Rachele Talks About The Journey That Led To Her Writing

“Reframing Generational Stereotypes”.

 As we enter the 2020s, we have an increasingly age-diverse workforce, due to half a century of fluctuating birth rates alongside increasing life expectancy. With older generations working past the age of retirement and the arrival of Gen Z, we are seeing for the first time in history four (sometimes five) generations working alongside each other. As a result, many organizations are experiencing the X-Y-Z Divide Syndrome, where generational diversity is seen as a negative element, making it more difficult to build and maintain a happy productive workplace. At the same time, our world is facing unprecedented crises – from Environmental and Social to the Covid-19 Pandemic – that will require the ability to harness the power of our collective strengths. It has never been more important than it is right now for the older generations to take the young under their wings, listen to them, enable them and empower them to change the world by innovating and driving impact.

While organizations strive to convey a harmonious and supportive working culture, underlying intergenerational conflicts prevent employees from collaborating effectively. Baby Boomers and Gen X often disapprove of younger generations’ sense of entitlement and lack of commitment, so they fail to provide the mentorship and guidance they crave. Millennials and Gen Z, as a result, feel unheard and unable to contribute, and blame the top-down management styles and “old-school” mindsets of the older generations. At the same time, Baby Boomers and Gen X who have given the organization years of hard work, are dismayed to find, as digital natives whizz right past them, that their invaluable experience and industry knowledge no longer guarantee advancement. Millennials and Gen Z don’t appreciate the many opportunities and freedoms they have compared to Boomers and GenX at their age, and to add insult to injury, they don’t seem to value their experience or respect their position. All this intensifies discord among workers and leads to low employee engagement, stagnated innovation and higher attrition.

What it boils down to is a lack of mutual understanding and awareness of the forces that shaped each generation. Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z have different mindsets, expectations and respond differently to varying communication styles, yet they have one thing in common: they ALL feel misunderstood. Appreciating each other’s needs, viewpoints, strengths, weaknesses, challenges – even fears, is key to unlocking the power of intergenerational collaboration.