Disrupting Burnout
Disrupting Burnout with Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson is dedicated to overworked, undervalued high-achieving servant leaders who give all to serve others and leave very little for yourself. You are an accomplished woman with many responsibilities and you often find yourself overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. I’ve been there. As a matter of fact, burnout almost cost me everything. Compassionate work can carry a high price tag: your mind, body, spirit and relationships may be in distress as you serve the needs of others. I am here to equip your hands and refresh your heart so you can serve in purpose and fulfillment and permanently break cycles of burnout.
Disrupting Burnout
125. Bridging Generational Gaps at Work
Hey Friend,
Have you ever wondered how to effectively bridge the gaps between different generations in the workplace? In this week’s episode, “Bridging Generational Gaps at Work” I, Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson, dive deep into the dynamics between Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. We uncover the secrets to turning workplace diversity into a powerhouse of innovation.
Join us as we explore practical strategies to harness the unique strengths of each generation, moving beyond common frustrations and misconceptions. I emphasize the importance of recognizing and utilizing the diverse skills everyone brings to the table—from the tech-savviness of younger workers to the seasoned expertise of older employees—to create a more productive and harmonious work environment.
We also tackle crucial aspects of workplace inclusivity and communication, addressing the dangers of stereotypes and ageism. Through engaging activities like "Step Into the Circle," I demonstrate effective ways to build trust and break down barriers among team members.
Shifting focus towards employee retention, we explore how to cultivate a culture that values and motivates every team member, ensuring they feel empowered to contribute their best. By celebrating the brilliance within our organizations, we can build a thriving, inclusive workplace that leverages the strengths of all generations.
Join us for this enlightening conversation to start transforming your workplace dynamics today. Let’s innovate together by embracing the rich diversity of our teams.
Love Always,
PBJ
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Friend, how are you dealing with the generational gaps within the workplace? As I travel, I've heard folks from many different generational groups share frustration in working with, connecting with and collaborating with colleagues who identify from a different generation. I think it's time that we talk about it. Hey friend, I am Dr Patrice Buckner-Jackson, but you can call me PBJ. Welcome to another episode of Disrupting Burnout, where we are giving you the strategies to pour out purpose without burnout. And today I want to talk about a unique opportunity that we have in our schools, in our workplaces, in our companies.
Speaker 1:If you pay attention to age demographics concerning working people, right now we have the most generations represented in the workplace than we have seen at least in a very long time maybe ever, I'm not sure, but at least in a very long time. In our workplace, specifically in the United States, we have from Generation Z all the way to baby boomers still in the workplace together. Now, I hear about this often as I travel, as I train and teach. One of the frustrations that comes up pretty often is the tension of having all of these different generations of folks within the workplace at the same time. Now, let me say this because I don't want us to fall into categorizing people singularly by the generation label title that they may fall into, because everybody is different and everybody has their own backpack of experiences and culture that they bring to the workplace. But I do think it's important for us to acknowledge the different categories and experiences that folks have had and they are in the workforce together and we're trying to be productive, meet goals, serve our folks. And we got some tension, we got some challenges. I often hear from younger generations, generation Z and others, where they feel misunderstood, where they are working with folks who don't want to change, where they are frustrated hearing this is the way we've always done it. Where they feel belittled and not respected and valued because of their age, because of their years of experience or maybe limited years of experience. But I also hear from folks who identify in older generations who say that their experience is that younger generations have no concept of professionalism, they're not willing to work hard, they're not willing to sacrifice, they don't want to listen to wisdom or learn from lessons that the company, the school, or learn from lessons that the company, the school, the people have already learned that they're not open to connection and true communication.
