Employability Tips for Young and Old

Workplace conflict has a huge impact on mental health.  Sometimes the only thing worse than the stress at work is the stress of not having a job at all!  With articles like this recent Newsweek one describing why Gen Z employees are getting fired quickly, and this Psychology Today article from 2021 describing why people over 50 aren’t getting hired, it’s clear that the generations share a problem in common:  employability.  The causes may be different, but the solutions are remarkably similar.   Keep reading for 4 keys to employability (and maintaining a low stress workplace). 

🔑 Expand your network
Younger generations are very good at social networking, but how is your business networking?  
How to improve: attend events in person, dressed appropriately for the event, and introduce yourself to other attendees.  Have a professional introduction of about 30 seconds ready to give, and make sure to shake hands, if appropriate for the venue.   

Are you of the older generation?  Make sure you’re utilizing social media to expand your network, especially with younger colleagues.  
How to improve:  Allow yourself to be a little less formal and join in on some of the social platforms, team-building activities or after-hours socializing opportunities that our younger coworkers enjoy.  Yes, it can be tedious to repeat similar team-builders year after year, and we may be tired after work on a Friday night, but when we focus on genuinely getting to know the young team, the camaraderie carries over into the workplace.  

🔑 Be teachable
Young people, a college degree does not mean you know what you’re doing.  Be open to receiving feedback and learning from those who have been doing your work for years.  Constructive criticism is your friend, not your enemy. 

Older people, be open to hearing ideas from the new kid on the block.  Sometimes their fresh perspective provides solutions for old challenges and expansion into new markets.    

🔑 It’s not WHAT you say, it’s HOW you say it (and WHO you say it to)
Those of us in the Baby Boomer and Gen X groups tend to be pragmatic and no-nonsense in the way we communicate, and that works for us.  It conveys information efficiently and without unnecessary coddling… but our younger coworkers aren’t receiving the message because of our delivery.  
How to improve:  Try softening your facial expression when talking with a younger generation.  When offering feedback, make sure to tell them about the things they are doing well in addition to the areas for improvement.  

Younger Millenials and Gen Z:  Remember that your older counterparts grew up tough, and don’t value emotional expression as much as you do.  What they do value is direct communication and respect for their experience.  
How to improve: Make requests or statements brief and factual.  Keep your emotions out of it and defer to your older colleagues’ greater experience.  If you have a conflict or challenge with an older colleague, speak to them directly and privately to resolve it, and be willing to compromise.  Extend some grace and ask for clarification if you feel that they are being hurtful in their communication style.  Going behind their backs to “tattle” to Human Resources or their supervisor may get you what you want in the short term, but you will lose their respect and be thought of as weak.

🔑 Be Accountable
For all generations, professional standards of behavior are expected.  These include, but are not limited to: 

• Showing up every day, on time, unless you are contagious or bedridden. 
• Communicate in grammatically correct sentences, especially in emails or memos (there’s a reason Word has spellcheck and grammar check!) 
• Be timely.  Answer emails the same day if possible, the next day if not - even if you can’t answer the question yet.  Let the reader know you’re working on it.  
• Dress professionally (no wrinkles, yes to undergarments and shoes), or follow your company’s dress code if your organization is less formal.  
• Take responsibility for working while you are at work and saving your recreational and social time for after hours or breaks.  Don’t wait for a supervisor to tell you what to do - take the initiative to notice what needs to be done, and do it!  If you make a mistake, own it and suggest solutions to your supervisor before it becomes a bigger issue.   
• Leave your opinions at home.  The quickest way to create conflict in the workplace is to give your opinion on almost anything.  There’s a reason our grandparents told us never to discuss politics or religion. Contrary to what you may have heard, it is not your job to educate your coworkers.  Try it and you’ll find your coworkers have equally strong opinions that don’t necessarily agree with yours - and then the office is filled with tension and divided along political, religious, or ideological lines.  If you don’t want to dread going into work in the mornings, save your opinions for outside of the office.  

These tips are intended to not only help old and young get and keep jobs, but also add to the harmony of working together by reducing misunderstandings and defining typical work expectations.  Stick with it and let me know how long it took YOU to be successful.   And remember, if you're in the middle of a career change and are looking for career or life change counseling, please contact us.  

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