Coach & Be Coachable!

A Harvard poll revealed that 3 out of every 4 adults played a sport at one point in their life. Yes, this includes soccer when you were just 4 years old.[4] This means 75% of people have experience with coaching.

The workplace is a great opportunity to cross-reference this foundation of being coachable with your employees.  On the transverse, it is also important to know how to be a great coach so your employees can be optimally coachable!  

My personal experience in writing this blog comes from my experience as a collegiate athlete, a former coach, as well as a professional in the medical billing industry working mainly with skilled nursing facilities as well as other healthcare entities.  

I have separated the blog into Coach and Coachable. I believe it’s important to see both perspectives of being the coach and being coachable to create understanding and empathy on both sides.  I hope you enjoy reading my blog and feel free to comment any questions or additions you may have to the content!

Be Aware & Receptive

Coach: When it comes to coaching, not only does the “player” need to be receptive, but the coach does as well.  While coaching, pay attention to your employees’ reactions, body language, and feedback.  Being a team is all about working together and though you may be the coach, paying attention to your employees’ needs and how they learn best is going to benefit you in the long run.[3]  Some people work best when their coach gives them “tough love” and tells them how it is, while others need more coddling and positive interaction.  Now, I’m not saying you need to coach every single person completely different and change your style to match each individual on a personal level, but noticing what works best for them and making an effort will go a long way.

Coachable: When your superior is coaching you in the workplace, be open to their feedback, delegation, and constructive criticism.  Understand that they are not personally attacking you, rather pushing you to be the best at your duties for the success of the team.  It is important to acknowledge (by nodding or gesturing) that you understand the feedback your coach is providing. If you do not understand, don’t be afraid to ask questions and continue to build communication with your boss.[1]  

Both: Being aware and receptive also entails being cognizant of your own body language, verbal responses, and other behaviors you may be projecting. Interpersonal communication is all about reciprocity. Therefore, the person you interact with, whether you are the coach or the coached, feeds off your behavior just as much as you feed off theirs.

If you are coaching with a smile, eye contact, and friendliness the employee will perceive your words differently than if you have a stern brow, closed arms, lack of eye contact, and shortness in conversation.  Of course, these are both extreme but you can see how a simple conversation can be perceived very differently with both.[1]

Be Proactive

Coach: If you are only pointing out when your employees are doing something wrong, coaching moments are going to continually be in retrospect and have a negative association that you always point out “what they did wrong.”  Instead, try to be proactive and coach employees in tasks and responsibilities before they “mess it up.”  This means having a great training program in place for new hires to feel confident in their duties and lower needs for corrections is crucial.  If employees understand and execute duties most efficiently because of great training, a coach can then focus on facilitating collaboration and process/product improvements.[2]  

Coachable: The best way to be proactive when it comes to being coachable is to ASK QUESTIONS![1]  Do not wait for a supervisor to have to correct you, try not to guess at something you don’t know how to do, just ask!  Another way to be proactive is to do something before you are told.  If you see something that is incomplete, a mistake someone made, or something nobody considered doing- jump on it!  Not only will this make life easier on the team, but it will make you stand out as a hard-working employee and your “coach” will account for this when it comes time for review. 

Both: Be proactive in communicating conflict, if there is anything going on behind the scenes that one party is unaware of, talk about it.  A lot of times when there is conflict, one party may be oblivious, and it can continue to build and anger the other party.  Communication, especially before something blows up into a major issue, is huge in a team and helps build trust and foster cohesiveness.[3]

Build

Coach: Develop a “coaching” culture in your workplace.[2]   This means be consistent in giving feedback, being open to receiving feedback, positivity, constructive criticism, collaboration, and the importance of teamwork.  When you instill a coaching culture in the office and maintain a consistent and healthy coaching method, your employees will know what to expect and will feel supported.

Also, build up your employees.  Offer resources for expanding their toolbox, to improve skills for their responsibilities, gain certifications, anything that will support their growth.  When you support the growth of your employees, they will support the company’s productivity and grow for their personal professional future as well.  Offering your team valuable growth resources shows you care as a coach and fosters a great team relationship in the long run.[2]  Check out the REVEX Blog, 4 New Training Programs to Help You Unlock Your Team’s Potential, for some great training ideas!

