7
Administrative Assistant's
UPDATE
ORGANIZATIONS MUST...
...Create flexibility
• Vacation flexibility – Rewards for
taking time off during non-peak
times during the year
• Flexible work hours – flex time of
late/early starts/ finishes, shorter
lunch hours
• Work-from-home options
• Build personal schedules into
workdays (running, errands etc…)
• Performance-based work where
hours spent are less important than
results
...Develop empathy
• You actually have to care
• Appreciate what the other person
brings to the table
• Look at the bigger picture
• Share vital differences and be okay
with vulnerability
• Meet the needs of the majority
...Promote sharing
• Knowledge – pass on what you
know to make people stronger
• Technology – you all work for the
same company
• Resources – share people across
teams, cross-train them to flatten
the learning curve across all three
generations
• Share clients – internal and external
• Updates – social media, company
updates
...Share ownership
• Determine what areas employees
can take more ownership of their
work (without retribution)
• Team meetings held with the
concept of positive control focusing
on accountability and responsibility
and having fun!
• Rotate team meeting control to all
members of the team across all
generations
• Make sure all have a chance to work
on fun projects not just mundane –
no favouritism
...Build a suppportive culture
• Gen X/Y have low tolerances for
cover-your-ass-style leadership
• People do not leave their jobs, they
leave their leaders' mentality
• Transparency and openness are key
– Boomers are not used to this
• Have the tools people need
• Set clear expectations for tasks,
performance and success
• Establish clear guidelines for how
to communicate with, treat and
support each other
HOW TO TALK TO THEM
To Boomer
• Build the relationship – personal
relationship and business are inter-
twined for them
• Meet over coffee or lunch
• Discuss mutual interests
• Always get their input
• Link the conversation to mission
and values
To Gen X
• Don't waste their time
• Be direct
• Skip the corporate mumbo jumbo
• Email or vmail
• Be clear on what you want, what it
gets the "Xer", and when you want it
To Gen Y
• Text
• Face to face
• Relate to their personal goals
• Relate to the team goals
• Never be condescending
• Skip the sarcasm
Sources
• www.catalyst.org/publication/434/
generations-in-the-workplace-in-the-
united-statescanada
• American Physiological Association
(stress statistics)
• 101 Ways to Make Generations X,
Y and Zoomers Happy at Work by
Cheryl Cran (Kindle/paperback)
• When Generations Collide by Lynne
C. Lancaster and David Stillman
(Kindle/paperback/audio)
• Managing the Generation Mix by
Carolyn A. Martin and Bruce Tulgan
(Kindle/paperback)
• "Bridging the Generation Gap," by
Deborah Laurel (article)
• "A New Paradigm for Teams of the
21st Century," by H.B. Karp and
Danilo Sirias, Gestalt Review
Bob Prentiss is a speaker at conferences worldwide on
the topics of business analysis, building stronger business
relationships, process improvement, analysis techniques,
facilitation and elicitation. To learn more about Bob Prentiss
(he calls himself Bob the BA), go to bobtheba.com.
