Pro Point of View
PRO
Point
by Jeff Crissey
Mind the Gap
Multigenerational Work Force Requires Careful Management
A
t a workshop on managing mulproductivity in order to impact the bottigenerational work forces at the tom line. Truckload Carriers Association’s Companies that force their younger recent annual convention, attendees were employees into the current company culpresented with the following scenario and ture are going about it wrong, says Phylthen asked how they’d respond: lis Cohn, project manager for AARP’s Road Warrior Trucking has a service Workforce Issues Team. “It’s a matter shop for its fleet of 100 trucks. There are of incorporating what they bring to the 10 employees in the shop, all under the table and adding to your business.” Stratage of 30. Ernie, the 62-year-old shop egies to achieve this include recognizing manager, set up the shop and has been what your generation groups have in running it for 35 years. Lately, the work common, developing a system to transis not getting done in a fer skills and knowledge timely manner, morale is among them and turning The goal low and a couple of the multigenerational teams is to employees are grumbling (like the one in the examdecrease about quitting. To make ple above) into intergentension matters worse, Steven, erational collaborations. Ernie’s new 38-year-old The four generations and boss, is the founder’s son currently making up the improve and is being groomed U.S. work force include communication. to take over when his traditionalists (born in or father retires next year. before 1945), baby boomSteven has told Ernie that if things don’t ers (born between 1946 and 1964), Genimprove, Ernie may lose his job. eration X (born between 1965 and 1979) My first inclination was to fire the two and millennials (born between 1980 and disgruntled employees right off the bat, 1995). Each group is defined not only but as the course went on, it became clear by age but also by common beliefs and that both Steven and I arrived at very dif- values. ferent but similarly incorrect decisions. As value systems change among genera(I’ll stick to magazines, thanks.) tion groups, employers should reconsider As the U.S. work force ages and how they deliver corporate communicaemployees are putting off retirement at tion and the types of rewards and feedan increasing rate, the age gap and genback they offer. Giving a crystal trophy erational work habits are more disparate or plaque to a 50-something driver for a than ever, posing a number of challenges milestone anniversary likely would mean for fleet managers. The goal isn’t for more than extra paid time off. It’s likely everyone to get along – it’s to decrease the reverse would be true to a 25-year-old tension and improve communication and dispatcher.
August • 2010
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