Name: jeff kuzmich - Migrate_Bridging_the_Generational_Gap_08032023_4306052
Uploaded: 2026-02-26T05:53:20.989Z
Duration: 30 min 16 s
Description: jeff kuzmich - Migrate_Bridging_the_Generational_Gap_08032023_4306052

Transcript for "jeff kuzmich - Migrate_Bridging_the_Generational_Gap_08032023_4306052": Hello and welcome to today's event, Bridging the Generational Gap in the Workplace. My name is Rob Parsons and I manage the Brand and Content team here at Paychex. I'll be moderating this webinar. So before we get going, just wanted to touch on just a few little housekeeping, tasks. Note that the primary audio is going to be through your computer, so make sure you've got that set up properly. There's some key commands here you can see on the screen right here. Next, I want to talk about an example of what you're seeing right now. This is our webinar console. So let's take a second just to dive into some of the important features. First of all, if you have any questions during today's webinar, you can submit them via the ask us a question window. Just type in your question and click submit. We'll try to get your questions at the end. Sometimes we run out of time at these events, but trust me, these questions are invaluable as we try to figure out what kind of content and what kind of other events to bring to you. We also have a lot of resources you can download. You can get a copy of today's content for future reference, and you can access additional resources, including the podcast I had with Kirsten, earlier on this topic. So, at any time during the event, can get these. And then, of course, if you experience any technical issues during the webcast, just click this help widget, and that'll discuss the most common issues and resolutions. Finally, as always, please note this webinar is for informational purposes. We can't get into very specific issues, but we can talk in general about what some of the, pitfalls and some of the, issues are around the generations in the workplace. And with that, I just wanted to cover real quick what we're gonna be talking about today, and by we, I mean Kirsten. We're gonna be talking about the different generations, how they can be generally thought of, how you can find and keep top talent when you're looking at these different generations, how to optimize your hiring and onboarding process for different generations, and finally, how do you get the most out of these different generations by fostering an inclusive workplace culture. And I've mentioned her a couple times, but now I'd like to introduce you to our presenter today, Kirsten Turnow. Kirsten has worked in HR for twenty years, spending much of that time providing HR consulting to small and mid sized businesses. And she's been at Paychex for thirteen years now, currently working as an HR coach. Welcome, Kirsten. Why don't you take it from here? Thanks, Rob. So today, the workforce is more diverse than ever. We have four generations that are working side by side, and HR leaders have a unique dilemma. How can they manage baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z all in one workplace? To understand each generation's views and values better, we really need to look at the era in which each generation was born and raised. Early life experiences form a person's values. They form their preferences and their work habits, and these life events help us identify predictable behaviors in each generation. So let's get to know them a little bit better. Baby boomers? This group was born after World War II and they typically grew up during a time of economic prosperity with strong family values and stay at home mothers, they didn't grow up using computers although they do use technology now in their job related functions. Generation X, which we've shortened to Gen X, typically grew up as latchkey kids in a world of working mothers and divorced families and this created independence. So this group is independent, they're adaptable, many times having an I don't need anybody to help me attitude. Millennials, also known as Generation Y, they're typically raised with a great deal of attention and high expectations from parents. They're very confident, which sometimes comes across as arrogance. And our youngest generation, Gen Z. This group has been raised as digital natives. Compared to previous generations, they are more focused on the essence of a person, funny, witty, smart versus things like race or ethnicity, due in large part to how technology has shaped the relationships. Student debt, which shapes both workplace choices and compensation needs, is a significant concern for Gen Z. I think it's also important to mention that the years that make up each generation varies, right? Especially in the beginning and the ending years, and not everyone in each generation necessarily fits into these characteristics or the experiences associated with it, right? But overall, what I've talked about here are those common characteristics for these groups. Now let's look at how these groups fit into the workplace. Thanks, Kirsten. I love that note about these are general, and not everybody fits neatly into a little box, but when we think about things in different ways, it does help us get better at handling the workforce. And a big area we know right now is finding and keeping talent. And HR leaders recognize a more diverse workforce. If I have different generations, I'm gonna be more effective. I have different strengths, but I've got to attract them differently. Different people like different things. So I'd love if you could take us through each of these generations