Ideas

Abstract

• Stephanie Weaver's dissertation explores the impact of millennial-focused workplace changes on older generations (traditionalists, baby boomers, and Generation X).

• The study uses a phenomenological approach and is framed by Mannheim’s problem of generations and Reed and Thomas’s management-by-generations.

• Data was collected through interviews with 14 older generation workers.

• Key themes identified: generational differences, appearance, professional etiquette, employee benefits, recruiting, technology reliance, and workplace environment.

  • Generational Differences: Explores the perceptions and experiences of older workers concerning the values, attitudes, and work styles of younger generations in the workplace.

  • Appearance: Investigates how changes in workplace dress codes and expectations, influenced by millennial preferences, affect older generations.

  • Professional Etiquette: Examines differences in communication styles, meeting behaviors, and overall professional conduct between older and younger workers.

  • Employee Benefits: Focuses on how shifts in employee benefits packages, such as wellness programs and flexible work arrangements, impact older employees.

  • Recruiting: Looks at the impact of modern recruiting strategies, often targeting millennials such as social media campaigns, on the attraction and retention of older workers.

  • Technology Reliance: Studies the challenges and opportunities presented by the increasing dependence on technology in the workplace, particularly for older generations.

  • Workplace Environment: Assesses how changes in the physical and social environment of the workplace, driven by millennial preferences, affect the comfort and productivity of older workers.

• The study emphasizes the need for organizations to consider all generations when making policies to foster a thriving workplace and positive social change.