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The Generation Gap
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- 24-5 September October 2024
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- The Generation Gap
With Generation Z entering the workforce, the divide between generations is growing. Experts say it’s an opportunity to take another look at training and retaining practices and focus on individual needs.
Rosie Wolf Williams
As Generation Z enters the workforce, the age span among employees is growing. But does the increasing generational divide among staff and teams really matter when it comes to training and retaining employees?
It does, but then again, it doesn’t, says Shay Runion, chief human resources officer and senior vice president of professional development at Arrow Exterminators in Atlanta. “With all five generations in the workforce simultaneously, we are facing a unique time as employers. Communication differences, behaviors, and attitudes [among different generations] all influence collaboration as a team, productivity, and overall job satisfaction. This is the most diverse workforce we have encountered.”
However, adds Runion, we should be cautious about preconceived ideas of best practices for particular generations. Training that supports the work environment is best, while being inclusive and supportive of individual needs. “There are many generalizations and opinions and biases about how each generation operates. Don’t believe everything you see or read. After all, we are all individuals—no matter what generation we are from!” says Runion. “As an employer, I see this diverse workforce as a great opportunity. We should be homing in on knowledge-sharing, mentorships, and learning better ways to communicate with our team.”
What’s Your Age Sign?
A 2023 report by Paychex indicates that members of the younger Gen Z generation are shifting the workplace dynamic as they begin to look for full-time employment. But the older workfo rce hasn’t disappeared. In fact, a Pew Research survey showed that 19% of Americans 65 years of age or older were employed in 2023, and that widening age difference can affect the overall success of training methods and retention of employees.
Right now, the workforce could be divided into five separate generations:
- Gen Z is categorized as those born between 1995 and 2012.
- Millennials are those born between 1980 and 1994.
- Gen X members were born between 1965 and 1979.
- Baby boomers were born after World War II up to 1964.
- The Quiet or Silent Generation are those born between 1927 and 1945.
Each generation may have its own strengths and weaknesses, says Misti Coyle, talent acquisition manager of Suburban Pest Control in Yonkers, New York. “For example, Gen Z is often praised for their technological skills and their ability to think outside the box,” she says, but older generations are often perceived as more patient and more experienced. “Gen Z employees may prefer more flexibility and autonomy in their work, while older generations may value more structure and hierarchy. It’s just being aware of these differences and adjusting your management style accordingly. It’s important to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.”
Opportunities for promotion may be important to all generations, but family and personal obligations tend to be paramount for Gen Z. “[Gen Z team members] definitely view work as only part of their life, and maybe not the most important part. They want more balance,” says Brett Lieberman, owner of My Pest Pros in Vienna, Virginia.
“However, it’s dangerous for us to stereotype,” he adds, agreeing with Runion. “We have some Gen Zers who are super-focused and driven, and others who view work or jobs as a means to an end. One important thing to recognize is how Gen Z learns. They were brought up on video games, YouTube, texting, TikTok, etc. They write and communicate differently. They may learn better from short videos than a written manual.”
With all five generations in the workforce simultaneously, we are facing a unique time as employers. COMMUNICATION DIFFERENCES, BEHAVIORS, AND ATTITUDES [AMONG DIFFERENT GENERATIONS] ALL INFLUENCE COLLABORATION as a team, productivity, and overall job satisfaction.
-Shay Runion, Arrow Exterminators
Training Across the Divide
By using a variety of training methods, owners and managers play to everyone’s strengths. As such, some management teams might need to pivot away from traditional training techniques.
“I feel there is a need for a more inclusive management style in the workplace, especially as more and more people from different backgrounds and cultures enter the workforce,” says Suburban Pest Control’s Coyle, whose company received the 2023 Meytier Hiring Equitable Gold Award, recognizing its commitment to fair and unbiased hiring practices. “This means creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome, respected, and where everyone has the opportunity to succeed in the pest control industry. This could mean things like providing more opportunities for professional development and creating a more flexible work environment.”
Lieberman warns that merely adjusting training methods for a particular generation of team members can leave many capable workers behind. “It’s not always generational, but individual. We get focused too much on generations and stereotypes. It’s important, and challenging, to understand how different people communicate, learn, take feedback or praise. We see this regardless of the generation. We’ve seen 20-somethings who work harder than a 40-something, and then a 40-something who is better at technology than a 20-something,” says Lieberman. “The bigger difference and challenge we are finding is trying to identify and manage expectations of a changing workforce, training them, creating incentives that will resonate, and career paths.”
Education, One By One
Offering age-specific training is not the answer. Individual skills, cognitive ability, work scheduling, and other factors can interfere and leave a number of wonderful employees behind in training and promotion.