now, some of the tactics that we should be thinking about to find and attract talent. Absolutely. Let's start off with baby boomers. So older workers, they may be more comfortable with traditional recruiting processes, things like using formal resumes, having face to face interviews. They may be more likely to find jobs through advertisements, maybe through word-of-mouth, other employees referring them to the job. Retention strategies with this group, looking at focus on recognizing them for achievements through public ceremonies or other awards that they can share with family, friends, and coworkers. Many members of this generation, nearing retirement, so having flexible work policies is something to look into. Many experienced staff members also will consider staying on the job longer if they're offered reduced schedules or maybe the option of working from home or alternate hours. Health care and retirement benefits, including four zero one match, are highly desired. Then if we look at Gen Z, this group, many of them are still raising their families. They're particularly concerned with health care coverage, flexible workplace arrangements, and other perks that support having that work life balance. Additionally, this generation appreciates monetary benefits, so looking at bonuses, stock options, things like gift cards, even tuition reimbursement programs and mortgage services are good with this group. And then if we look at millennials, millennial job candidates, they often expect having that technology driven application process, including mobile optimized applicant tracking systems, applications that integrate with LinkedIn, and learning about career opportunities through social networking. Retention efforts should focus on building a skill structure training program that addresses their desire for leadership training, for skills development, as well as career progression. Millennials are raising their families, many have young children, and they value benefits that prioritize work life balance, as well as career development opportunities. So some examples being career development programs, monetary gifts, opportunities to give back, community involvement, volunteering, flexible schedules, right? Time off, flex time, or even remote work options, on-site daycare options, or things like five twenty nine college savings plans are important benefits and appreciated for this group, as well as mortgage services. And then that brings us to our youngest generation. So Gen Z, when we are looking at attracting and managing Gen Z in the workplace, employers should build a strong brand across digital platforms. Employees from this generation, they often turn to the internet, to social media, when they're researching potential employers. They tend to prefer that tech driven streamlined hiring process that doesn't keep them waiting for feedback. They want to hear back. They want to know how they did. They want to know what's next in the process. Once hired, Gen Z might be more engaged in their jobs when they're provided access to that cutting edge technology. They're also eager to start their careers, so they tend to prioritize salary over benefits. To attract Gen Z companies with that 100 to four ninety nine group, the small to mid sized employer, say they focus on communicating their commitment to diversity, and workplace flexibility is the most sought after benefit for employees in this age group, more so than health care or training and professional development. This group wants to learn. Are prioritizing training programs as well as other benefits like assistance to student debt, competitive salaries and financial incentives, maybe looking at a bonus or a raise after completing a project, tuition reimbursement for continuing education, as well as formal training opportunities. You know, keep in mind this group might need more handholding. That isn't a bad thing when we're looking at, know, how they got it. Look at the past few years with the pandemic and think about social interaction, soft skill development. That all may have been impacted. So focusing on your company culture and creating that community of learning, of mentoring is really important for this group of employees. Let's dive into recruitment. So that takes us to looking at hiring and onboarding. Yeah. And this is a great topic, Kirsten, because, you know, you really touched on that last section of the different generations interest them, what they find valuable. But I've got to find them, I've got to hire them, I've got to have a recruitment process, an interviewing process, and maybe most importantly, an onboarding process that really gets everybody productive and working right away. And we know this whole world has changed dramatically for HR managers in the last few years with the advent of new technologies, new processes, new ways of of doing things. So could you talk a little bit then about how hiring and onboarding just the things I need to think about when I'm looking at the different generations. Yeah. Yeah. So it's really important to establish a clear strategy, for your hiring process and be consistent with that. Be consistent with that strategy when you're recruiting, when you're interviewing and hiring and onboarding those new employees across generations. Some things to look at: have job postings that detail the job clearly and use a variety of recruiting channels that resonate across the different generations, and this helps you get a diverse pool of potential candidates. Be sure to clearly define the job you're recruiting for and have a job description, And