Are Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials and Gen Zs
really as different as we think? It’s complicated…
Different, but the same: minding the generation gap
The Loyalist lowdown:
There are generation gaps. People of different ages use different media and should be communicated with in different ways. They also want to be engaged in different ways. On the other hand, everyone wants
to be engaged. Everyone wants to be recognised and rewarded. We all want to be seen. So, sure, let’s talk about the gaps, but let’s also consider the generation overlaps.
Old and Young. 60somethings and 20somethings. Imminent
retirees and first jobbers. Baby Boomers and Gen Zs and
the Millennials and Gen Xers in between.
In this issue of The Loyalist we’re looking at different generations in the workplace – the proverbial generation gap – especially as it pertains to employee engagement, sales and channel incentives, and customer loyalty.
There certainly are differences. In general, people of different generations have different priorities and preferences.
For example, they use different media, channels and platforms. Statista1 showed that, worldwide, older people tend to consume more “traditional” mass media like broadcast TV and radio, while younger people consume more (and more splintered) social media.
If you’re communicating with customers, that brings challenges – but also opportunities – some of which we explore in From mass media to minutiae, from reach to reaching out.
There’s also been a generational shift in expectations of jobs and employers. As you’ll read in The changing rules of engagement at work, younger employees are placing more importance on cultural and values alignment, and on doing work they find meaningful. And while almost everyone wants to be recognised at work, different generations like that recognition to come in
different forms. Younger employees tend to want more frequent recognition. Whereas there are different ways to show appreciation for the most experienced colleagues.
And never mind the gap between the oldest and youngest – Forbes published an article on 8 Ways Generation Z Will Differ
From Millennials In The Workplace2, indicating that even generations close to each other aren’t really that close. (Some of the
article’s perhaps surprising insights were that Gen Zs are more competitive, more entrepreneurial and, simultaneously, more
motivated by job security than Millennials.)
Of course, it should be no surprise that there are generational differences, or patterns of difference. People nearing retirement
and those in their first jobs are at different life stages. People born in the 1960s and those born in the noughties grew up in very
different times. Gaps are to be expected.
At the same time, the term “generation gap” immediately suggests a vast gulf between generations and highlights the differences between them. It tends to make us focus on the distinctions, but overlook the similarities and commonalities.
That may be just plain wrong. As research scientist, Jennifer Deal, details in her book, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young & Old Can Find Common Ground3, workers of all ages essentially value the same things. Sure, it’s interesting to look at what separates us, but we shouldn’t forget what connects us.
For example, we all want to feel we matter, and that our contribution is making a difference. Shifts in the work place don’t reflect an inherent generational difference in that arena, but rather a growing embrace of the idea that work should be meaningful, a growing openness to work having value in ways that go beyond finance and profit, and a growing recognition of that by managers and leaders.
References:
1: Guttmann, A. (2023) Daily time spent consuming selected media by internet users worldwide in the 1st half of
2022, by age group, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1365563/media-consumption-time-world-age/.
2: Patel, D. (2017) 8 Ways Generation Z Will Differ From
Millennials In The Workplace, Forbes. Available at:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/deeppatel/2017/09/21/8-ways-generation-z-will-differ-from-millennials-in-the-workplace/
3: Deal, J. (2014) Retiring the Generation Gap: How
Employees Young & Old Can Find Common Ground.
Something else that generations have in common is that we’re all capable of behaviour change, contrary to the old cliché and disproven belief that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. And, as Reward forward illuminates, we respond positively to the same incentives, regardless of how old we are.
The other thing worth remembering is that many differences aren’t necessarily generational. They’re individual, due as much to our own interests, incomes, DNAs and demographics as they are to our ages. There are greater differences within generation groups than there are between them. We think of things as personal before generational, we are People before patterns, and we want to be treated that way.
That said, whether you’re reading about differences or similarities, groups or individuals, we hope you find insights in this issue of The Loyalist that help you better understand and engage with your colleagues and customers.
If you have any comments, contributions or questions, we’d love to hear them, and you can send them to
andrews@awards.co.za.
