Generations at work
Electrical Apparatus, Jun 2009 by O’Leary, Bill
Gap between old and young to be covered at the EASA convention
Looking for a break from discussion on motors, armatures, and transformers? The Electrical Apparatus Service Association Convention, being held in St. Louis this month, provides coverage on non-technical topics as well. Two educational sessions on generations in the workplace will be examined during the show.
The first session, “Generations at Work: New Dynamics in the Workplace,” will address the misunderstandings and conflicts that arise from different generations with different ethics and backgrounds coming together in the workplace. The session will cover how and why work ethics and expectations have changed, positive and negative aspects of each group as viewed by others, shared solutions from successful organizations, steps you can take to facilitate improved working relationships, strategies to motivate employees and customers, sustaining win/win relationships, and the benefits of the generation-mixed workplace.
The second session, titled “How to Retain Generations X and Y Em- ployees,” will examine the challenge of recruiting younger employees, which the session views as anyone of age 35 and under, to the electrical apparatus service industry. Retaining these young employees is also a con- cern that will be addressed. The ses- sion will also cover the high expecta- tions Generations X and Y have of themselves and those they work for, how to work with those of a different mind-set, what motivates your younger workers, and tools to assist you in developing a strategy to retain those key employees.
Both educational sessions will be instructed by Matt Thornhill, founder and president of The Boomer Project, based in Richmond, Va. The Boomer Project is a marketing research and consulting firm that helps marketers gain a better understanding of the “Boomer consumer,” a product of the Baby Boomer generation born during the middle part of the 20th Century.
The clashes of these various generations in the workplace have become more of a concern as the Baby Boomer generation grows older and Generations X and Y begin to dominate work settings. A faltering economy leaves very little “wiggle-room” for businesses to restructure or expand