Aging
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The workplace has five distinct generations working simultaneously. The five generations with their respective year of birth brackets are Traditionalist (1925-1945), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), Millennial (1981-2000), and Generation Z (2001-2020). These generations have diverse goals, viewpoints, and communication styles. I have taken the role of an agency administrator and developed a policy and the procedures that supervisors/Employees communications will follow that would meet the needs of all the five generations represented by my employees.
Different aspects shape each generation such as disasters, World Wars, economic hardships, technological advancements, and Civil Rights Movements. Similarly, different motivating factors such as team spirit, loyalty to the organization, diversity, personal-professional interests, and unique work experiences play a great role for each generation. Different preferences also characterize the communication styles that each generation adopts. These might include face-to-face, handwritten notes, texting, phone calls, emails, texts, IMS, and social media. The worldview by each generation is equally diverse. Therefore, in light of these differences, there is a need for a comprehensive communication strategy for effective and consistent operations.
The leadership must communicate consistent messages and deliver them from the top. The messages must be congruent with the strategic plan such as the mission, vision, and culture of the organization. It is paramount to safeguard credibility while communicating as that would build trust and establish loyalty. The agency administrators must give individual audiences to employees and to members of their leadership team. Leaders need continually to seek input from each constituency in the agency to ensure they bring on board all the five generations and where units or individuals require feedback, it shall be immediate. The leadership must consistently set the tone for passing on a series of messages using a top-down approach. Any budget also needs to create room for various types of communication vehicles that will depend on unique issues associated with messages delivered. That will necessitate my agency to customize the delivery approach using materials that are easy for the recipient to understand.