Managing the generation gap

It's not a new phenomenon, three generations in a single workplace, but the latest generation on the scene is causing a flurry of concern.

That message came loud and clear to Marjolaine Rompre, director of learning development at Canada, a company that hires a large number of the Gen Y population, the most recent generation in the workplace. The younger you start, the better you fit, the company believes, hence their push for on-campus recruitment.

"We like to say that we grow our own managers," she said.

By the late 1990s, the company realized that a work population that is one-third boomer (1947-1966), one-third Generation X (1967-1979) and one-third Generation Y (1980-1995) was going to have to figure out how to cope with the winds of change blown in by this younger generation.

So it was up to Rompre, a young Boomer (born in 1961), to do something to alleviate the stress.

"By 1996, we saw the newcomers had a different approach," she said.

Earlier generations, when they started at work, would go into meetings and observe and hardly speak, not wanting to ruffle feathers. Not so for the Gen Y population.

"This new generation is so candid about participating and a lot freer," she said. "When we saw that, we realized we could be faced with an interesting problem. We called it Generation Shock."

So they decided to create a program for L'Oreal workers that would "valorize generational differences," which became the title, because they felt that Gen Y already received a lot of attention and the goal was to ensure that every group understood the other. In the end, she says, "the Ys told us they were so happy to learn why the baby boomers were so conservative and why Gen X didn't want to share information with them."

They have brought it 500 employees so far, in an effort to reveal the values of each generation - and the common truth that each generation is more rebellious than the one before, and always wants to change the world.

"Then they sit together as cohorts and ask questions," Rompre said, "and each group is interested and surprised to see what's important to the other group."

The biggest surprise, she says, has been how many differences there are - and how many similarities.

For instance, when they talk about security, the groups learn that for the post-war generation, the smallest, oldest group now known as traditionalists, security meant their savings.

"They bought with cash and they had money in the bank," she said.


For baby boomers, "their security was in the pension plan, because that was really created with their generation. You just had job security and pension plan."

For the X generation, who came into a saturated market and had to fight for their jobs, security meant having a strong resume. On the other hand, Rompre says, "for Gen Y, security is not a word in their vocabulary because they have such a safety net; their parents are there for them. They don't have the same outlook."

There's a certain self importance in this group, she says, mixed with extreme loyalty toward their colleagues, with whom many form lasting friendships.

"There's a greater sense of community than among the Gen X. Baby boomers are about the team, while Gen X were very career-oriented, all about themselves."

This, of course, is a response to Gen X's entree into a very competitive and tight workplace, compared with Gen Y, who see work as a continuum from university.

"For them, it's just another way of learning. They're really focused on their development," Rompre said. "They want to continue to grow and learn.

"At the same time," she points out, "they have an amazing sense of community and friendship. Families are smaller, with fewer siblings, so friends are important when growing up. Plus, mom and daddy working."

So when they get into the workplace, their colleagues become their friends and their social life takes place partly at work.

"In many ways they're a breath of fresh air," Rompre said.

On the other hand, the previous generations were a lot more career and results focused. It was clear that when you started in a company, you would start at the bottom and work hard in order to earn your place.

Not so for Gen Y.

"This generation is the most schooled generation ever, and they want to have responsibility very early on," she said.

The fact they want their voice to be heard right away is really an extension of their behaviour at home, she believes.

"Their parents gave them such voice at the table that they think it's perfectly normal to share everything that they're thinking and it will be considered," she said.

This is seen by the other generations as refreshing - or frustrating.

The L'Oreal program tries to explain and then bridge the gaps between the generations. The managers and employees in the course try to understand where people come from and what's important to them, without judgment. And because Gen Y, the ones who ruffle the most feathers, are the reason for the course, their values and paradoxes are explained most fully.


For instance, they really want to be autonomous, yet they also want validation. They want to be independent, but like to work in teams. They want rapid success within the company, yet have very strong desire to maintain work-life balance. They practice extensive freedom of speech and are very candid, but they lack political savvy. They want to be everywhere at the same time but have real difficulty managing priorities. They have great tolerance about religion, race and nationality, but are very quick to pass judgment on the competency of their bosses.

"When I share those things with them, they go, 'Yes,'" Rompre said. "They realize they're not that easy to manage, and this sheds light on who they are."

Even though Gen Ys have an ace in their back pockets, in that they know there aren't enough Gen Xs to replace all the baby boomers so employers will be trying to recruit them, they're proud of hard work and have career aspirations. However, they'll find another way to do business than staying at work until midnight.

And they want bosses who will mentor them.

"They won't respect you because you're their boss. They'll respect you because you're competent and approachable," Rompre said.

At L'Oreal, the course has been a huge success, generating so much buzz that they had to add to the half-day sessions. Another side note within the company, where there are actually a number of Gen Ys who are now managing boomers and Gen Xs: Most of the Ys are children of baby boomers so there is an interesting relationship between the two groups.

"The Xs had to fight much more, waiting for boomers to get out, but the baby boomers aren't threatened by Gen Y," she said. "In fact, they love to share and to show them the ropes. "


