Most companies talk about generational change with varying degrees of passion and understanding. Do they do it because it is ” trendy ” or do they have a real concern for the generations of today and tomorrow?
The way in which decisions are taken, the lack of anticipation and inclusion in the face of the wishes, demands or other questions of the younger generations, makes it easy to doubt this.
The fact that the subject is not easy to deal with is certainly part of the game, and no one certainly has “the” right solution to consider the generational gaps that are widening in the professional world. Denying the evidence that the pandemic has fundamentally accelerated the transformation to a hybrid world of work is just one example…
But there is an urgent need to integrate the wishes of the younger generation into thinking about workspaces and the way work is done. As a long-time member of the ‘older generation’, it is particularly worrying that even younger managers are not able to understand and address these issues, which are essential for the smooth running of companies, or even their survival!
For some managers, going along with the younger generations means bending, being dictated to, when in fact it is nothing of the sort: “to lead is to foresee”, so why is it not possible to integrate this principle when it comes to young workers?
That they no longer want to spend as much time at work as their elders, that they want to learn or leave, that they no longer have career plans (whose fault is that?) are facts. This still does not mean that they are not efficient, effective, loyal, or good workers: they simply aspire to work ‘differently’. Priorities have changed and this requires some adaptation and sometimes some disillusionment, but should this prevent a boss from rethinking his or her conduct?
The dual training system in Switzerland can, better than in most other countries, contribute to finding pragmatic solutions. Indeed, employers who are constantly confronted with young people being trained in companies can “feel or perceive” current trends better than others and thus adapt smoothly to the new requirements of the world of work: we must take advantage of this!
Finally, it should be noted that the desired changes in companies are not only the fruit of the young generation, but of many. The pandemic has been an extraordinary accelerator in this area and most employees want to be able to manage their time better. Why not?
Certainly, each company must find its own solutions, but to ignore these profound societal changes is to cut ourselves off from the future workforce and to forget that the war for talent has never been as strong as it is today.
Let’s hope that the bosses and their management teams will listen to the younger generations and not attribute to them qualifiers and intentions that smell a bit like mothballs…
Have a nice summer, a nice week, good thoughts, and good reading.