@HenryRoseLee

Is this how you see younger workers?

Weak? Entitled? Lazy?

Is this how you see older workers?

Unfeeling? Dominating? Out of touch?

Of course not!

Weak? Entitled? Lazy?

Everyone in your

workforce today is

part of your future!

Generational Theory starts in the US

William Strauss & Neil Howe

started

Generational Theory

..in the 1990s

Generational Statistics

• There is no all-encompassing generational view (Brunswick)

• Generational cut-off points are not an exact science (Michael Dimmock President of Pew Institute)

• All generations at work share some similarities (Manpower, Deloitte, PWC, KPMG). For example, In every age group at work, the pace of technology is seen to be fast – and good (Brunswick at al)

• There are some key differences between generations (Manpower, Deloitte et al)

Dates and Age-Spans 1925 to 1945: Aged 74 to 941946 to 1964: Aged 55 to 731965 to 1980: Aged 39 to 541981 to 1996: Aged 23 to 381997 to 2009: Aged 11 to 222010 to 2025: Under 22

Generation TypesSilent Generation Baby Boomers Generation XMillennials (Gen Y) Generation ZGeneration Alpha

Source: Office of National Statistics (UK) and Pew Research Center (USA)

Generational Theory grows up …Research in 2016 across 43,000 people I n 25 languages and 26 regions/countries was published in 2017,

Brunswick found:

• All generations want money

• All like work: life balance

• All see the pace of technology as very fast, and also something that is a positive in the workplace

• Everyone will benefit when a business or organisation does well (including law firms)

• Organisations (including law firms) are best placed to provide solutions to global challenges such as climate change, inequality and changes in population.

There are fivegenerationsin theworkplace today

The Silent Generation

Born 1925 to 1945(Aged 74 to 94)

Baby Boomers

Born 1946 to 1964(Aged 55 to 73)

True or False?

Baby Boomers are the richest generation in the world

TRUE

True or False?

Baby Boomers can’t use tech as well as younger generations

FALSE

Generation X

Born 1965 to 1980 (Aged 39 to 54)

True or False?

Generation X are the happiest generation in the workplace

FALSE

True or False?

Generation X invented work/life balance

TRUE

Millennials

Born 1981 to 1996(Aged 23 to 38)

Generation Z

Born 1997 to 2009(Aged 11 to 22)

True or False?

Money is the #1 priority for young Millennials/Gen Z getting a job

TRUE

Money is the #1 Priority for young Millennials & Gen Z going after a job

Source: Deloitte 2018 Millennials & Gen Z at work survey

Top priorities Millennials & Gen Z consider in a job:

#1 Money (Pay)

#2 Culture (great place to work and right values)

#3 Flexibility (in training, career, advancement & work: life balance)

Young Millennials & Gen Z are the least loyal of any workersTRUE

True or False?

Young Millennials & Gen Z are less loyal than other generations at work

Source: Deloitte 2018 Millennials & Gen Z at work survey

% of Millennials & Gen Z who will leave a job in two years:

43% Millennials61% Generation Z

Young Millennials& Gen Z naturally build a community in the workplaceFALSE

True or False?

Source: Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us – 2008 Seth Godin

“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader and connected to an idea. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”

Millennials/Gen Z like their “Tribes”

Millennials & Gen Z struggle to focus or get things done

TRUE & FALSE

True or False?

We all struggle to focus

Source: Statistic Brian and Notional Center for Biotechnology

I need

threevolunteers

Emotional Intelligence ramps up with age…

Increased EQi means resilience, tactical & empathic thinking,

packaging of messages and being drawn to enabling structure,

stability and strategy.

EQi is about managing your own state & emotions, managing

relationships with others, being adaptable, critical thinking and

problem-solving.

Lack of EQi means finding it hard to manage self-control, be tactful or

deal with conflict. Younger generations tend to love novelty,

variety & innovation.