that job description should provide that accurate portrayal of the role and the responsibilities as well as requirements of the job. And this not only ensures that the candidate has a clear picture of the position, but it helps your interviewing team as well. It's also important to define the salary range for the position. Be mindful also of any pay transparency laws that might apply, where you need to include the salary range in your postings And make sure that that range is in line with your market and in line with the industry. I think all generations can appreciate knowing what the salary range is coming into an interview or in advance of applying for a job. And then when you've selected candidates for the interviews, be mindful of who you involve in that interviewing process to ensure that those interviews are conducted consistently and without bias. So consider training your interviewing team on effective interviewing techniques so that they know what they should and what they shouldn't ask or say to candidates. And then once you've made your selection and you've hired that candidate, you've extended that offer, take a look at your onboarding process. And this this isn't just the orientation meeting, but really it's your new hires experience with your company culture, with your expectations. So be mindful, be clear in how you're meeting that new employee and how you're communicating with them, really to minimize any misunderstandings and ensure a successful onboarding. That's great and I'm glad you mentioned communication and that's a big part of this whole idea of creating an inclusive workplace. We know there's exceptions in every generation, but we also know if you understand general background, a general frame or experience, you can understand a point of view, a point of reference, and you can set expectations, maybe meet people where they are, so to speak. So Kirsten, recognizing there's not a one size fit all approach to managing multiple generations, could you tell me a little bit just about facilitating communication, in the workplace to help create an environment where people are all understanding each other and working better together? Yeah, so as a manager, facilitating that informational and awareness, the sharing sessions with all the team members involved, providing opportunity to educate each other about history, characteristics, lifetime events, culture, and so on. Encourage members from each age based generation to participate in those sessions, facilitate that dialogue. Really important to talk about ways that different generations communicate and why, and having that understanding will help teams make better decisions, and the more a team is willing to invest in that honest communication, the better the outcome. So let's look at collecting that feedback from your employees, that goes along with the communication. Once we have your new employees are on board, it's really important and essential to have the right processes in place to successfully manage them, which goes along with communication. HR technology and service solutions in areas like time and attendance can help track productivity and performance. Having regular processes help keep those lines of communication open between management and staff, which really allows workers to get feedback on what's going well or where they might need to improve their performance. You can do this through things like regular one on one meetings with your staff or through consistent and regular performance appraisals. For example, performance reviews, they're a great opportunity to help continue building that relationship with your employee. You're investing time. You're having personalized discussions, really demonstrating your commitment to helping your employee succeed. And it gives them an opportunity to help contribute to a plan. Right? So put together a performance improvement plan, meet their goals, see where they wanna go, and grow within your company. Another thing to look at is employee surveys. This is another tool to collect feedback. Having a well designed employee engagement survey can measure levels of connection and effort that employees are experiencing. The purpose is really to gain insights, such as their desire to go above and beyond their intention to stay with the company long term, their willingness to recommend the company to others, overall pride in the organization, and so on. You can use it as a way to collect, how are your company benefits doing? But it's also twofold. It can provide those valuable insights for the company and demonstrate to employees a genuine interest in their feedback. But also after administering a survey, communicating those results, identifying the big themes and taking action to address those. So if you're going to do the survey, communicate the results and put some effort into rolling those out, addressing any concerns, addressing any issues. The other thing to look at might be team building exercises really centered on engaging those multiple generations at work. This can help bring employees together, both physically and digitally across departments. So managing across generations could be as simple as bringing in free coffee for employees once a month, having conversations around coffee, around the water cooler, or creating projects with teams of people possessing various levels of expertise. But having an understanding and an accommodating workplace can really lead to those fewer misunderstandings. I talked about that before. And also having a more productive workplace. Also, these these team oriented gatherings can