Have you ever been offended in the workplace by someone of a different generation? One third of the workforce has.

As Catherine Weber discussed in December, the Y Generation is accustomed to communicating differently. That difference is significant when compared to traditionalists and baby boomers who are often more single task-oriented, compared to the parallel processing Y Generation. It is surprising that it doesn’t happen more frequently.

This was a basis for a discussion that took place in KGA, Inc.’s training program on Managing Generational Differences. Karen Shaw, Senior Training Consultant, asked participants to recall how and where Kennedy died. The Traditionalists and Baby Boomers say things like gunshots in Dallas, Texas; Generation Xers recall a plane crash near Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. and Generation Y participants say they really are not too sure.

This is the first time in American history that companies have had four different generations working side-by-side in the workplace. Each of these generations has distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits and motivations. Unless managers understand these differences, communication issues may arise.

Who comprises these generations?

Traditionalists born 1925-1945 and now 62 to 82 years old
Baby Boomers born 1946-1964 and now 43 to 61 years old
Generation X born 1965-1977 and now 30 to 42 years old
Generation Y/Millennials born 1978-1989 and now 18 to 29 years old

Managing generational differences adds a new dimension to diversity management. Just like a race or gender issues, individual managers may have hidden biases about certain generations. More than likely these stem from his or her own personal situation. Helping managers understand this dimension of diversity can be daunting.

Generational differences may affect a manager’s communication style. From an HR strategy standpoint, these differences may also call for new approaches to recruiting and on-boarding practices, technology, learning styles, career expectations, performance management, talent management, and reward systems.

Understanding how to attract, motivate and retain the different generations in the work place is an important issue to Human Resources professionals and to companies around the world as the competition for qualified workers increases.