Introduction to Multigenerational Workplace – What is it?

The multigenerational workplace is how people of different generations work together as well as how commonly held stereotypes of generations are often found to counterproductive and restrictive. “When we assign negative or overarching characteristics to each group, we imply that their values, beliefs, and goals are fundamentally flawed” (Gerhardt, 2023). While society believes that there are hard and fast generational boxes that everyone fits and that these generational categories have traits that can be attributed to everyone in them, most academic and professional research on this topic finds that generational stereotypes are often unfounded and baseless. Generational stereotypes are based on inaccurate preconceived notions of previous generations and often limit or constrict future generations and encourage them to adhere to the traits they have been described as. By defining generations with stereotypes, it creates an identity that people conform to rather than something they are defined by, that in reality does not affect job performance.

One of the youngest groups in the workplace has also been the most aggressively stereotyped. Millennials have been thought of as a very homogenous group of overachievers, eco-warriors, social media addicts, and most commonly in the workplace, lazy and unwilling to do hard work. These stereotypes have limited our understanding of millennials and dissuaded many from further investigating if they are true. Acknowledging the incomplete nature of Millennial research due to their short time in the workforce, the article recognizes the challenges in deciphering a generation that only began its professional journey less than a decade ago. Contrary to popular belief, recent research defies the notion that Millennials are vastly different from their predecessors. In relation to hard facts and data, millennials do not appear to be as different from previous generations as society believes.

While it is true that research shows that Millennials value work-life balance more than previous generations, data indicates that they invest as many hours at work as Baby Boomers did in their early professional years. Millennials harbor high expectations for career progression and development; however, despite the desire for swift promotions, they display a more rational approach by accepting less-than-ideal first jobs. Evidence suggests that Millennials may hold high expectations for personal career development and job content.

In conclusion, the multigenerational workplace is commonly misconstrued as how people of different ages work together in the workplace and how generational stereotypes affect their interactions; however, research shows that we are more similar than different and by disregarding harmful stereotypes we are able to work together as individuals rather than generational caricatures.

References

Waldrop: Millennials, Who Are They Really?

https://hbr.org/2021/08/how-to-manage-a-multi-generational-team