Speaker 1:I've heard the challenges throughout the gamut of generations, and what I want to talk about today is how do we manage not just manage, but how do we benefit from the opportunity that we have to have all of these generations in the workplace at the same time. I truly see it as an opportunity and I think we're missing the opportunity because we are so frustrated by the differences. I think it is a unique opportunity to have folks who have been in the workplace 30, 40 years, along with folks who have been in the workplace two or three or five years, and everywhere in between. At the same time. I think there are opportunities for us to have benefits from all of those experiences and really chart the course for what work looks like in the future together. But we're missing that opportunity because we are constantly focused on what frustrates us about the other group or groups and we're so distracted by the frustrations that we are missing the benefits that all of us could be experiencing right now. The benefits that all of us could be experiencing right now.
Speaker 1:Hey, friend, I'm just popping in real quick to say thank you. We did it. We did it together 25,000 downloads on the Disrupting Burnout podcast. Friend, this is a dream. This is an absolute dream. I remember starting this work and feeling like nobody was listening but my mom. But here we are 25,000 downloads, 68 countries and territories, 1,689 cities. Folks have listened to the Disrupting Burnout podcast and I just want to say thank you for listening, thank you for sharing, thank you for being a part of this community. This is for you. This is the place where you disrupt burnout so that you can live fully in your brilliance. I'm so grateful for you, friend. Thanks for being here, thanks for being along for the ride.
Speaker 1:So how do we ensure that we take advantage of the benefits of having all of these generations present in the workplace at the same time? I recently had this conversation with a group of emergency management leaders. Shout out to my friends. We spent some time in the mountains, working through conflict and working through psychological safety, and the conversation went into this area of the generational gaps, and this is where we decided to spend a little time to work, and I want to share some of the outcomes of that conversation with you, in hopes that it will help you think about how your school, your administration, your company, your hospital, your workplace can benefit from having so many different generations in the workplace at the same time.
Speaker 1:So first, instead of thinking about who's right, who's wrong or in a competitive sort of way, I want you to start thinking about this challenge as benefits. I want you to start intentionally identifying the benefits of having different generations in the workplace. What do you gain? What is available? And you can do this a couple of ways. You can do this by identifying the different generational groups and identifying the benefits that each group brings right. So if you're looking at, let's say, generation Z, some folks will say the tech savvy is a benefit. Some folks will say the innovation and creative ideas is a benefit.
Speaker 1:Our group earlier this week shared that this generation knows how to communicate with their peers. They know how to connect with their peers, which may be your students or your clients or your patients, the people that you're serving. So you need them to help the company understand how to connect with people their age. I even notice in the political situation that we're in right now that's the best I can name it in America, but what I notice is both sides, no matter what side you're on, they're using younger influencers right to encourage folks to vote and get involved as citizens in politics.
Speaker 1:So think about the benefits of having younger generations in the workplace and what they bring to the environment of your work and do the same thing for older generations. Well, what some of our group shared this week that they bring stability, they bring loyalty, they bring wisdom concerning the experience of being there for a long time right. They bring an investment in the work and in the role. So there are benefits from having both sides, and your goal is to find actions that will allow you to leverage all of those benefits right. So you could compare younger generation versus older generation and the benefits of those. You also could compare having this diversity in the workplace versus not having it right. So what are the benefits of having this diversity period, no matter what generations you see, what are the benefits of having this diversity in the workplace and how do you maximize those benefits? How do you maximize having these folks together? So, once you've identified here are the benefits and what actions do we need to take to leverage these benefits, meaning, what actions do we need to take to ensure that we're experiencing the benefits of having all of these folks together?
Speaker 1:There are a few things that came out of our conversation earlier this week with the emergency management leaders that I wanted to share with you for your consideration in addressing generational gaps in the workplace. First of all, as a foundation, you really need to think about psychological safety for everyone involved, and we had a good conversation about psychological safety a couple of episodes ago. But, just to remind you, it is the thought, the idea that a person can share who they are, their thoughts, their faults, their need for help, even mistakes, without fear of risk. Right, that risk could be being ostracized, that that risk could be being criticized, that risk could be losing your job. In an environment that is psychologically safe, a person feels free to give their best and bring their all without fear of retribution. So, when we think about the generational gaps and the generations in our workplace, I want you to consider how do we establish an environment of psychological safety? There are a few things that I want to encourage you to consider.
