Diversity MBA Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 41) COVER / FEATURE STORY and focused on what accords them a sense of personal challenge matched by suitable intrinsic and extensive rewards. Knowing their market worth, they consider their careers as highly mobile and are prepared to move on to greener pastures at any given moment. Challenges for Managers Clearly, managing a workforce that spans four generations represents tremendous challenges to companies that want to be in tune with social trends, progressive thought and political correctness, all of which are workplace dynamics filtered through employees’ generational self-perception. “Regardless of the industry, it is essential that members of an organization be able to function as an effective work unit,” says Michael Hiffa, Vice President of Human Resources with Jackson Healthcare Solutions in Alpharetta, GA. “The key is understanding that each generation—be it the Baby Boomers, Gen-X, Gen-Y and even the ‘silent generation’ born before World War II—brings to the table a variety of views, creativity and opinions.” Hiffa has served on the board of the Society for Human Resource Management and has provided executive HR leadership to a 17,000-employee company in the insurance industry. “Management must clearly understand all the dynamics that drive the workforce and manage it appropriately. If this is accomplished, there should be no limits as to what a group like this is capable of delivering that will have significant impact on the overall organization,” he adds. Similar observations are offered by Dale Mask, founder of Alliance Training and Consulting Inc, an international company located in Overland Park, KS, that provides corporate training and management consulting for firms in a wide range of industries: “Each generation has different values, work habits, views of authority and how to balance workfamily issues. With this kind of diverse team dynamics, it’s no wonder why team leaders often struggle turning groups into top performing teams. Learning what makes each generation tick and how to motivate each individual can be a painstaking, time-consuming ordeal.” Although there are generational similarities, what inspires workplace achievement differs with every individual. That is to say, no two employees in any age category respond identically to the M arch 2008 Top 5 0 Co m p ani e s same management style and motivation to achieve their personal best. For many managers, it is particularly challenging to supervise a diverse workforce that is significantly younger and older than the managers themselves. “The challenge is not just for older workers managing younger employees,” Mask says. “It’s also about the challenges younger managers face helping older employees re-engage in their work and motivating them with fulfilling roles when they are on a career plateau, feel they are being overlooked and undervalued, or just getting by until they retire.” Practical Measures What practical steps can forward-thinking managers take to integrate a highly diversified workforce spanning different generations into a respectful, supportive, cohesive and productive team? Two points deserve special mention. An important managerial objective is to foster a sense of balance between devotion to work and personal fulfillment outside the office. “A significant challenge is managing the work/life balance of a multi-generational workforce,” notes Hiffa “With each of these generations, it means something different when we refer to work/life. Making sure that the balance is broad enough to blanket all of the generations is critical to keeping everyone balanced.” One helpful means of promoting such balance is to offer opportunities for the different generations to enjoy opportunities outside the office that bring them together as a corporate family. Scheduling wholesome social and recreational events throughout the year that build rapport among persons of different ages is certainly beneficial in this connection. In more formal terms, companies can support work/life balance concerns by providing flexibility in work schedules that permit employees to attend to important personal and family matters. For instance, flex time and comp time allow employees in child-rearing years to spend quality time with their families without detracting from their workplace obligations. Similarly, older employees with certain health issues appreciate having some flexibility in their schedule that provides a helpful buffer to 41
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