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Health Care Matters is edited by Karen A. Hart, RN, BSN, and Sandy Haeberle, RN

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e-mail: healthcare@hodes.com

GENERATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE:
Finding common ground

The workforce in America is composed of four generational groups working together despite having some conflicting characteristics that can inspire difficulties in the areas of perceptions, communications and goals. Across all industries, recruiters should seek to understand these varying attributes and promote solutions to facilitate working relationships among these groups.
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RecruitingRx

Perhaps you seek relief from exorbitant search or contingency recruiting fees, or simply need to fill certain jobs in a flash. RecruitingRx, a new solution from the Hodes Health Care Division, can solve these issues and many others.
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GENERATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE:
Finding common ground (continued)

Knowledge of generational differences will enable the recruiter to best place new hires in specific work units. Depending on the source, the dates for these four generational groups can vary. For our purposes here, we use the widely accepted categories developed by Neil Howe and William Strauss, the primary researchers in this area. We also recommend their books, Generations and Millennials Rising, to interested readers.

Silent or Veteran (1925-1944)
This generational group, the oldest in the workforce, is characterized as practical, dedicated, respectful of authority, and disciplined. The group spans those who came of age or were children during World War II, when the world was arguably a simpler place. The Silent Generation, as they are also known due to their often perceived quietly industrious demeanor, has had to move with the times to master the multitude of technologies developed in the last two decades. Many haven’t been completely comfortable with that technology and need supplemental guidance. Silents are detail-driven, often risk-averse regarding money, conservative with resources and prefer hierarchical leadership. (Those on the younger side of this group do share some attributes with the more free-spirited Baby-Boomers.) Timelines are important to Silents and they tend to prefer face-to-face meetings, as opposed to e-mail and conference calls. Silents should be recognized for their experience and work ethic; they can offer other generations the benefit of that experience.

Boomers (1945-1964)
This group, currently the largest in the workforce, is sometimes divided into the categories of “early” and “late” Boomers. Boomers came of age during the turbulent Civil Rights era and Vietnam War, and saw enormous social change during their formative years. The group attaches to organizations, is idealistic, optimistic and driven. Boomers seek personal gratification, challenge authority and prefer “pay your dues” leadership. They grew up in a healthy economy and are relatively new to technology. Boomers entered the workforce with the expectation of conceivably staying with an organization for the duration of their careers. Boomers can be excellent mentors, but may have difficulty dealing with work overload and juggling work/life demands. This group will likely require help with technology, as well as flexible or shorter work hours.

Generation X (1965-1981)
Gen X, primarily the children of Boomers, came of age using technology. This generation, many of whom were latch-key kids, growing up with mothers who went to work, attach to people, not groups. They have seen their parents downsized and “right-sized”—the victims of strategic corporate cutbacks—and do not trust organizations. They see themselves not as careerists who stay with one employer, but rather, as free agents. Disillusioned with corporate America, Xers are unimpressed with authority, skeptical, and prefer leadership based on competence. They want to be mentored, need a sense of mission and demand frequent feedback. Xers have an entrepreneurial spirit, and thrive on limited bureaucracy and the freedom to work independently. They require acknowledgement for successes and can multitask and juggle work. Time balance is key for this group as recreation is important to them.

Millennials (1982-2000)
Millennials, also called Gen Y, are the children of soccer moms—supportive, if somewhat overprotective mothers (and fathers) who take great pride in their kids. They are thus self-confident, having benefited from nurturing parents who were immersed in their welfare. Goal-oriented, well-socialized and compliant, Millennials take technology for granted, having used it all their lives. They are used to instant communication, value speed over the finer details, and are accustomed to giving feedback. Millennials tend to be drawn to collective action and are achievers. They take the hopscotch approach to careers and gravitate to group activities.

Solutions for generational gap
Employers, having experienced the unique characteristics germane to the generations described above, have through trial and error devised methods of fostering better working relationships among them. Some companies hold regular workshops to facilitate better understanding of the differences and characteristics among the generational groups. Other employers make it standard to cover generational issues in orientation. Teams comprised of representatives from each generational group can advise administration of challenges and offer suggestions for improvements.

Understanding these intrinsic differences can help make an organization an employer of choice for each generational group. Benefits and policies can be tailored: Xers might do well with paid time off as opposed to specific sick, vacation and holiday time; Boomers and Silents might benefit from shorter work hours and enhanced retirement information, and Millennials might appreciate communications via e-mail as opposed to face-to-face meetings. Boomers and Millennials work together nicely due to some of their shared characteristics. Gen-Xers will probably be more successful if they receive the feedback that is so important to them.

The bottom line for every employer is the importance of retaining the current workforce, a large proportion of which is aging. Fostering collaboration, communication and mutual respect will make the work environment a healthy one and contribute to workforce retention and productivity.

RecruitingRx

RecruitingRx places an experienced health care recruiter in your staffing department. That professional can then tackle numerous recruiting tasks for you, from sourcing, screening and interviewing, through conducting background checks and extending offers. With the RecruitingRx solution, we can also: assess your recruiting process and make recommended improvements; affect change implementation; lend technologies support, and conduct metrics benchmarking. 

For more information, please contact Steve Mitchell, vice president, Hodes Health Care Division, at 978.263.6695 or via e-mail at sgmitchell@hodes.com.