Training the multigenerational workforce

There are five generations represented in today’s workforce, each with their own values and attitudes – and they all need safety training. But why should you take each generation into consideration for your safety training?

Making sure everyone is engaged is essential because an engaged environment is a safe environment. Research shows that 70% fewer safety incidents occur in engaged workplaces.

Focus areas

The core question is: Do generational differences really matter when it comes to training? The answer is a resounding yes.

Here’s why: When it comes to training and development, each generation has a different focus.

The Traditionalist Generation (1925-46) is looking for career longevity, so this generation will say, “What skills will sustain me at this organization?”
The Baby Boomer Generation (1946-64) is looking for personal accomplishment, so this generation is a little more focused on, “How will these skills and abilities help me enhance my career?”
Generation X (1965-80) is looking for new opportunities and challenges. This is a generation that wants to be thrown into new opportunities to learn, whether it’s new technology or a new process.
Millennials (1980-95) are looking for purpose in their work, so they tend to think, “How do the skills I’m learning through training add value and purpose to the work I’m doing?”
Generation Z (1995-2016) is looking for collaboration opportunities, so it’s all about what opportunities to collaborate are available through the training.

Each generation has its reasons for having these outlooks when you put them in context with the time period they grew up in.

Traditionalists, for example, grew up during the Great Depression and two world wars which led to a “never give up” attitude. Generation Z grew up during the Great Recession and in the era of smart phones, social networking and with Barack Obama as president, so they tend to have a good grasp of technology and prefer working in diverse groups.

Use common ground

For those of us with a workforce spread across all of these generations, there’s a lot going on. It’s a challenging situation. But there is a way to make this work in a really effective way.

While the generations do have a lot of differences, they also share a lot of common ground. All of them:

have a focus on family
appreciate a good work/life balance
appreciate flexible work arrangements
have an appreciation and recognition for a job well done
have desire for effective leadership
want to have a voice and be involved in decision-making
want financial reward for a job well done, and
have a sense of purpose in work.

When in doubt about how to best approach each generation:

use your own organization’s values as a foundation to build upon, and
try to include the focus elements from each generation to drive the impact and application of your training program.