The program on the multigenerational workplace Dr. Taylor presented was right on the money for our state wide economic development conference. He clearly understands the generational issues in the workforce, from the statewide level all the way to day-to-day interactions. His suggestions will help a lot of our attendees in recruitment, retention and management.
Jessica L. Craig
Executive Director, Economic Development, Sedalia – Pettis County, Missouri
Dr. Taylor’s program on the multigenerational workplace was right on target for our Chamber members. It was well researched and totally up to date. Everyone loved how he kept participants engaged and provided super valuable content and suggestions. His humor really helped break down barriers and people were able relate the ideas to their own lives. I highly recommend for any Chamber.
Tina H. Combs, IOM
President and CEO, Mountainsburg-Berkley County (WV) Chamber of Commerce
Issues of managing “mixed” generational groups and the readiness of young people and recent graduates to enter the workforce has become a major concern for many businesses, including colleges. Schools are especially interested in how to best prepare students to go to work after-college.
Today’s workplace can be an exciting, though not always harmonious, mixture of four generational cohorts; older traditionals, mature boomers, early to mid-career xers and our youngest workers from Generation NeXt. Understanding the generations is becoming increasingly important as demographic changes anticipate the retirement of the rest of the traditionals and many boomers, with insufficient numbers of xers available to fill their slots and leaving gaps in institutional knowledge, organizational loyalty and mission orientation. Many managers are reporting issues with the workplace readiness and integration of Generation NeXt. Successful management will require being able to understand, communicate with and lead everyone, from each generational group. Understanding typical generational values, traits, preferences and styles can improve recruitment, workplace effectiveness, harmony and employee satisfaction and retention. This workshop will address the generational traits, issues and dynamics in the workplace with specific, immediately applicable suggestions for developing the most productive, positive and effective work setting for all workers.
Today’s young workers from “Generation NeXt“ are entering the workforce with characteristics and expectations that present unique challenges to those responsible for recruiting, orienting and initiating them into the professional world, as well as those supervising, managing and retaining them once they get there. While recruiters and managers might find many of these young people to be adaptable and technologically savvy, they may also see consumers in the job market who do not expect to “pay dues” and resent the traditional organizational structure. This session will provide attendees with a better understanding of the development and predictable issues of Generation NeXt, and describe what organizations and managers can do to help them transition into and be successful in the professional workplace.
Leaders and managers often encounter times in the workplace where bad feelings, interpersonal disagreements, and various conflicts escalate into situations with the possibility for negative outcomes for the employees, the manager or the organization. It is possible that, in the course of offering supervision and criticism, managers creates this situation themselves! The consequences of poorly managed conflicts can include decreased leadership ability on the part of the manager, inability of the employee to continue, or even violence and physical harm. The ability to successfully manage an escalating situation can be an important set of management and leadership skills. This workshop will help managers understand the dynamics of potential and real crisis situations, and help them develop skills that they can apply to deescalate crisis to reduce the likelihood of negative consequences to the employee, themselves or the organization.
Managers are frequently called upon to help employees solve personal problems, especially when these problems are revealed in the course of supervision and are impacting work performance. Though managers are not (or should not be) expected to be professional counselors, knowing how to effectively listen and respond can help managers bring employees to improve workplace performance by separating work and personal issues and even helping them resolve their personal concerns. This workshop will help managers understand the principles of effective listening and peer (non-professional) helping, and help them develop a set of skills they can apply to listen to and assist their employees in the most appropriate and effective ways.
Several larger schools, like Purdue and California State University at Sacramento, have invited me to present programs on workplace issues. Organizations like the CUBOs (College and University Business Officers) are offering my sessions at their conferences regionally and nationally. Businesses, like 20th Century Fox, Wal-Mart, FEMA the U.S. Army and the University of Tennessee for the Medical Sciences Medical Center, who are launching initiatives to improve recruitment, retention and productivity of younger workers, and have worked with me as well.
Generation NeXt goes to work: issues in workplace readiness and performance from the 2007 higher learning commission collection of papers.
Click the link below to download the PDF of this april 2007 article on improving the workplace readiness of gen next.
Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.
