May
8
This post by Steve Roesler includes some very interesting research findings under the heading - Generations Not At War.
It is timely as over the past few weeks I have been coaching a Space Unlimited programme with 16 year olds in school. They act as the consultants on a real business issue - take a look at the site to see the range of those. I am working with young people who will shortly be in the position to look for employment. When I speak to people of my age about this we have a sense of how things are different from when we set out into the world of work but I realise from the more time I spend with young people that there are many similarities.
The full findings of the research are included in Steve’s post but I would like to focus on just one for the moment
everybody wants respect
Dr Jennifer Deal says that respect is defined in different ways and says “Older people primarily talk about respect in terms of - give my opinions the weight I believe they deserve - and - do what I tell you to do. Younger respondents characterised respect more as - listen to me - and - pay attention to what I have to say“
Dr Deal’s definition very much resonates with me. Thankfully I work mainly with “older people” who still have their minds open but I occasionally come across someone who talks about today’s “youth” as if they were somehow subhuman. What I have learned from the younger people is that they do indeed have something to say and how hard they feel it is to get someone to listen to them. (As an aside I was fascinated learn last night that the right for a child to be heard is expressed in Article 12 of the UN’s Committee on the Rights of the Child.)
But to get back to respect for each other and recognising that there are differing definitions of respect depending on where you stand there is another factor which I would like to throw in to the discussion.
The ability to get on with co-workers is crucial to how an employee feels about work. Or flip that on its head - if you don’t get on with your co-workers going to work can be awful. There is a responsiblity on both sides though and the explanation of differing definitions of respect might also apply here. Bear with me.
Don Ledingham writes in an education based blog and a recent post was about whether teachers should have “unconditional positive regard” for pupils. They may not like the behaviour but that does not mean that they cannot like the child. It is an interesting debate in that context but I believe it also relates to the workplace. How would Dr Deal’s findings on the distrust of senior management be impacted if everybody had an unconditional positive regard for their colleagues. (Before we go off at a tangent on “conflicts in personality” the workplace is made up of people - every one of them with a different personality - and none better than another. Just different.)
So - if the starting point was that everybody - regardless of generation - regards each colleague positively the respect issue would take care of itself. Wouldn’t it?
This post is my entry for the Carnival of HR over at Career Encouragement Blog
Jackie -
I have the privilege to welcome a roomful of twenty-something new hires to our corporate headquarters and training center every Monday morning. It’s one of the most rewarding and pleasurable parts of my week. They are bright, eager, polite, enthusiastic, hard working, and respectful. (I’m also the father of two teenage daughters.) So I can say from first hand experience that the future is in good hands.
I so agree, Dan. I am envious - starting every week with those young folks - raring to go ….WOW!