Multigenerational communication at work: making everyone feel seen & heard

Hey, Leader—

If I asked you how you first started listening to music, what would you say??

Would you tell me that you grew up listening to records, where you’d listen to the full A side of the record before flipping it over to the B side? Or, did you listen primarily to the radio, where you had a DJ curating your listening experience??

Maybe you were the person who never left home without your Walkman or Discman—jamming out with the help of your trusty headphones, but being able to fast forward or skip to your favorite song (& then rewind it back to listen to it ten times straight)? Ahh, those were the days. ?

Perhaps you grew up in the age of the iPod—being able to create playlists, not having to listen to the entire album & even being able to decide to only purchase certain songs for 99 cents.?

Or, maybe you started your music journey with the help of Spotify—a place where there’s now audiobooks, playlists, podcasts & millions of albums to choose from.?

I bring up this example because one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a leader (& frankly as a human!) is that the way we interact with the world has everything to do with how we’ve grown up. Our values, our expectations about autonomy & work-life balance—all of those things can be as varied as the years we were born.??

Our workplaces are more generationally diverse than ever before. And when you put people from different generations & with different experiences together at a company or on a team & ask them to work together for a common purpose, it can feel more than a little daunting to us as leaders.??

Why? Because there are—literally—a million different filters through which we all encode & decode messages & communication. Even at work. Especially at work.??

That doesn’t mean that multigenerational communication & bridging the gaps so that everyone feels heard, seen & valued—needs to be hard. It just takes a little bit of thoughtfulness & a healthy dose of empathy & curiosity.??

At last month’s Culture Community, we had an awesome conversation about bridging the gaps of a multigenerational workforce or team, & the #PerkProTip below has a bunch of great tips—so be sure to keep reading!?

In the end, it all comes down to embracing your individual employees for who they are & creating a sense of belonging—regardless of when they were born. Or, how they prefer to listen to Taylor Swift.?

(Because you CAN listen to her on vinyl, you know.) ?

You’re amazing,

PS:?A note that we have a new workshop—“Level Up Your Communication: Top-Notch Techniques that Build Relationships Across Generations & Drive Results”—that goes deep on this topic. If you’re interested in bringing that to your leaders & managers, drop us a line here, or simply reply to this email! ?

Four Takeaways for Thriving in a Multigenerational Workplace?

As Leah mentioned above, we had an incredible conversation about tips for communicating & collaborating in multigenerational workplaces at last month’s Culture Community, & we’re sharing a few of our favorites here. (And, a shout-out to our own Corie Hoffman for leading this webinar & the discussion that followed!)?

• Shift to a curiosity mindset. Instead of approaching challenges with judgment & assumptions, ask yourself, “I wonder why they feel this way?” Then, ask them! Their feelings might be rooted in experiences & perspectives that have been formed throughout their lives. ?

• Embrace generational nuances. All of those articles that try to parse out why certain generations feel & think the way they do are helpful & can offer general insights, but beware of using them to stereotype. Focus on individuals—not a group of people.? ?

• Communicate the “why”: When aligning teams, explain the “why” behind tasks & goals. If you’re implementing new software, for example, explain how it benefits the team & ties into larger organizational goals.? ?

• Build trust through safety: Create the opportunity for psychological safety by using “yes, AND” language & do your best to avoid “yes, but.” It doesn’t matter what generation you belong to—everyone wants to share ideas & collaborate.??

As always, if you give these a try, let us know about it!?

What's The Perk saying?

Our media selections this month focus on ways to bridge gaps & build relationships through your communication across multiple generations!

The Power of We: Thriving Together in a Multigenerational Workplace (55-minute watch)

Bridging Generational Gaps with DISC (5-minute read)

Have the Hard Conversations to Build Trust (20-minute watch)

What's our community saying?

We’re always soaking in the latest news & insights on culture, organizational development, & leadership. This month’s resources focus on empowering you & your teams to build belonging & help each other feel seen, heard, & valued.??

Belonging: The Antidote to Feeling Distant in a Remote Workplace?(Gustavo Razzetti | Fearless Culture | 8-minute read)

Episode 6: Intergenerational Communication?(Jack Shitama | The Non-Anxious Leader | 16-minute listen)

Making the most of generational differences (Jason Busch | InBusiness Magazine | 5-minute read)

Want more? Yeah you do!?

Check out our live webinars, free programs & other events coming up soon!?

Unstuck & Unstoppable: Crafting Dynamic Strategies for Continuous Progress?

Thursday, October 24 | Virtual?

Being stuck stinks. As humans, we crave clarity, momentum, & the thrill of advancement. In this engaging workshop with Leadership Coach Emily Smit, you’ll learn practical tools, creative problem-solving methods, & tailored strategies to swiftly move from stagnation to momentum. You’ll explore activities like the Pomodoro Technique & The Progress Principle to maintain momentum & make meaningful progress in your work. You’ll walk away with tangible tools to utilize immediately anytime you feel stuck. Join us to learn, practice, & master the skills needed to guide your team from stuck to soaring success. Get ready to embrace new skills & foster continuous growth for both yourself & those around you!?Register here.?

Seen, Heard, & Valued: How Prioritizing Recognition Drives Engagement & Success?

Thursday, November 21 | Virtual?

At the heart of every thriving workplace is the fundamental human need for recognition - the desire to be seen, heard, & genuinely valued. When your employees feel recognized for their accomplishments & for who they are as people, that is when trust forms, engagement skyrockets, & unstoppable teams are built. In this high-energy & high-impact workshop, with The Perk founder & Leadership Coach Leah Roe, we’ll explore the art of recognition, a key trust-building behavior, & one that, when done well, can boost your eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) by 4x (Gallup). This workshop is designed to not only underline the critical importance of recognition in driving employee engagement, retention, & well-being but also to offer a deep dive into practical strategies for its application. Register here.?