Generational Differences in the Workplace

Generation conflict can cause an organization a lot of money in productivity.  At no other time in history have five generations co-existed in the US. Labor force, Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and the most current Gen2020.  This is due because people are living longer and working longer.  This mixed, multi-generational environment is a new challenge for management and HR teams.  Falling under one generation does not necessarily mean you were born during the years within the range but if you meet the characteristics and values of the generation.

Several of the prevailing issues are the different workforce behaviors, and those who are unfamiliar with collaboration tools but are expected to work in a setting with possibly four other different generations.  Generalizations and stereotypes exist in an attempt to understand trends.  By having your employees understand how work is done differently in different generations, collaboration between groups tends to happen.  Understanding the different needs go both ways.  “Social learning” is a new concept that employees learn from each other.  Management has learned that by pairing up employees from different generations and by providing them the training, they can both teach each other and develop working relationships.

You can learn more about strategies for understanding–and overcoming–generational differences by reading “Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace.”

Organizational Transparency

Increased transparency is a consequence to the digital age.  A transparent organization shares information purposely beyond the boardroom with both members and nonmembers alike.  Organizational transparency encourages, honors, and engages with the public.  Transparency is the degree to which an organization shares the following with its stakeholder publicly:

• Leaders are accessible and straightforward.
• Employees are accessible and can reinforce the public view of the company by providing superb customer service, when appropriate.
• Ethical behavior, fair treatment, and other values are on full display.
• It’s culture.  How a company does things is more important than what it does.
• Successes, failures, victories, and problems are all communicated.  Results of business practices, good and bath are communicated.
• Business practices are aligned with the business strategy.  Misalignment can results in disaster.

The reasons why certain organizations have productive and lively workplaces go beyond hiring efficient employees and paying competitive wages. Workplace transparency can increase employee happiness, productivity and decrease the turnover rate. The responsibility of introducing transparency into the workplace falls upon the shoulders of management by keeping employees up to date with workplace changes. Communication is key; it can be as simple as carbon copying your employees in your emails.

Thanks to the evolution of social media, transparency is no longer an option.  It is in the organization’s best interest to talk openly and behave ethically.   Some recognized transparent organizations are Wholefoods, La-Z-boy, and PriceSmart.  These organizations model openness and integrity. When organizations announce their motives to the public it allows the public to hold the company accountable.

The Glassdoor provides an inside look at jobs and companies.  It includes salary details, company reviews and interview questions. Before your next shopping trip or when applying for your next job, check out what others are saying about this organization at http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm

Merit Increases Today

This past week I attended a WebEx about merit increase guidelines for my staff for fiscal year 2012.  This is the first time my organization offers such training and I was really taken back to hear that we will be receiving a merit increase this year.  My organization, like many others have not offered their employees a merit increase in a few years, if not longer.  It turns out that most organizations are giving anywhere from two to three and a half percent increase in 2012.  The truth is that what your organization should pay in merit increase depends on many factors.  Some factors include, what is going on in your market, what is the demographic of your workforce, and how your organization differs from the norm.

Just looking at the average in your company in your area is not enough.  Say a sales person in the industry may be at three percent.  Even though you are not a sales company but you have staff in sales, you may consider giving the sales staff a three percent merit increase.  If you do not stay competitive, you may fear losing the sales staff.  Earlier in your career there is a positive correlation between higher pay and each additional years of service.  For example a staff member with one year of experience the difference between one year to two years may be up to a four percent but a staff with 15 years of experience the difference in pay with only one more year of experience may just be one percent.  If your organization is performing better than its competitors, it may warrant an increase higher than the average. Also, the average should be based on what organizations are paying competitively with market.

Organizations should establish a compensation philosophy that builds a compensation plan with relevant, timely market data, supports business objectives, and executes increases based on rewarding what your organization values.  This will help the organization stay ahead of being just the average.  For a 2012 Compensation Best Practices Report, go to http://www.payscale.com/hr/default

How Organizations Use Social Media

From nonprofits to for profits, organizations are using social media to engage and interact with their followers.  Twitter and Facebook are the two most popular sites used.  Every time you join or like an organization or group, and like the status or comment, you are engaging with the organization of your choice.  Organizations ask questions to the public, asking them to share their personal stories and experiences but the moment you comment back you are reflecting and thinking about the organization.  Twitter allows for the organization to be more personable by retweeting your tweet on their page, making it intimate and allowing for more personal engagement.

Some organizations have learned to recover from social media mistakes as well.  In early February of last year, someone at the Red Cross accidently posted a tweet to the Red Cross account that was meant for their personal Twitter account.  Check out Twitter Faux Pas http://redcrosschat.org/2011/02/16/twitter-faux-pas/   As a result of this mistake, the Red Cross has received a lot of attention and traffic to its site.  Because the Red Cross acted quickly and responded with humor, they were able to get a lot of support from the public as well as a donation from Dogfish beer.

Public relations through social media is allowing organizations and companies to easily connect with its followers and consumers.  It is about maintaining the relationship with the public and social media provides this outlet as the public is occupied immensely with social media sites.  Make sure to follow us on our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversityLA or comment.