DE Talk Unplugged | Embracing Generational Differences at Work

For the first time in modern history, five generations are working simultaneously in the workforce. As the way we work changes, each generation is forced to adapt and as a result, tensions can arise. In this episode of the DE Talk podcast, we chat with certified coach and trained speaker Lindsay Boccardo to discuss the four factors of employee engagement, how the factors are affected by generational differences, how to manage these challenges, and much more. Let’s dive in with a short sample of this enlightening conversation!

Mikey Meagher:

What are some common conflicts you see arise as generational differences? 

Lindsay Boccardo:

Well, anybody under 25 is on a different developmental stage, is in a different stage of life than those who are older. Your frontal lobe, your executive functioning, is still coming together in your brain matter until you’re about 25. So, the main thing that I see are young employees who get a flat tire and feel completely dysregulated because they’ve never dealt with this. They’ve never had to deal with it outside of mom and dad helping them.

And they don’t have full executive functioning yet to manage their emotions around it. And then somebody who’s got three decades on them, it’s like, “Kid, what’s wrong with you? Just pull over, call AAA. It’s not a big deal. We still have a day’s worth of work to do. You’re not getting the day off because you got a flat tire.” And so, it’s understanding the tension between generations is usually developmental when it comes to managing stress.

Mikey Meagher:

Yeah. That’s actually a really good example because I think we’ve all been there before and we also are going to reach a point where we forget that we’ve been there before. 

Lindsay Boccardo:

That’s exactly it.

Mikey Meagher:

And so just trying to- it’s like practicing. So, just trying to keep that in the back of your mind and be aware.

Lindsay Boccardo:

Yes.

Mikey Meagher:

Awareness, as you were talking about, and remembering that those moments did happen to you, they’re going to continue to happen to you. But, when you get to a point where maybe it’s not as common because you know how to deal with multiple situations at once, but to-

Lindsay Boccardo:

You got it. 

Mikey Meagher:

… to look at that 24, 25-year-old and be like, “Oh gosh, I know exactly how you feel right now and that is stressful.”

Lindsay Boccardo:

Yeah.

Mikey Meagher:

“Let’s walk you through this.” 

Lindsay Boccardo:

Yeah, of course it isn’t stressful to you now, you’re 50.

Mikey Meagher:

Yeah. 

Lindsay Boccardo:

You’ve grown since then, but the first time… We all had the first time we used, we went to use our health insurance card and we pulled out our car insurance and the doctor’s like, “That’s for your Chevy.” We’ve all had these moments of adulting. Everybody had the first moment that they made a meal without their mom helping them.

Everybody’s had these moments where you go off to college or you get your first apartment and that first night, you’re like, “It’s really quiet. What have I done? I’m in this, whoa, my life is changing.” And to have compassion for our younger selves and to remember how scary those moments were gives us more compassion for those who are in that stage of life.

To hear more of this insightful conversation between Mikey and Lindsay, be sure to listen to the full episode. We’ve got more great episodes coming – sign up to receive email notifications or text alerts to be notified when they become available!