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The Internet, Communication and the Multi-generational Workforce
By aheinrich | February 12, 2010
Thirty years ago the unifying force in the workplace was more often than not what you watched on TV, possibly the movie you saw that weekend, and maybe the latest music. Because this was all truly mass media, for the most part the way a 25-year old in 1980 interacted with it was no different than the way a 60-year old interacted. Each sat in front of a TV, a stereo, or screen and let the entertainment begin.
In today’s workplace, the primary unifying force is the Internet, but for the most part that unity goes only as far as its general availability to most people. Unlike watching TV, being on the ‘net is not a passive experience – you search, upload, download, cut, paste, and engage in a plethora of activity. While the ability to interact with the Internet crosses generational lines, it doesn’t take a sociologist to note that different generations have reacted differently to the Internet experience and have taken those differences into the workplace.
For the first time in the history of the workplace – outside of the family farm – we now have a significant number of 60, 40 and 20-somethings working side-by-side. Each of these generations has brought with them decidedly different views as to how information is generated, shared and controlled. The Internet’s evolution into a deep, broad and transparent source of information and entertainment has both created and compounded these differences.
Consequently, communication between management and employees has become far more complex. It’s bound to become even more so as the Internet continues to evolve and the fourth generation to yet be named enters the workforce with expectations possibly even more unlike the ones before it. Look for the best places to work to be those that take the differences and complex generational interactions into account—and have found a way to use the Internet as a way to bring them together.
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