Gen-Y not the problem; Baby Boomers threat to workplace stability

Posted in: L.E.A.D. Survey News

Generation Y, often portrayed as difficult to deal with, overly-demanding and the bane of every manager’s life, is actually looked upon favourably by most workplace leaders, managers and employees across all generational groups, according to the latest L.E.A.D. Survey.

Gen-Y is also emerging as the driver of cross-generational harmony by calling for more formal structures to connect people of different generations in the workplaces, LMA’s “Generations” L.E.A.D. Survey found.

Of concern though is that large numbers in all generations don’t want to work with, or report to Baby Boomers in the future…and that includes Baby Boomers themselves.

“If you believe that Generation Y is the unsolvable challenge when it comes to managing a workforce, think again”, said LMA’s Executive Chairman, Grant Sexton. “Baby Boomers are now the challenge.”

“While this research suggests a much more harmonious cross-generational landscape in Australian and New Zealand organisations than many would have us believe, especially with the younger generations, Baby Boomers are not in favour,” he said.

Looking at the different generations’ assessment of the generations with which they have the least effective relationships, the extent to which Gen-Y is a problem to other generations is limited to one in four or fewer:

Q. In your workplace, which ONE generation do you have the least effective relationships with …?

Participants were asked which generation they would prefer to work with in the future, and which generation they would prefer to report to in the future.

Only 4% of both Gen-X and Gen-Y nominated Baby Boomers in the Work question with 14% and 8% respectively nominating Baby Boomers in the Report To question.

• Only 17% of Baby Boomers prefer their own generation, 40% prefer Gen-X, 27% Gen-Y
• 57% of Gen-X prefer their own generation, 32% Gen-Y, 4% Baby Boomers
• 53% of Gen-Y prefer their own generation, 29% Gen-X, 4% Baby Boomers

Q. Who would you most like to work with in future …?
In the future, to report to-

• 41% of Baby Boomers prefer their own generation, 33% Gen-X, 5% Gen-Y
• 71% of Gen-X prefer their own generation, 14% Baby Boomers, 6% Gen-Y
• 50% of Gen-Y prefer Gen-X, 24% their own generation, 8% to Baby Boomers

Q. Who would you most like to report to in future …?

“These findings cast a shadow over the relationship Baby Boomers have with other generations,” Mr Sexton said. “The Baby Boomer issue is a sleeper – an emerging and ongoing challenge for HR departments. It threatens to undermine stability of the workforce into the future because Baby Boomers will continue to occupy most leadership and senior management positions in this decade.”

He said that while the ramifications of a workforce unwilling and uninterested in working with and being managed by Baby Boomers were profound, the pressure was on Baby Boomers to invent or reinvent themselves so those in their own generation, and the other generations to follow, felt comfortable working with and reporting to them in the future.

At the same time, the challenge for organisations and their HR departments is to better understand what drives effective or ineffective generational relationships and how to improve them. Leaders and managers tapping into the talents, skills and abilities of all generations through communication and connection (respect, understanding and recognition) can deliver highly effective and productive relationships.

The key to improvement appears to be heavily related to better cross-generational communication, supported by openness and sharing and for Gen-X and Gen-Y in particular, more planning and direction, Mr Sexton says. Managers need to identify the generations that exist within their workplace and explore what drives effective relationships with each generation, look for ways to bring generations closer and into a more harmonious space and keep a finger on the pulse of each generation.

Understanding the motivations of a given generation could be the difference between an organisation keeping and losing some of their best people in the long run, according to Mr Sexton.

“The way is open for a new way of thinking for those leaders and managers currently struggling with cross-generational dysfunction and generational diversity.”