The Company Pot Luck: Beating the Generational Gap

Just like a pot luck, every person has something wonderfully different, yet equally as questionable, quirky, funky, and potentially smelly sometimes, to bring to the business table. What we do with and how we utilize these options and assets is what makes a strong business. It is no secret that the generational gap is something that we will all face, as well be a part of. We must understand our roles as an employee of a company as well as a role as a recruiter. 

Photo by Joe Wolf 

Each one of your recruits will fall into the category of Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Millennials, or a Generation X. See what characteristics and tendencies of each type of worker will most likely possess here.

Possibilities

As a recruiter, you must be aware of the limitless possibilities that can come out of having a conglomeration of these generational differences.                                                          

• Any additional types of critics to see your work before it is submitted, the better your work will be as a final product. 
• Experience may trump the latest trends. Even though the trends may be the latest and greatest, looking back to what has worked in the past can be a safe bet.
• Learning can occur to the highest of level. Understanding new processes and learning techniques that someone has not necessarily been exposed to can offer hands on learning experience for a new learner of a company.

Photo by Quinn Dombroskwi

Hurtles

Along with possibilities, there may also be hurtles to jump.

• Although different viewpoints can be a blessing, at time it may be difficult to find overall approval and acceptance from all of the people from different generational categories through the variations of experience and past encounters that each group bring to the table.
• Different people have an appreciation for different things, such as core values, attributes, work ethic, values, assets, and abilities. 
• Adjusting work processes and strategies based on how each person does their job in a way that works effectively for them.

Harrison Postler, communication professor at George Mason University and former student of The University of Northern Iowa, brings to life a very important issue faced by all Americans in the workforce in his nationally awarded forensics speech titled “Generation Gap.”

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By keeping these tips in mind, we can create an overlapping effect rather than this so called “Generational Gap”. Hopefully this will be lead to yet another blissful business!