7 Tips for Getting Along Better with Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers In the Workplace

As I hear more and more people complain about millennials in the workplace I shake my head and recall the things I learned in Kindergarten. I feel like all of the hype and rhetoric about inter-generational conflict is missing a fundamental point. Rather than placing blame or pointing fingers, why don’t we focus on figuring out how to get along and play nice?

I recently led a workshop at the Larimer County Workforce Center called, Love Millennials, Hate Millennials: We All Just Need to Get Along! In it we did an activity from, Conversational Intelligence, called “Double Clicking,” where we discussed what it means to get along. While the notion of getting along is elementary, the reality is that we all have a different understanding of what it means to do it.

These 7 tips for getting along better with Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers in the workplace emerged from our discussion at the workshop:

1. Build Trust

One of the simplest ways to build trust is to genuinely show concern for others. If someone does not feel like you have their back why should they trust you?

2. Show Respect

Seek to understand and follow traditions before disregarding them. If it is change you seek to create, keep in mind that coercion is not a long-term solution.

3. Be Willing to Grow

We live in a dynamic and ever changing world. Approach situations with a growth mindset instead of just expecting things to remain the same. We all posses the capacity to learn new things.

4. Follow through

If you say you’re going to do something, then do it. Be impeccable with your word, it helps to build your credibility. And in the event that life happens, own your mistake.

5. Seek to Understand

Assume nothing and strive to suspend judgement in conversations at work. Ask questions and practice active listening to make sure you truly understand what someone else is trying to convey.

6. Set Shared Expectations

Despite all the technological advancements out there, we remain inept at reading minds. Take the time to set well defined and mutually agreed upon expectations.

7. There Isn’t Just One Right Way

Be open to new or different ways of doing things. Just because something has always been done a certain way does not mean it is the only way to do it right.

Go ahead and experiment with one of these tips over the next week and see what happens. Maybe, with a concerted effort on all our parts we can stop complaining and start getting along!

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