“In one group of new team members, we may end up with people who are very technology savvy and have no problem picking up the software we utilize. After all, Generation Z may have never utilized a textbook once because all their coursework is online,” says Runion. “On the other hand, you may have a group that is extremely overwhelmed by learning new technology and needs one-on-one attention to help them navigate through their initial learning experience with us. We have also noticed a difference in their attitudes toward learning. For some of the team, it’s a very positive and rewarding experience.”
For others, the training experience is viewed as dull or unimportant, and Runion notes that those with previous work experience may think the training isn’t designed for them. “Also, there may be a discrepancy between how the generations view their workplace. Some crave professional development and truly want to build a career versus just another job. You can see these values come out in the way they communicate with other team members during training and their general attitude. These things can create obstacles for us in training, but in most cases, it still always comes down to the individual and how well they fit our culture.”
Growth Points
As a start, Coyle suggests fostering a culture where all employees feel comfortable expressing their perspectives and asking for support. Also important is staying up to date on research and best practices related to managing generational diversity in the workplace.
Companies may benefit from offering a variety of training opportunities, such as:
- In-house training sessions
- Manuals or workbooks
- Visual training options such as videos or graphics
- Cross-training ]
- Job shadowing
- Company-funded conferences or workshops
Conferences, adds Coyle, are “a great way to keep them up to date on the latest trends, technologies, and products in the pest control industry. Plus, when employees attend conferences, they can obtain credits for their pest control license that [must] remain active and current.”
Training and retraining should also be conducted with an open mind and a willingness to tailor the learning experience to different generations. For example:
- Make the training engaging.
- Have a solid plan on how you will work with those who might need extra guidance.
- Encourage knowledge-sharing—those who pick up technology quickly can be encouraged to help with transitions to new technology.
- Provide an incline of success for all generations by breaking down information into digestible chunks that can easily be mastered.
“We’re always experimenting to find what is effective in training,” says Lieberman. “We have relied more on technology such as short videos to break down aspects used in onboarding. We’re trying to incorporate more visual elements in our training so it’s not just us up there droning on and on. We are trying to get all of our team members to engage and talk during meetings so they feel more involved. This helps them feel valued, and we also learn more about them.”
Harnessing the Skills of Every Generation
By creating a training ground and workplace that embraces Gen Z and older generations, every facet of a business will benefit through the combination of fresh perspectives and experience.
“Everybody brings something unique. Tapping into that and empowering them individually can allow us to benefit from their unique skills and interests,” says Lieberman. “One of our younger techs who loves tinkering with cars has been great at helping with mechanical issues with equipment. Thanks to his interest, we’re able to have him doing services that other techs have never been able to do.”
Companies that focus on personal strengths in a diverse and inclusive workplace reap the benefits. Open communication, opportunities for professional development, and flexible work arrangements can often lead to improved innovation, creativity, and problem-solving, as well as a more positive and productive work environment.
Adds Coyle, “By embracing all generations, companies can attract and retain top talent, which can help them stay competitive in the industry.”
Train and Gain
As small businesses, it’s essential for pest control companies to cross-train employees so more than one person can use the various platforms required for their day-to-day business.
For example, My Pest Pros in Vienna, Virginia, uses a customer relationship management (CRM) system, payroll/human resources software, a project management tool to help employees organize daily tasks, and a customer support platform for customer care emails, among others.
Initial training on these systems is done via mostly video during onboarding. “We start off with a lot of video training the first couple days of onboarding regardless of the person’s job in the company,” says owner Brett Lieberman. “The videos cover customer service and pest control at a 30,000-foot level to give everyone a good sense of what we do and why.”
But if employees only use a system every few months to help fill in for someone who’s out, they’re going to need a refresher, he adds.
Lieberman says My Pest Pros tries to make it easy. First is the company’s own mobile app, which is loaded with resources including written materials and short videos created on a video communications tool. Those resources guide employees on everything from how to enter information into the CRM or how to treat for a particular pest like earwigs. Materials are also available on a shared drive.
During weekly meetings, Lieberman might review training or point employees to online resources if they have specific questions on how to do a task.
Employees can also assign tasks to other employees while they’re out using the project management tool, where they can include video or step-by-step protocols as a guide. “I think what’s really cool is a new feature on [our video communications tool] that can use AI [artificial intelligence] to create a transcript or a standard operating procedure from your video,” says Lieberman. “You may still have to edit it, but 90% to 95% of the work is done for you.”
Generational or not, when it comes to learning, he says that he has found that technicians tend to be more visually oriented, while employees who handle administrative tasks use video but seem to prefer detailed written materials. “Both can be very good at their jobs,” he adds. “They just learn differently.”
—Danielle Moores