How to Get Past Generation Discrimination
Marie Carasco, Ph.D., PCC
Fortune 100 HR Executive, certified executive coach, and organizational change consultant helping the next generation of leaders be better than the last
We've all heard of age, racial and gender discrimination, but is there such a thing as generation-based discrimination? I would argue there is. In fact, you might remember the 2013 Time Magazine article on millennials that caused quite a stir!
Being born between a particular range of years can trigger a slew of assumptions about your values, interests, and even preferred learning style. Is there any truth to it? Occasionally, but we should treat it like a horoscope, fact to few, fiction to many.
While I recognize the influence that various technological and cultural events in society can have on a group of people, I don’t agree with the characterizations that tend to be applied broadly to a generation. This type of grouping often leads to generalizations, stereotyping and what I refer to as generation-based excuses.
Here's how generations are sometimes grouped, and a corresponding assumption:
Traditionalists (1922-1945) - Fear Technology
Baby Boomers (1946-1964) - Spend Now, Worry Later
Generation X (1965-1980) - Slackers
Millennials (1981-2000) - Entitled
In January 2015 the IBM Institute for Business Value published results from a multi-generational global study titledMyths, Exaggerations and Uncomfortable Truths, that compared employee preferences and behavioral patterns of Millennials with those of Generation X and Baby Boomers.
The study found more commonalities than differences between generations, and actually shattered five propagated myths according to an info graphic summery of findings. Here are myths 1, 2 and 5:
Myth 1: Millennials’ career goals and expectations are different from those of older generations.
Myth 2: Millennials want constant acclaim and think everyone on the team should get a trophy.
Myth 5: Millennials are more likely to jump ship if a job doesn’t fulfill their passions.
Interestingly enough the study found that millennials placed just about the same weight on career goals, want a manager who’s ethical and fair, and employees from all generations in the study shared the same reasons for changing jobs.
Surprised? Perhaps that’s a good thing. The IBM study certainly has the potential to break down a lot of the erroneous workplace perceptions based on generational stereotypes.
What about individual differences?
Every generation has good and bad apples, positive and negative trends, sages and fools, as well as moments that influence the pulse of a nation. My concern is when an individual internalizes the rhetoric of what he or she is told they are, and fails to cultivate what they could become; caught in a self-fulfilling circular narrative that can lead to generation-based excuses.
You and I are more than our generation, and have accountability for our own points of view, decisions and behavior.
Biases are often perpetuated by notions of superiority and fear. We can avoid generation-based discrimination or bias much like other types of discrimination.
By keeping open minds to assess individuals based on the content of their character and the quality of their work, we will build bridges of understanding and demolish walls of presupposition.
What generation-based myths have you busted or observed as erroneous? How can we address generation-based bias in the workplace?
Dr. Carasco Saul coaches professionals through change. If you’d like help in sorting through a change process feel free to email Marie through LinkedIn or [email protected] Follow her @talentenflore
As the Managing Director of Talent en Floré Marie helps organizations to improve high-potential development. For individuals serious about career change she provides custom solution-focused tools and thought provoking support to navigate career decisions and the interview process to achieve a desired future. Marie is the author of “Capture Your Career: A Practical Guide to Finding & Pursuing Your Passion” available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble
You can read some of her other posts on Pulse such as:
How To Catapult Your Career and Guarantee a Successful Life
The Startling Truth About HR's Powerful Influence On Your Career
Whose Life is it Anyway? Why You Should Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Business Coach & Consultant | Author of And Then There Was Silence | Empowering Entrepreneurs to Align Faith, Purpose, and Strategy to Get Things Done.
9 年Great article. We live in society that thrives on grouping people based on perceived behavioral patterns. Ultimately it makes it easier for us to figure out how to deal with people. While we have to allow for the commonalities that might exist in a group, I am a hundred percent in agreement with your analysis. We don't want to put people in a box and write them off without allowing them an opportunity to prove themselves. I think the first step to addressing this bias in the workplace is in admitting it's there, and perhaps the role we may play in fostering it. We must have a higher level of consciousness about it, and we must be intentional about not succumbing to it.