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Employee Development Roundtable
Understanding
the Multigenerational Workforce—June
20, 2008
| Today's
workplace includes Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation
Y working together as leaders, colleagues, and team members.
How can your organization maximize opportunity, productivity,
and job satisfaction for everyone involved? Some common
threads emerged: |
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Back
to basics—At its core, the issue of
"managing Generation Y" (or any generation)
comes down to cultivating and implementing the basic principles
of good management: trust, respect, communication, recognition. |
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Don't
stereotype—Don't assume that members
of a group "always" act or think the same way:
"Generation X," women, racial groups, etc.
It's true we're shaped by the collective experiences of
our generation and social group, but we're much more strongly
shaped by our own individual and family experiences. |
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Communication
is key—Talk
about expectations in the workplace. One employer thought
that Gen Y employees would wish for "break rooms
with plasma TV and Wii." Instead, focus groups revealed
their desire for flexible schedules, and the opportunity
to take on greater responsibility and important projects.
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Bahira
Sherif Trask |
Bahira
Sherif Trask, University of Delaware Professor of Human Development
and Family Studies, addressed these topics and discussed
characteristics of each generational group.
How
other organizations adapted and learned
Roundtable
participants' discussion
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About
the Employee Development Roundtable
The
Employee Development Roundtable was founded to provide a forum
for human resource professionals in our region to discuss human
resource issues and share best practices. The Roundtable is hosted
by the University of Delaware's Division of Professional and Continuing
Studies.
What's
New
An
Employee Development Advisory Committee has been
formed to identify topics to be addressed by the Employee Development
Roundtable. Click here for more information.
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