The Inter-generational Disruption at workplaces

This is Part 2 of the Generations Series. Read Part 1 Inter-generational Diversity is getting real

Managing the needs of a diverse workforce that may cover a wide range of generations is a challenge for any organisation. In this second blog post, I’m taking a closer look at what questions this may pose to organisations and what solutions businesses can consider:

1. How do my business vision, mission, and values inspire all generations?

One of the key challenges that organisations and HR professionals face today is motivating these conflicting value systems. How does a business define its purpose or vision, which transcends across four generations, while at the same time resonating with each of them and keeping pace with the changing world on the outside to ensure relevance? For traditional businesses, sustenance or profitability was the key driver. With baby boomers and Gen X’ers at the helm, this purpose was aligned with the leaders’ values. Once millennials start to take up leadership roles, the business’ raison d’etre will need to expand. We are already seeing this with several new start-ups like S.café (Fabric created from recycled coffee beans) or AirCarbon (a highly awarded carbon-negative product), which have sustainable growth at the core of their functioning. Their belief in working on meaningful projects, that will bring about resource optimisation is acute and widespread. In their pursuit of well-meaning goals like supporting the environment or reducing their carbon footprint, these businesses are conscious of the role of profitability.

2. How do I measure and reward success or performance for a wide range of generations?

In the current context, it is not sufficient to just define meaningful goals and chart out a path to achieve them. How we measure success is changing drastically across different generations. While a Baby Boomer may still need to refer to long term targets and yearly reviews, it is important for the organisation to make room for other dashboards like OKRs to provide constant navigation to the Millennials and Gen Z. Rewarding and celebrating successes has always played an important part in an employee’s journey. The way these successes are rewarded has changed too and will continue to change as we go through the ‘turnings’ of generations. In an era of constrained opportunities or resources, monetary rewards added a lot of value, as did celebrating loyalty, for example in the form of long service awards. However, organisations are now introducing reward and recognition practices that help an employee connect with their passion or with the larger purpose of the organisation.

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