What generation do you belong to? Are you aware of the generational gap that is happening at your workplace? Stereotyping based on people’s age is not uncommon in the workplace and happens everywhere, even in office spaces in the Philippines. Generational gap at the workplace does more harm than good and labeling people based on what generation they were born in harms both employer and the employee according to Jessica Kriegel’s published book, “Unfairly Labeled: How Your Workplace Can Benefit From Ditching Generational Stereotypes.”
In order to avoid conflicts in the workplace, here are some ways that can be done by both employers and employees to end generational gap once and for all:
Stop Labeling and Stereotyping
Ending generational gaps is only possible if you start changing your mindset about it and stop making generalizations about people. Labeling and stereotyping your coworkers is very toxic in the workplace and is a way to destroy relationships among colleagues. Everyone is a unique individual; therefore, do not put certain people inside a box just because they think differently from you and grew from different generations.
See People for Who They Truly Are
Generalizing people can cloud your mind about them. You would only see what you want to see and what is on the surface and that’s never a good thing for any company. You need to understand that every generation is different from each other and learn to embrace these differences in order to know the person more as an individual and not the group that they belong to. Start getting to know your colleagues and converse with them more without the thought of how different you both are. Who knows? Maybe you would end up becoming the best of friends.
Ignore What Others Say About Generational Gap
There are lots of articles about generational differences and gaps online. One thing you can do when you see an article about it is just to simply ignore it. Know that this would not benefit your company; and, trying to fill your mind with this kind of information could cause you to stereotype people in your workplace.
Sit Together and Collaborate With Your Colleagues
Call for a meeting and invite everyone to the table. Encouraging collaboration among employees from different ages welcomes ideas from both seasoned and idealistic employees. Working with one another is a good way to know your colleagues more and to set aside differences. Fresh ideas are best made with different kinds of people working together towards the same goal.
Make Your Differences With One Another a Tool to Improve Yourself
You learn best by being with different kinds of people around you. Knowing and accepting that you are all different in the workplace is essential in ending generational gap. Instead of focusing on your differences and not doing anything about it, try to see and use this as an opportunity to improve your craft and be better at your work.
