The demographic landscape in corporate America is rapidly and radically changing. More and more Generation Y employees are entering the workforce while the Boomers are making their plans for retirement. The corporate culture that we are familiar with, a culture that embraces hierarchy, corporate politics, loyalty, and promotion based on tenure, was created by the Boomers and Traditionalists. However, with new blood comes new demands and new expectations of what the workplace should offer and the role that work should play in our lives.
All too often we read recommendations that workplace cultures need to be revamped completely in order to attract, accommodate and retain the newest generation of workers; however, this is not the case. Organizational cultures are dynamic and are supposed to evolve over time, retaining the qualities that work, ridding of the qualities that don’t and assimilating new ways of organizational functioning to create healthy, functioning and effective organizational cultures that work for all. The basic ingredients of a healthy organizational culture include:
- Employee needs valued by senior leadership (as reflected in key decision makers considering employee concerns and feedback)
- A culture that embraces work/life integration (work flexibility based on need, recognition and promotion based on performance, a culture of connection)
- A safe workplace
- Employees feel recognized for what they do and receive productive and adequate feedback
- A culture of mutual trust and respect across all levels
- Open communication top-down and bottom-up
- High attendance and presenteeism
- High retention rates
Does your organizational culture include these factors? Are any missing? All of these factors undoubtedly affect employee and organizational productivity, which in turn impacts the bottom line. As you can see, they are not generation specific; they are simply the signs of a healthy organization, which will benefit the four generations who inhabit your workplace.
If any of these factors are not present in your culture, then it would serve you well to start investigating and changing the parts of your organization’s culture that are unhealthy. Gather information from your employees, across generation, on what can be done to enhance the health of your organizational culture and start implementing the changes today. Without these factors in place, it will be difficult to attract new talent to your organization, let alone retain the best of the best.