2016). Multigenerational challenges and the future of graduate medical education. The Ochsner Journal. 16(1): p. 101-107. Retrieved from Multigenerational Challenges and the Future of Graduate Medical Education (nih.gov)