Four generations in one company. What is it like to work in one team for kids and boomers?

Almost two-thirds of Poles already function professionally in the environment of at least three generations, and almost half of them have representatives of four generations at work – according to a study by SW Research, reported by Monday's “Rzeczpospolita”.

The study was conducted in March one thousand professionally active people proves that most of them have no problems with working in multi-generational teams. According to 63 percent respondents, age differences are not a reason for misunderstandings in their companye, and slightly fewer people claim that the narrative about generational conflicts at work is exaggerated and does not correspond to reality. This is most often said by older employees – those from Generation X (45-60 years old) and the so-called boomers 61+.

Although most employees say that age is not a source of conflicts in their workplace, every fifth person has experienced discrimination for this reason. The youngest candidates often have to deal with the assumption that they will be less loyal or too demanding, and older candidates with the belief that they have a harder time adapting to changes or new technologies – we read in “Rz”.

According to “Rz” – the real source of problems is the management style, the way of organizing work and the quality of communication in the team. As much as 82 percent respondents notice differences in their approach to work. Almost half emphasize differences in work pace and communication style, and more than two in five emphasize different levels of technological skills. According to almost every third survey participant, there are also generational differences in setting boundaries and values.

As we read in “Rz” – what is surprising to older generations is the readiness of young people to set boundaries at work, which is the result of upbringing and observation of their parentswho encourage children to be assertive, to seek new experiences, and to change jobs in which they see no point. At the same time, the same parents, as managers, are outraged that young people often change jobs.

Despite generational differences, almost half of the participants in a study commissioned by the Job Impulse agency believe that age diversity improves team effectiveness. More than two thirds of respondents were 61+ and 43 percent Millennials notice the advantages of intergenerational cooperation. Less than 44 percent respondents claim that their employer takes steps to integrate different generations in teams.

SW Research was conducted on a sample of 1,000 people. (PAP)

jszt/san/