Week $5$: Discussion A $>$ Video Case $-$ Multigenerational Office Multigenerational Office

Today's workplace is often a mix of generations, as twenty$-$somethings enter the labor force in droves and older workers stay longer or re$-$enter in new careers. The so$-$called generation Y joins two others, Baby Boomers born between $1945$ and $1963,$ and Generation X$,$ boomer children born before $1982.$ Many organizations are asking themselves how to best engage the younger workers, who have their own attitudes and work habits.One company's solution is to pair them up with colleagues old enough to be their grandparents. At the New York City office of Randstad, one of the world's largest temporary employment companies, placement agents Rinath Benjamin and Penny Burns work side$-$by$-$side. Randstad has discovered that the youngest and oldest generations in the workplace can work better together than can two consecutive generations.By all accounts, the pairing of Benjamin and Burns has been a big success. For Benjamin, the age difference has never seemed to be a barrier. Not knowing anything about the business when she began, Benjamin relied on Burns' experience for knowledge and pointers and says she has learned a lot from her senior. She says their personalities work well together, and she finds it helpful to have the older woman's opinions.Burns, on the other hand, says working with her younger colleague keeps her from being cynical, makes everything new again, and makes the relationship pleasant. The freshness of the younger workers is not only a benefit to their senior mentors but to the entire office. Eileen Habelow, regional vice president, says they raise the energy level of the branch by bringing in new ideas and excitement. Conversely, the older workers provide a reality check, pointing out good ideas and questioning those that might not work.This work arrangement may be successful because the large difference in age and life experience of the mentors creates a comfort level void of competitiveness and jealousy. But this kind of co$-$equal mentoring arrangement can only work under special circumstances. According to Michael Feiner of Columbia Business School, it takes a special organization, where the $60-$year olds are comfortable at their career stage and enjoy teaching their younger colleagues, and the young workers recognize the benefit of learning from their seniors.Burns and Benjamin may put their finger on the reason why the arrangement is successful when they say it is a lot like grandmother and granddaughter. Perhaps these two generations don't experience some of the friction that might exist between a parent and a child. Studies show that the post$-$World War II generation and generation Y share similar values and have more common ground than one might think. Besides good salaries and benefits, members of tech$-$savvy Generation Y want interesting work, a positive environment, regular feedback and support from managers, and a chance to learn and develop new skills while making a contribution.

Discussion Questions

Please share your thoughts about these questions on the discussion area.

What challenges do human resource managers face when mixing three different generations in the workplace?

What accounts for the fact that at Randstad the youngest generation works better with the oldest generation than people in the middle?

Could this mixing of generations work in all circumstances?