Your Cornerstone—Your People

Recruiting, Hiring, and Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce

Jerry Scher, Founder and Principal Peak Focus, LLC 404-931-9291 jerry@peakfocuscoach.com www.peakfocuscoach.com

Our industry is continuing to experience a major transition resulting in a significant decline in actual print revenue and a reduction in the number of companies engaged in commercial printing. The “experts” consistently remind us that this evolutionary change will continue, and while the “profit leaders” are once again achieving more accept-able profits, more than 75% of companies are experiencing less-than-acceptable revenue and profitability levels. Technologies that enable clients to communicate without print, while providing significant and perceived benefits, keep on expanding. And print as a communication vehicle continues to lose market share.

Industry experts continually advise you how to “remodel” your busi-ness, what technology to purchase, what products and services to provide, and which strategic relationships to search for. However, no matter what approach you take, there are still a few basic requirements you must adhere to for future success and sustain-ability. As senior executives, we are ultimately responsible for four basic requirements. We must (1) develop our company’s strategy; (2) provide the best human capital; (3) ensure the most effective execution of our strategies; and (4) provide the financial resources that are necessary to achieve our agreed-upon goals and objectives.

As difficult as it can be to implement and execute our primary responsibilities, there are additional challenges we face in inte-grating three generational groups of employees—Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y/Millenniums. As if recruiting the best talent wasn’t difficult enough, we also have to contend with unifying these dissimilar generations into an organized, creative team. Although the potential for tension exists, the opportunity for success is far greater if you welcome the differences and implement strategies to channel these generational characteristics.

Multi-Generational Similarities and DifferencesBaby Boomers. Born between 1946 and 1964, this group has been described as the “now generation”; self-indulgent with a need for immediate gratification and focused on gathering material things. They define themselves by the work that they do, have a strong work ethic, and channel their energy into their careers and jobs. They are loyal and committed to the organizations they work for, are highly competitive, and have a self-improvement focus. They see themselves as leaders while challenging the status quo. They have considerable knowledge and tested experience and want to be respected and recognized for what they have accomplished. At this phase of their careers, many of them are close to retirement but still want to, or have to, continue working. However, they want a more flexible schedule, enabling them to contribute while enjoying more free time.

Generation X. Born between 1965 and 1977, this group expects their jobs to be learning experiences and have a great desire to gain new skills with each assignment. They see themselves as free agents, avoiding the more traditional career paths. They are risk tak-ers, independent, and goal oriented. They tend to be entrepreneur-ial, innovative, and results oriented. As the first generation growing up in the Internet-based economy, they experienced the highs and lows of the Internet boom and bust. Gen Xs want the responsibil-ity of managing a project and want to impact the organizations they are engaged with. They want constructive, worthwhile feed-back. They are technologically savvy and learn new things quickly. Because they value lifestyle choices, they prefer more flexible work environments and will move around until they find the right mix.

Generation Y or Millenniums. Born between 1978 and the early 1990s, this group likes challenging work, believes strongly in education, and wants to be trained and coached. They want chal-lenging assignments but want to enjoy the work they are involved in. They tend to be impatient, have unrealistic expectations, and an inflated view of themselves. They tend to be risk averse and socially conscious. They are the digital generation, highly independent with high technology competence. Gen Ys like to be given responsibil-ity and welcome feedback from their managers. They easily take

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credit for a team’s outcome but will blame others when projects are unsuccessful.

Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining a Mixed-Generation WorkforceConsidering the differences described above, it is clear these distinc-tive generations seek diverse physical, social, and emotional experi-ences in their work. They respond to authority, tend to be motivated, communicate, and give and receive feedback differently. So when recruiting, jobs need to be described and presented to them with different perspectives. When seeking the finest talent, you must be able to align the job requirements with behavioral competencies and work preferences (interests) that coincide with their interests and preferences. As companies require a more collaborative, team approach, it is critical this aspect of the job be communicated.

For Gen X and Y candidates interested in lifelong learning, the train-ing and coaching available will be a significant attraction. If it is not available, it may be difficult to attract these candidates. As the graphic industry becomes more technology-dependent, Gen X and Y candidates can be recruited from related industries more effec-tively because of their strengths and interest in technology.

The Harrison Assessment Technology™ focuses partially on deter-mining a candidate’s work preferences and interests (http://peakfocus.harrisonassessments.com). These include teamwork, col-laboration, communication competence, organizational compatibil-ity, and a need for structure or autonomy. While each generation can be described, individuals should still be assessed based on interests and behavioral competencies. The ability to integrate employees from all three generations into an aligned, motivated workforce is critical. Having greater information and insight will enable you to recruit and hire more effectively and retain the valuable talent you already have.

Integrating and Managing a Mixed-Generation WorkforceThe real challenge in working with and managing these three dif-ferent generations is recognizing their differences and determin-ing how you can effectively align and unite them for a common cause. Each group and the individuals that make up these groups can make a unique contribution to your organization. You must cre-ate an environment that allows them to understand the different talents, competencies, and contributions that each generation can make to fulfill the organization’s mission. It’s the work they do that connects them, and you must establish a collaborative effort built

on recognition and mutual respect in which each generation can make diverse but substantial contributions.

As management, our role includes planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. When you must integrate the efforts of employees with such differences in how they view work and what benefits they look for in their jobs, communicating these differ-ences so that they are aware and understand the potential con-tributions from each generation is crucial. You must provide great clarity as to the overall mission and individual projects, making sure they understand the role each individual plays. You must be espe-cially clear with management’s expectations while tapping into the strengths each group brings to the work experience.

The Boomers, with great knowledge and experience, can provide a historical perspective for Gen Ys, while the Gen Ys can assist the Boomers with the technology advances. The Gen Xs want to lead, so aligning Boomers as mentors can create a positive bond between them. Engage representatives of each group in dialog focused on their differences and similarities so they will be able to recognize how they can assist one another. Discuss career planning with them so they can understand what their futures could look like. Consid-ering the large numbers of boomers that will retire over the next ten years, tap into their experience and knowledge and enable the Gen Xs and Gen Ys to prepare for their future roles, thoughtfully. Remember, Boomers define themselves by their work, Gen Xs find security by developing diversified skills and competence, and Gen Ys really want to make a difference with the work in which they are engaged.

Final NotesBased on all of the studies, it is clear there are significant differences in values, motivations, and impact that work has in the lives of this multi-generational workforce. And as management, it is essential we recognize and acknowledge these unique perspectives. At the same time, we must recognize that, in addition to considering the skills, competences, and knowledge each group can contribute. your ability to build a cohesive team is of the utmost importance.

Assessing each employee as to their suitability for their specific job and how they will fit into your game plan is essential. By using a val-idated suitability assessment you can more effectively predict how each employee can and will perform within your company’s culture.

About Peak Focus: People. Performance. Profitability. Peak Focus assists com-panies in identifying, attracting, and assessing talent, developing people, and strengthening teams.

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