3 to 6 Generations under 1 Roof...

A Changing Business Landscape Requires a Focus on Communication

Today Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials each make up about a ? of the workforce. But in the next 5 years that will change dramatically as Baby Boomers retire. By 2020, Millennials are set to represent about 75% of the workforce. This demographic change will be accompanied by a change in workplace values. Millennials put extra emphasis on corporate social responsibility and want to be highly engaged with what they do. Even more, they want to feel connected to the greater organization and are demanding that companies think about relationships and social camaraderie at work. In order to attract millennials, leaders must harness this sense of mission and truly prioritize effective top-down, peer to peer, and bottoms up communication. In doing this, companies will ensure that they secure top talent as well as drive business results. From employee engagement and productivity to shareholder returns and market premiums, companies with highly effective internal communication strategies score higher across the board.

In many companies, three to six generations of workers will be working under the same roof

This influx of younger generations also means that in many companies, three to six generations of workers will be working under the same roof, so to speak. Each of these generations has different communication preferences and technology comfort levels, which must be proactively managed so that companies can reduce friction and capitalize on the best of all generations. Baby Boomers often prefer face-to-face or phone communication and tend to be more formal in their correspondence. Many provide thorough background and context when communicating and because they didn’t grow up with much technology, adoption rates can vary. Generation X exhibits a broader spectrum of communication styles. They are comfortable with formal and face-to-face communication as well as digital communication like Slack/Text/IM channels. They tend to be big users of social modes because social media came about in this generation. They also grew up with early technology, making them adaptable in their communication style and use of technology.

Millennials are digital natives that tend to prefer digital communication. They are more informal and brief when communicating and often use abbreviations or emoji’s which are convenient in digital communication. Some Millennials get uncomfortable with in-person and phone communication while others are comfortable with it. Navigating these differences requires companies to educate employees about different communication biases and implement team norms and standards across the company. Employees should have guidelines that explain when to use more formal communication, how much context to provide in different situations, and what mode of communication is appropriate for each situation. With these upcoming shifts in the workforce, it’s more important than ever for companies to find effective ways for Baby Boomers to share their wealth of knowledge and information with younger generations. Equipping employees with all modes of communication is a crucial step so that each employee can communicate in a way that is comfortable for them, while having an easy way to switch modes when the situation requires it. So with that in mind, how should companies go about building relationships at work, for the benefit of both employees and company revenue? Erica Keswin, a leading workplace strategist, author, and Zinc webcast guest, has a 3 part plan that any company can follow.

With a demographic shift taking place in the workforce, it is even more important to prioritize communication.?

Communication is critical for business success and shouldn’t be brushed aside or treated as an afterthought. With a demographic shift taking place in the workforce, it is even more important to prioritize communication and create strategies that reduce the natural communication friction among different generations. Without easy-to-use technology and proper guidelines for communication, this friction can spread, leaving costly consequences in its wake. Combating this means striking the balance between “tech and connect” where technology is used to strengthen relationships and improve employee engagement.?

Companies can do this by sharing communication best practices, supplying a robust yet intuitive communication solution that everyone can adopt, and emphasizing relationship building at work. With this strategic communication plan, companies will benefit from impressive business results — whether that’s firemen saving more lives or field service technicians finishing more jobs in a day.?

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COMMUNICATION AT WORK Strategies for Cultivating Relationships and Driving Business Results by ZINC

Any opinions expressed are those of the authors.

Published by?#NHGBe?2022-07-25 -Be-Time 11:30 AM?

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