Communicating with different generations at work

Hi, I’m a millennial in the workplace and my toxic trait is that I assume everyone else is a millennial too. 

Communicating with different generations in the workplace is 😮‍💨 such a skill. And a skill that is definitely not taught to us. We learn how to communicate in business through osmosis. If Jim or Karen tell you how to get promoted or how to be successful, that’s likely all the “training” we get as we learn throughout our career. Spoiler - if it worked for THEM, it likely will not work for us.  

And you know that too. But why? Why do Jim and Karen insist that their way is the right way? 

Different generations cannot succeed in the same way in our careers because we come from different generations, we have different societal and life experiences, AND we have our own unique communication styles. Not to mention we live in an ever-changing, technologically driven, hybrid workforce, (Jim - we don’t use fax machines anymore, buddy). 

It’s important to understand the generational differences each generation brings to the workplace so we can understand how to best communicate with each other. 

Let’s break down the basics of what the workforce looks like in 2024 - 

• Boomers were born between the years of 1946-1964 and represent ~ 20% of the workforce. While Boomers are exiting the workforce due to retirement, they still hold a share of the workforce due to retirement age ticking upwards. 

• Gen Xers were born between 1965-1980 and represent ~35% of the workforce. GenX currently holds the majority of management/leadership positions. 

• Millennials are classified as being born between the years of 1981 and 1996 and also hold a major share of the workforce at around 35% 

• Gen Z is the newest addition to the workforce as they were born between the years of 1997-2012. 

• Gen Alpha (coming soon...)

A generation is more than just the years they were born into. A generation is defined by the economic, societal, and historic events/norms/beliefs that are held during the collective experience of “growing up together”. 

A brief overview of each generation - 

Boomers experienced a linear + stable climb up the corporate ladder (largely relevant for men). They have worked through their fair share of experiencing economic recessions and they see a separation between work and one’s identity as a sign of laziness. 

GenXers are touted with introducing the idea of work/life balance. Moms stayed in the workplace after having children, and dads wanted to coach little league. For this reason, they are known for their work ethic to prove the ability to balance work and life outside of work. They have a distrust of Big Corporate, likely due to the economic pressures they have been under in business. GenX is highly adaptable to technology as they started their career without the technology we know today and they have gone through multiple iterations of technological integrations in their lives.

Millennials are seen as entitled because they saw the generation before them integrate life into business and it is a need for them to live life outside of work. They value culture above loyalty and for context, they entered the workforce during or immediately after the 2008 recession. 

GenZ is a generation we are still learning about but they are technology reliant, incredibly mission driven and seek remote work first. 

Ok so we have Boomers who think the workplace is still linear and stable, Millennials laughing at the idea of “stable” and GenXers asking GenZ to come into the office. 

Different generations are communicating with each other incorrectly – same workplace, different pages. Boomers are primarily still using email (very short hand email) while Millennials are using Slack and adopting voice memos while GenZ is using memes and Tiktok. 

That’s a problem. So how do we get on the same page when it comes to different generations in the workplace together? As a workplace communications expert, I offer 7 tips on how to communicate effectively in the workplace. 

7 Tips on Communicating Intergenerationally - 

1. Recognize their lived experience 

   • We are all human and we have all lived through some shit (a pandemic anyone??? Recessions???) Recognize it and then…

2. Honor their expertise 

   • This applies to the younger generations too. Like it or not, your older and younger coworkers can teach you a thing or two

3. Understand your limitations 

   • Hey Boomer, maybe it's ok add technology into your workflow. It may make your life easier

   • Hey GenZ, would you consider the fact that in person interactions in the office could enrich your professional life? 

4. “Listen not to respond, but to be challenged”

5. Be patient 

   • We all have different communication styles, work styles, and personalities that may be frustrating to work with and to learn from.

   • For example, one persons sense of urgency may be different than another — be patient. One person may be stronger communicating over the phone, be patient when they give you a phone call rather than send an email

6. Seek out conversation

   • Intentional conversations no longer happen at the coffee machine in the morning or around the water-cooler in the afternoon. In a hybrid/remote work world, we need to seek out conversations in order to learn from and communicate with others

7. Get curious (ask questions when in conversation)

1. What has been your experience with…

2. Tell me about…

3. What has your career path been like for you?

4. Where do you want to go in your career?

5. How do you like to communicate when it comes to business?

6. How can I help you?

I expand on each of these in my 90 minute Intergenerational Communication seminar where I teach clients how to upskill their workforce in these important communication practices. And I can help you and your team do the same!  If you need more help teaching your team how to communicate across the different generations represented in your workplace, let’s have a conversation.

Intentional communication matters and it can create a culture of belonging, productivity, and success.