help you and your employees really get to know each other and help cultivate an appreciation for differences among the team. You can have your employees share holiday or wedding traditions, These traditions may be tied to their generation or their family or the country of origin. But in either case, getting to know your coworkers on a more intimate basis can really provide insights to how we are more similar than we're different. Generational workers often have different values, expectations, and work styles due to their unique life experiences and their cultural influences. By evaluating policies and leadership bias, you can identify, understand, and address these generational differences, which allows you to develop strategies to effectively manage and engage all of your employees. When policies are aligned with the needs and preferences of generational workers, it can lead to increased job satisfaction, increased engagement, and productivity. For example, flexible work arrangements and technology adoption may be more appealing to younger generations, while recognition and career development opportunities may be more important to older generations, but it helps to identify also any discriminatory or biased practices that may unintentionally disadvantage certain generational groups. It allows organizations to address systemic barriers and biases that may exist in their policies and processes and decision making. But also in addition to this, managers need to manage people as individuals rather than as a group. So I mentioned before that one size fits all approach. It really doesn't work anymore if it ever did, and managers should engage with people on an individual basis. For example, different generations prefer to be rewarded and recognized differently, such as baby boomers preferring that public recognition, millennials may be wanting recognition with benefits like work life balance or PTO rewards. But then individuals within those generations might not fit into those generalizations. Asking how people want to be recognized during your one on one meetings can really help you to get to know your team on that individual level. All generations seek lifelong learning to some extent. Not all choose to take college courses, or to take online courses, but we should recognize that learning is fundamental to an organization's success. And there's several things to consider when planning training for multi generational work teams. There's challenges with that, right? So team members with different levels of familiarity with technology. There could be varying assumptions and interpersonal communication styles, for example, as well as different levels of preparedness. So everyone wants to learn to some extent, right? But not everyone wants to learn computers. If you can accommodate different learning styles, by all means do so. Some other things that might influence training would be things like the workplace culture, attitudes, people change as they get older regardless of their generation, and overall exposure to technology. These issues may or may not impact your training and the performance of your team. It's difficult to design training for each generation. However, try to keep it as open as possible. Design a course so that the learner can choose how to learn and how to interact with the program. In addition, consider some opportunities that allow for ongoing skills development and mentoring. For example, talking about skills development. This allows individuals from different generations to enhance their skills to stay updated with industry trends and also to foster a culture of continuous learning and growth. Where mentoring opportunities will ensure critical skill sets are being transferred between employees of different generations, so whether it's from sharing experiences gained on the job or teaching about technology and computer skills. Another area to consider is really being intentional with knowledge sharing opportunities. One of the most effective ways to build remote teamwork among the generations is through that knowledge sharing. You know, if you have an older worker, they may share their experience while a younger worker might share something new. Having those intentional conversations that can bring everyone together creates that culture of helpfulness and respect. Consider pairing employees that are more tech savvy with those who are less tech savvy, for example. And really, the goal being to facilitate bonds right across your employee groups. Lastly, let's look at career pathing. So this helps employees from all generations envision that long term growth within the organization, aligning it with the organization's goals and feeling motivated and supported in their career progression, which leads to increased engagement and retention across generations. Successfully managing this multi generational workforce and attracting younger employees requires an awareness of changing needs. It requires having a willingness to embrace new ways of managing staff as well as attracting the best talent and foundation for long term success. We've covered some of the biggest challenges here in managing that multi generational workforce, and while it might all seem like a lot, you don't have to do it alone. Paychex can help. By working with an HR outsourcing and benefits provider like Paychex, you can access extensive health benefits, training and development, help with compensation analysis, for example, benefits like tuition programs or discount programs, as well as career pathing and development programs, and a partnership to help