Bridging generational differences

At first glance, you wouldn’t notice anything missing from The Group Inc. Real Estate’s main office in Fort Collins.

A youthful front-desk attendant greets visitors, well-dressed professionals of all ages filter in and out, and prospective homebuyers wait in oversized armchairs, flipping through magazines.

Nothing out of the ordinary for a busy real estate office.

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What isn’t so obvious is what’s not there: locks. Not a single interior office or conference room in the entire two-story, 20,500-square foot building is equipped with a keyhole, latch or deadbolt. Not one.

“Ultimately, there is trust,” said 40-year-old Robin Strong, a realtor with the Group since 2001, “and our individual success is based off everyone’s success. Regardless of how long they’ve been here.”

For the Group, this means allowing their industry’s newest faces into the offices and meeting rooms of the seasoned veterans, to soak in the knowledge and expertise that only years on the job can impart.

In turn, the younger realtors share their energy, new ideas and – perhaps most importantly – technology know-how.

A symbiotic relationship between old and young, beginners and experts, Facebook-dependent and Facebook-afraid.

Multigenerational workplaces like the Group’s are a growing reality in the United States. A combination of longer lives and leaner retirement plans have kept people in the workforce longer, often into their 70s and even 80s.

With the entrance of Millenials (those born between 1980 and 2000), it is now the norm for offices to house a mix of committed company lifers and fresh-faced college grads in their first pair of slacks. Millennials are expected to comprise half of the workforce by 2020.

And like an episode of the “Real World,” these generations are thrown into the same room 40-plus hours a week and asked to do something productive together.

But unlike a reality show, conflict doesn’t translate to higher ratings, and definitely not to higher profits.

In order to succeed in the current climate, businesses have not only had to learn to deal with the generational span, but embrace it.

“The more diversity you have, the better your solutions can be,” said Ava Diamond, president of workplace consultants the Diamond Success Group.

“You have people with a wide range of life experience, training, organizational experience and styles focused on your business and your customers. But this only works when there is a culture of mutual respect and support, and people are eager to work with and learn from each other.”

In the multi-generational environment, communication can be the biggest stumbling block to success, said Dr. Stephanie Smith, the public education coordinator for the American Psychological Association.

Different generations often prefer different modalities. Where Millenials would rather text or email, Boomers are more likely to call or prefer in-person interactions. A workplace that offers and utilizes various methods is more likely to keep everyone happy and productive, Smith said.

When Mark Goldrich started working at The Group Inc., contracts were handwritten, homes were unlocked with actual keys and business was done face-to-face.

Times have changed.

Goldrich said he’s relied on his younger co-workers to help him navigate the new world order.

“I’ve seen realtors who didn’t want to make the changes and embrace the new technology and they eventually fall out because their functionality is limited,” said Goldrich a 65-year-old Group veteran. “You have to accept the technology in order to communicate with a younger generation.”

The life/work balance is another area where the generations differ.

According to a study published in 2011 by Achieve Global, company loyalty and work ethic vary from generation to generation. Work is less central for Millenials, and they tend to be less committed to a particular company. Their older coworkers on average have a stronger work ethic and place less emphasis on leisure.

But that doesn’t necessarily make Generation Y’ers bad to work with. The Pew Research Center has dubbed the Millenial generation as “confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and receptive to new ideas and ways of living.” This type of worker is more likely to demand flexible working hours, faster promotions and greater responsibilities. The difficulty can be managing fairly to ensure that older workers don’t feel the up-and-coming are being given special treatment.

Another area to be aware of in a multi-generational environment: making age a bigger deal than it is.

Joe Rosse, professor of management at the University of Colorado Boulder, said age-cohort differences are overblown. What’s more important is what coworkers have in common.

“Often people are looking for the same things: a good work environment, fair pay, etc.,” Rosse said. “The differences aren’t as big as people think. Fundamentally the way people respond to work will be similar. The commonalities will be more important than the differences.”

So what’s in the middle of the Venn diagram of all generations? Diamond said values.

“It has been shown that all generations have similar values, but how they define them is different,” she said. “For example, the value of respect. For older employees, it might mean, ‘Give my opinions the weight they deserve because of my years of experience,’ whereas for younger employees, it might be, ‘Listen to me and pay attention to what I have to say. Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I don’t have great ideas.’”

The type of workplace that fosters this kind of respect is typically led by someone who champions it themselves, Rosse said.

“Any good manager asks himself or herself, what do my employees bring to the table?” he said. Having a collaborative style and asking all employees for input (regardless of age) builds a culture of respect among the staff for leadership and for each other.

“And that (respect) is a good thing in any management position.”

Smith’s advice to Baby Boomers is to stay open-minded. Taking on the posture of student, regardless of age or station, allows for continued growth and mutual respect.

“There are few of us who can’t learn and grow from being around and interacting with others,” she said. “Taking an adversarial (us vs. them) stance at work is not productive and can cause stress as well.

“Taking a step back and realizing that while your own history and experience is valuable, other members of your team have valuable insights and inputs as well.”

When The Group began hiring members of Generation Y, Strong recognized their understanding of (and ability to market to) the next generation of home-buyer, a skill that the older generation could glean from.

At the same time, Tracie Milton, a 31-year-old realtor with The Group, has appreciated the open-door policy of her older mentors, and their willingness to teach.

“It’s an exchange of confidence,” she said.