Kathie Lingle's Work-Life Blog

The Impact of Culture on Generational Differences: One Perspective
Guest Blogger: Kristine Jordahl - Buffets, Inc.

May 22, 2008 - I have always been fascinated with the study of “generational balance” in the workplace. One of the things that I have found with this topic is that much of the information I have seen has focused on how employers are managing or need to manage the differing needs of those employees that make up the Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, etc. As a long-term benefits practitioner, I find myself with the same mind-set. However, it took a recent trip overseas (not to mention the knowledge that I needed to come up with a blog topic!) to adjust my way of thinking and realize that most of the information that I have seen concerning these generational slices is coming primarily from the American pie (my apologies to Don McLean).

I just returned from Tanzania where I was teaching Secondary School (similar to high school) in a village in the southern part of the country (something that I have been doing for a few years). Because the cost of attending Secondary School can be prohibitive, many students must first take jobs to earn the money to attend and continue their education. As a result, there are students at the school who are not of the traditional high school age and fall more into the category of Generation Y. Knowing that my blog deadline was fast approaching, I took the opportunity during my time there to ask these non-traditional students what they thought their needs would be once they completed their studies and re-joined the workforce.

As you can imagine, their responses were very different from those that I have seen in the United States. Rather than looking for the benefits that have been identified as typical of Generation Y (immediate gratification, casual work environments, more time off, state-of-the art technology and greater diversity of work), this group of students sounded more like Generation X with a bit of Baby Boomer sprinkled in (financial security/retirement benefits, job stability and support for ongoing education/training). The other thing that I found very impressive with this group of students was their knowledge of and interest in international politics and business.

Now, I understand that there are significant differences between the United States and Tanzania and that the feedback I received was relative to only a small group. However, the point of my observation is that it opened my eyes and reinforced that I cannot just look solely at the generational (age) differences in my workforce as I try to determine how best to manage their needs. I must also look at how cultural differences and influences impact these generational differences. The demographics of the workforce are diverse and it is important to take into consideration that the needs of each generation are not necessarily the same when you add in the cultural diversity component.

I am interested in any feedback that you have regarding what your organization has done to address the needs of your workforce that takes into consideration both generation and culture together.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of WorldatWork and its affiliate, Alliance for Work-Life Progress (AWLP).