Ageism – treating people differently just because of their age – is illegal in many countries and actively discouraged in others. Respect is due to all, and those who have done more and seen more, as a result of being around for longer, may also deserve more respect. But as HR professionals, we know that our ‘senior’ employees are not always the ones who demonstrate maturity or best practice, and that our ‘junior’ employees are not always the most energetic or dynamic. We know that specialist skills, common sense and a positive attitude come in a package without a ‘sell by’ date. All ages can contribute. And the easy assumptions – such as younger people being impatient or older people being less willing to learn or change – are not always supported by objective research.
But it can be useful to classify people broadly in terms of the ‘generation’ they belong to. The three generational labels in the news at the moment are Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. These generational distinctions overlap at the edges but seem to be real and meaningful, at least in the West. In the next few weeks we’ll put some definitions up on the blog for you to discuss. But it’s up to you to decide if they are useful to apply to your corporate or national culture.
(This is the third post to the Oakwood Club and Alumni Network blog. Please look at the first post for why we're doing it and how we intend to run it. Please leave your comments or questions. We're eager to know what you think. Thank you for reading and getting involved.)
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