http://www.generationsblog.com Managing Age Diversity in The Workplace - Bob Wendover Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:29:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Managers are increasingly faced with those significantly older and younger at the same time. Here's the situation for one manager and how I suggested she resolve it: I manage an underwriting department for an insurance carrier. These days, everybody is being asked to do more with less. As people leave for ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/11/21/advice-for-a-sandwich-manager/ Research firm Weber Shandwick reports that 54% of employees polled say the senior management within their organization has not said anything about the financial crisis and what it might mean for their firm. Seventy percent say they would welcome that kind of information. In a time of upheaval, who wouldn't want ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/11/10/milllennials-want-the-straight-stuff-now/ Lou Heckler, a long-time colleague of mine, made an interesting comment during a session I attended recently. "People," he observed, "are more connnected and yet less engaged." The same might be said of the generations. I wonder, for instance, about the depth of emotion that can be expressed between two ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/10/28/generations-are-more-connected-and-less-engaged/ A colleague and I were discussing our kids over lunch. "You know," he said, "one of the things I have noticed about the video games my kids play is the nature of the feedback they receive.  It's simple. You die or go to the next level." While this is a rather ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/10/21/the-perils-of-instant-feedback/ I had a delightful conversation with a class of young college leaders this past Saturday. The topics ranged from how to deal with older supervisors to my vision for the nature of jobs in the future. All in all, it was a good learning experience for everyone, including me. Anyone managing ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/10/14/millennials-and-the-short-cut/ Is it me, or are there certain things that shouldn't be done is certain places? I was in a public restroom the other day and overhead a cell-phone conversation between a young applicant (on my end) and an employer. The applicant appeared to be saying the right things. He spoke with ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/09/12/dont-flush-the-toliet-while-youre-interviewing/ This past evening, my 14-year-old daughter ate an ice cream pop and left the stick and wrapper on the kitchen counter. I called upstairs and said "Erin, please put your ice cream stick in the trash." After a bit of a huff, I heard her come back down into the ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/09/03/stick-and-the-wrapper-the-millennial-generations-interpretation-of-instructions/ This morning, someone once again asked me about the issue of fairness that Millennial employees seem to have with the workplace. "Why," this person asked, "do they think that everyone has to be treated exactly the same way? Any time I give someone a bonus, extra training or some other ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/08/26/fairness-and-the-millennial-generation/ I was on the phone the other night with Claire, a cherry young tech support person with Qwest Communications. Together, we were attempting to fix the broadband connection into my house. As we waited for the modem to boot and reboot after every step, I struck up a conversation. "That's a ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/08/21/millennials-and-the-big-wide-world/ I stopped by the local McDonald's yesterday for a snack. The voice emanating from the drive-through speaker was that of a delightful young lady. She sounded genuinely interested in how I was. Then she pointed out that I'd save a few cents if I purchased the 42 oz. Diet Coke ... http://www.generationsblog.com/2008/07/31/managing-the-multi-tasking-millennial-generation/