provide strategic HR support to you and your business. So with that, I'll turn it back over to Rob to wrap us up. That was great, Kirsten. That was a long run there. Have to take a drink of water. Covered a lot of, I took some notes. You covered a lot of ground there. You gave us, you know, that general framework to understand the different generations. You talked about the different benefits that can appeal to different generations and some creative approaches there too. It's not everything that has to cost money. You talked about establishing good hiring and onboarding strategies and being consistent. And finally, I just love that whole last section, the importance of communication, of collecting feedback, of treating people as individuals, coaching up your leaders and managers, and finally being really intentional about learning and development opportunities. So just a ton of great content there. And you left us five minutes to get to some questions, I very much appreciate. Like that. I'm going to first go to Gail, and this goes back to the different benefits for different generations. How do you offer different options to different age groups without risking discrimination? That's a great question. And I think the important piece is really to consider what your employees want and offer some choices. So you wouldn't only offer certain benefits to certain groups. If you're doing that, that can certainly lead to some potential discrimination concerns. So looking at maybe offering a variety of options to those employees who are interested or the employees that are interested in those options, they can elect them. So it might be a good idea to consider doing an employee survey. I talked about that earlier. You can gauge interest, provide some examples of various benefits that you're considering to offer, see if people are interested in them, things like an employer sponsored five twenty nine college savings plan. I mentioned that earlier. That sort of benefit likely isn't going to be appealing to all generations. Gen Xers and millennials might be very interested in it, or something like a long term health care insurance benefit offering. Maybe not as appealing to younger workers, but certainly something of interest to your older workforce. So really just, I think, having that variety of choices that are appealing to each generation can reduce potential for discrimination. Here, you don't run into an issue where you're restricting eligibility based on age and only offering it to certain groups. So I think the goal being having that variety of benefits that various generations might be interested in, offering it to them, they can choose what they want. That's great. You made me think of a buffet where it's not for everybody, but I'm trying to get a nice variety. So I'm going to make sure I peel, at least have something for everyone, that they can enjoy. Yeah. So this one, I love his name. This is Jeff K9 Kuzniewski. He's talking about discrimination in a different way though. His question is, how do you feel about age discrimination in the workplace preventing the formation of strong internal teams? So it's really not me, the employer, maybe getting into trouble, but it's, this is happening. There's friction in the workplace. How do I, do I overcome that and build those strong internal teams that I want? Another great question. So age discrimination can definitely be present. And our own biases can hinder that teamwork, can hinder that productivity. And a lot of the time, our age bias specifically might be unconscious. We may think we're being inclusive and investing in things like DE and I and having strategies around that. But many times, those programs don't include age discrimination within that diversity training. So bringing that to the forefront, recognizing ageism in the workplace, being intentional with spotting it, with preventing it, that can all help to form a strong company culture, overall company culture, as well as for your own internal teams. Using mentoring programs, team building, even one on ones just to get to know each other, get to know each other on a personal level, that can help break some of those barriers. So I think I think the important piece is is really how you are identifying it as an organization and as a manager or a leader. And call it out when you see it. Call it out in your workplace and come up with some strategies to prevent it. Again, that mentoring, maybe education or training, but also leading by example. So I I mentioned company culture. That needs to come from the top down in your organization. So you need to have leadership buy in, leaders who recognize it, and leaders who model that culture. And that can all help with with helping to build, stronger internal teams. That's great, Kirsten. Thank you so much, and there's a lot of other great questions, but we've come up against time now. So thank you, Kirsten, so much for all of that great content. Really, thank you so much. And thank you As all for joining us today for our a reminder, you can download and print a copy of today's presentation right in the event resources era on the left side of the screen. And then we're also going to be sending out an email that'll have a link to the recording and other links to resources as well. Finally, we're going to have a little survey. It's going to pop up automatically at the end of this event. So if you're feeling a happy moment, please give us your input. It'll help us keep improving the quality of our content and the quality of our presentations. Thank you once again and I hope everybody has a great day.