Speaker 1:There are some things that I've seen. I've seen nicknames. We have nicknames for, you know, older generation, nicknames for younger generation, and what I found is people present them as fun or funny, but they're divisive because we're putting people in boxes or under labels. Right, that can cause them to feel ostracized or left out. So be careful of nicknames. Be careful of stereotypes.
Speaker 1:Just because a person was born into a time that we call Generation Z doesn't mean they are just like the rest of their peers. When I was having this conversation this week as we discussed some of the challenging characteristics of younger professionals, I shared that my child, who is Generation Z, does not fit a lot of the categories, characteristics that folks brought up, and my colleague, dr Todd Deal we led this workshop together shared that in his two children. You know, one child is one way, one personality, and one lean, and another child is completely different. Right, and they're in the same generation, but their personalities and their brilliance and their natural approach to life they're much different. So we have to be careful stereotyping people, and this is regardless of what their age is, regardless of what generation they fall into.
Speaker 1:We have to be careful putting people in a box. We need to acknowledge individuals and what they bring and who they are and what's in their backpack, and honor who they are, instead of pushing them into a box or a label. We have to be careful of assumptions, making assumptions about how a person might respond or what they might decide or what their behavior might be, just because of their generation. And even as I'm having this conversation with you, what continues to come up in my mind is ageism, and we're not having enough conversations about ageism in the workplace. And ageism can be applied to any person, right. So it may be against a person who is older in age, right? Or it may be applied to a person who is younger in age. So we have to be very, very, very careful that we are not labeling, making assumptions, stereotyping, nicknaming folks based on the year that they were born. We have to make room for folks to be who they are and share who they are, regardless of what these labels are.
Speaker 1:Concerning psychological safety, we have to think about the jokes that are made and tolerated in the workplace. We have to think about bullying. We have to think about bullying. I want us to consider if some of the ways that we were welcomed in or brought into the workplace they may have not been appropriate then and they're definitely not appropriate now. I think about the academy I work in education, as you know and I think about young professionals, young professors, and how those who came before them may bring them in in a judgmental way, may keep them out of certain conversations or opportunities just because they're younger just because they're new. I think about the ways people have had to prove themselves and had to fight to be accepted because of their age and their generation. So we have to be very, very, very careful that we foster an environment of trust and true connection and that we create a culture where these devices, these pieces that divide us, are not welcomed Nicknames, stereotypes, assumptions, jokes, bullying. We have to be very, very aware of the little folks or the little pieces that come into the workplace that eat away at our connection and our ability to work well together.
Speaker 1:So, psychological safety. Number two we need to focus on what folks have in common. It's easy to see differences. Sometimes it's more difficult to identify what folks have in common. There's an activity that I do with groups I call Step Into the Circle, and I've done this with my student leaders for many years and in many professional settings as well, and it's a challenge by choice activity, because it's an invitation for folks to share pieces of their lives with their colleagues that you wouldn't normally share, things like if they've experienced a divorce or if they grew up in this country, if they've ever lived in another country, if they are whatever birth order they might be or what economic class they grew up in. There's a similar activity called crossing the line, but in Step Into the Circle. It's an opportunity for folks who work together to see each other beyond the title, beyond the organizational chart, beyond the label, and understand wow, I have more in common with the people around me than I thought. So focusing on what folks have in common will allow trust to be built, will allow connections to be built, because people will begin to understand each other beyond the differences. So, number one we want to focus on psychological safety. Number two we want to focus on what folks have in common.
