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Communicating with Gen Y and other Generations

Posted by evelyn

July 4

Within the average office in this country, you will probably almost certainly find a wide spread of generations. There will be the young people, just leaving school, college, and university, that are starting off their career in the big wide world. There will be those that have spent a decade or so building up their experience, and are comfortable and happy with what is being asked of them – and at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have those that will be approaching their retirement age within the next few years. But how can you ensure that there will be clear and effective communication between these different groups?

Well, you first need to understand that each of these different generations will communicate in a very different way. For example, the younger generation – say, those under the age of thirty – has grown up in homes that have always (within their memory) owned a computer. They have always used phones in order to text, and so they will probably have a dependence on using email in order to communicate to other members of staff. On the other hand, those nearing retirement age may depend much more heavily on more tangible methods of communication, such as letters and post-it notes.

The key to ensuring a positive communication environment is to combine the two. One way of doing this is to ensure that all important information will go out in a weekly email digest to all members of staff, but then print some copies off and keep them by the kettle. That way, everyone will receive the information in the way in which they feel the most comfortable. As you can see, it is not difficult or complicated to do, but a little forethought will make sure that no generation feels left out.