Three Factors Impact Every Generation

CohortPeriodicLifecycle

Engagingall Generations

Three things young Millennials/Gen Z do differently from previous employees

They refer friends to your company (and will influence

them to leave)

They share salary details with each other

They have an external tribe on social media

You can achieve inter-generational harmony and inclusivity…

ADVANCEMENTCOMMUNITY INNOVATION

Key Hacks for Building a CommunityFOR ALL GENERATIONS FOR MILLENNIALS/GEN Z

• Celebrate every new hire at all levels (goody bag, welcome card, chats etc.)

• Give everyone a buddy – and it’s not just HR to be involved, it’s everyone on rotation.

• Make induction the opportunity to build the culture & engagement.

• Day off for your birthday and your firm’s day.

• Offer Work : Life balance of some kind.

• Encourage senior people to hold open “surgeries” or virtual coffee mornings to share information and allow questions to be asked.

• Set up projects (also brilliant for Community, Innovation & Advancement) including:

• 1. Work-related. 2. Themed. 3. Broken Windows

• Provide feedback every two weeks – research has shown that works best for them. Ask other generations what feedback they want.

• Encourage socialisation /sports/leisure activities to be shared – you can set up in-house “clubs” or encourage those who find their own tribes inside.

• Do regular events where different generations mix and have to do things together. Escape rooms, junkyard golf, army obstacle course (intellectual and physical) encourage teaming, collaboration and seeing each other in different, positive lights.

• Have mentoring and reverse mentoring (that’s good for Advancement too).

• Positive psychology – catch them doing things right – it boosts engagement & wellbeing.

Key Hacks for InnovationFOR ALL GENERATIONS FOR MILLENNIALS/GEN Z

• Set up a room with food/drink – available once a month – it’s your innovation hub.

• Ask attendees to set their own standards and framework for coming up with innovations.

• Provide your firm’s business case – i.e. checklist for whether or not an innovation is viable (commercially, for the brand, or reputation or other criteria). If the innovation passes the business case, it is piloted.

• Reward people for pilots, for successes, and for things that go wrong, or where lessons are learned.

• Buddy up with other, non-competing companies (like Virgin with Eurotunnel) to gain different perspectives/ideas.

• Explain clearly that innovation can be little “i” or big “I”

• Be very clear in feeding back to confirm success, overcome failure and benefit from lessons learned – and do it at speed.

• Be ready to have continuous improvement in your technology and digital footprint. Younger Millennials and all Gen Z have grown up with all-you-can eat tech as normal.

• Buddy up ambitious and enthusiastic Millennials and Gen Z who are less experienced, with others who have more experience and are drawn to the three SSS = a dream team!

• Set up WhatsApp and other tech groups to encourage comms and knowledge curation.

Key Hacks for Advancement (Partner? Some will/some won’t!)FOR ALL GENERATIONS FOR MILLENNIALS/GEN Z

• Continue to develop/train after qualifications – could be related to technical or inter-personal skills. Also buddy, mentor & coach.

• Train all staff in EQi, D&I & Unconscious Bias.

• Use projects (work, theme & broken windows) to give people a reason to stay or to feel more engaged and ask them to present results in Dragons Den style or to Senior Partners. Celebrate success publicly.

• Set up a three-tier career :

1. Ladder: conventional and hierarchical

2. Lattice: based on secondments and placements and junior, intermediate and senior status for merit, achievement etc.

3. Project: Work, theme or broken windows

• Provide the best possible titles to give status – i.e. a sales rep is now a sales manager!

• Provide regular enhancements at particular milestones/points when staff might leave; i.e. a tiny pay increase, an improved title, and more access to senior people, to learning , to projects or client.

• Explain what good looks like – don’t assume they know just because you did at their age.

• Create a “primus inter pares” set of roles –that show some kind of advancement. And rotate roles in meetings, projects, teams.

• Allow sabbaticals if and when you can, and ensure those who do come back undertake lunch n learn/training or sharing of their lessons learned - so all can benefit.

Thank YouHenry Rose Lee

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