Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia

Claude Silver

When we talk about the generational workplace, we need to recognize that we really have four generations in front of us right now, which are the Baby Boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z. The differences between the generations are very important.

We’ve got boomers who came up with an anti-war mentality. This generation is the oldest in our workplaces -- they’ve been working for 30-plus years. Today, they want to be mentors.

Gen X is looking for more balance. They have seen globalization in a very different way than any other generation. Gen X certainly wants meaningful, flexible work. Gen X also expects clear feedback from their employers. Their feelings aren’t really at the forefront of the game. Instead, they want the feedback so they can improve and be the company’s next CEO.

The millennials grew up with social media -- they were the first tech-savvy generation. Results, motivation, and progress are very important to them, so that’s how you should manage them. If you give them a list of core competencies, then they’ll knock it out of the park. As much as achievement is huge for them, civic duty plays a large role as well. This generation takes a stand and speaks up against things that they believe are important.

Then we have Gen Z, who are really going to change this entire world. Everything for them is digital and social. They are highly vocal about their health and well-being, and they are really seeking balance. Specifically, they are looking for a life balance, contrasting to Gen X and the boomers who were seeking work-life balance. Gen Z thrives on independence and autonomy.

Although these differences exist, we all have one commonality which is we want meaningful work; we want to enjoy what we’re doing. We want to be challenged and grow, even if this growth looks different for each generation. Mentorship is key to uniting the generations despite their differences.

In terms of mentorship, we can utilize our boomers and Gen X’er as mentors to teach patience, humility, generosity, and different life skills that they learned along the way.

There’s also reverse mentorship that happens too. The efficiency and the ins and outs of technology and social media are something that the younger generations can certainly mentor the older generations on.

If we think about the onboarding strategy, clarity is always going to be key. The younger generation, Gen Z, will always think they “get it” within a short amount of time, whereas the older generation, new joiners, knows that certain things take time. Gen Z desires autonomy and independence, and this can translate into them wanting change, promotion, salary increase, etc.. yesterday, which can make it seem that patience is enormously underrated by the younger generation

 Much of our learning and growth at VaynerMedia happens organically, through a process akin to osmosis. But for this process to be effective, we need to be vocal—transparent and clear communication is essential

 A learning culture is the way to go today. It benefits everyone! Learning is an observable behavior that’s displayed by leaders and teams, and supported with time and investment. Learning happens all the time in the flow of work as we encounter new challenges and solve new problems. It can also happen in a more formal, deeper learning period, such as L&D courses, conferences, and higher education classes.

Consider an employee’s onboarding experience, their first week on a new team or project, or the last week before a leave of absence. Effective learning experiences at these moments can go a long way to strengthening the employer-employee relationship.

Also remember that learning is something that is valued and important. While we learn to acquire new skills, learning itself is a skill. And as we learn to learn better (through neuroplasticity), we can become more curious and learn more.

Lastly, it is also important to bring into your onboarding strategy the understanding and awareness of how unconscious bias shows up with every generation. To do this successfully, we have to get over the stereotype of ageism and youth. We have to be aware that we all have biases, and they can be tamed once we become aware of them.

Much of our learning and growth at VaynerMedia happens organically, through a process akin to osmosis. But for this process to be effective, we need to be vocal—transparent and clear communication is essential. Collaboration, curiosity, and communication form the bedrock of our approach. Our cultural fabric fosters openness to ideas from all corners. It’s not about creating a utopia; it’s about recognizing that wisdom doesn’t always come with age or experience alone. It can come from anywhere.