Speaker 1:Number three provide opportunities for employees, staff members where they talked about teaching each other, making space for folks to teach each other, so that it's not just the older generation teaching quote down right but it's a mutual exchange of ideas and thoughts and value, where you place value on everyone involved in the relationship and not just one side or one group. And what happens is there's an appreciation that grows between leaders when they recognize that they can learn something from the other person. And this was a phenomenal idea. It made me so excited to think about how we can intentionally partner folks. Or even if it's not partnering. There was an idea of cross-training between groups, between departments, taking turns, allowing folks to train each other, but making sure that every person has the opportunity to bring forward an idea or a training so that there is mutual learning, mutual teaching and mutual respect. So, number three, we want to provide opportunities for staff leaders, employees, to collaborate and teach each other.
Speaker 1:Finally, I want to encourage you to challenge communication barriers I know that this is something that I've heard so often, where there are folks who prefer the face-to-face shake my hand, don't send me an email, come talk to me face-to-face or at very least, let me hear your voice on the phone. And there are other people who say you know this text, this meme, this instant message, even email is out now right. Like there are folks who are not used to having to check their email every day because email is not the primary source of information for them anymore. So when you are welcoming folks into your work environment, they may need to understand if email is the standard route of communication. So in challenging communication barriers schools, organizations, companies you have an opportunity to establish the communication standards of your workplace. What is most appropriate? Is it time to update? I know there are some schools, some organizations, some companies that are still very paper, pencil, file cabinet based right. And there are folks in that workplace who trust that system. That's the system that they've had for many years and the thought of having to change is very scary for them because they'll have to learn something new. But these same folks are welcoming new people into the environment that cannot imagine that there are stacks of paper and file cabinets that they would have to deal with for the sake of communication.
Speaker 1:So allow an opportunity for your team to have a conversation about what is the most effective way for us to communicate, and sometimes you got to kick over some sacred cows. Sometimes people have to be willing to release and let go. Just because it's what you're used to doesn't mean it's best, and that is applicable no matter what side of the spectrum you're on. Right, the paper and pencil may be as ineffective as the meme. So talk about what is the most impactful, most effective mode of communication that you have access to, and train people, help them become more comfortable with that mode of communication, and welcome the opportunity for folks to ask for help or translation. Right for folks to ask for help or translation right. So, whatever the shared, agreed method is leave the door open for folks to communicate with each other and raise their hand and ask for help or ask for. Can you tell me what this means or can you clarify so that we're on the same page? We have to aggressively address the communication barriers at work by being open to ask the question, ask for help and to have a common mode of communication for your team. Establish what works most effectively and be willing to let go of that which is not as effective. So just four ideas, but I encourage you to sit down with your colleagues and have this conversation of what are the benefits and what actions can we take in order to maximize those benefits in this workplace. I'll add one more for a bonus.
Speaker 1:In our conversation this week, there was a person who mentioned how we have to be intentional about taking these action steps, how we have to make time in the calendar for folks to talk. How we have to create spaces for folks to co-teach each other and to collaborate. How we have to be intentional about the psychological safety. It has to be a priority and not just a cool idea. We have to invest time and sometimes money into creating an environment where all of our people can thrive. I was reading an article in the Harvard Business Review I think it's from 2023, but it talks about how our birth rates are down and our longevity rates are up. So it means there are less people in the pool coming in than those who could stay.
Speaker 1:So, as we are making these adjustments, it is time to really focus our energy on retention. It is time to really focus our energy on retention. How do we hold on to the folks who are in our companies, in our schools, in our organizations now? How do we create an environment that folks continue, that they want to continue working in and serving in? We need to transition from a space of we'll just fill the position to how do we honor and value and hold on to the brilliance that we have in this team right now? So I encourage you, friend don't run away from the challenge. It is important that we acknowledge that we have generational gaps in the workplace and that there are many benefits that we should and need to maximize in order to serve well, in order to be well, in order to accomplish the mission and the goals of our organization. I hope you'll take the challenge. All right, friend, as always. You know you are powerful, you are significant, you are brilliant and you are loved. Love always, pbj.