Coachable:  Just as your supervisor, or coach, is investing in growing your skillset, invest back in them with effort, positive energy, and a willingness to learn.  Be open to growth opportunities presented to you and get the most out of resources your coach provides.  

Additionally, as a supervisor is working to instill a coaching culture in the workplace, support that with a coachable attitude.  Teams are all about collaboration and support, and the more cohesiveness there is in the workplace, the higher the morale and easier it is to show up to work every day! 

Make Change Stick

Coach: Making change last is going to rely tremendously on the coach’s role in the workplace.  The coach is the source of authority who is instilling the company culture by remaining consistent and providing standards of what is expected.  This does mean discipline is a big factor in coaching as well.[3]  When you implement change, such as a new method to procedures, and train your employees on the change, you must maintain these changes and sometimes that requires discipline of both yourself and your employees.  Discipline needs to be fair and consistent with what behavior is being punished across employees.  On the contrary, there must also be positive reinforcement and rewards.  As your employees are making changes and being coachable, the positive reinforcement will carry these changes on, so they don’t get lost in translation![2]

Coachable: Keeping the change is reliant on the team! The employees! THE COACHABLE!  When your coach is teaching and guiding, it is imperative that you take that guidance in and maintain the changes necessary.[1]  If there are issues with changes or coaching, communication needs to be an open channel, conflicts resolved, and the appropriate changes need to be implemented from resolution on out.  A cohesive and dedicated team is invaluable and will undoubtedly be rewarded by a coach when they see their changes are being maintained.

In conclusion, learning to be a great coach and to be coachable is an ongoing process involving a lot of open communication, effort, and consistency.  Both parties rely on one another to perform their duties optimally and for expectations to be clear.  Coach and Be Coachable!

Also, don’t forget to subscribe for email updates right above this article!

Thanks so much for reading!

Dani Barry

Marketing Manager

REVEX

_____________________________________________________________________

^[1] Anderson, D., & Frey, A. (2018, February 12). Seven Ways to Become More Coachable. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.digitaldealer.com/dealer-ops-leadership/dealer-management/seven-ways-become-coachable/

^[2] Hoppen, D. (n.d.). Coaching to Engage: 12 Rules to Effective, Ongoing Employee Coaching. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.quantumworkplace.com/future-of-work/12-rules-for-effective-employee-coaching

^[3] Hunt, J. M., & Weintraub, J. R. (2007). The Coaching Organization. The Coaching Organization: A Strategy for Developing Leaders, 1-26. doi:10.4135/9781483329062.n1

^[4] Poll: Three in four adults played sports when they were younger, but only one in four still play. (2015, June 15). Retrieved August 13, 2020, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/poll-many-adults-played-sports-when-young-but-few-still-play/

Why Your Office Needs THESE Pickles ASAP!

You would never guess that dill pickles, fried pickles, sweet pickles, homemade pickles, even pickle juice are all crucial to your company, but they are!  Pickles ARE the core of your company.  This variety of pickles will keep your company operating efficiently, boost employee morale, and brings a sense of balance to the office. 

 

Okay, I’ll confess I’m not really talking about pickles here.  Though, I am not opposed to having pickles in the office as they can be quite delicious… It’s a metaphor for how to consider personalities when hiring your team. If you happen to want to bring the pickles into the workplace as well- because lets face it, pickles will probably still boost morale- then so be it!

 

Let’s get down to the juicy stuff! What “pickles” DO you need in the office?

 

The Real “Dill”

 

The Dill pickle is recognized as the most popular pickle you’ll find in a refrigerator, on a sandwich, or in a big glass jar at the gas station.  Why are Dill pickles the most popular? They are reliably good!  The first type of pickles you NEED in your workplace are reliable pickles without a doubt. 

 

The office “dills” are going to be the people you know will get the job done and done well.  They are employees you can turn to for help with tasks that may not even be their responsibility simply because they want to do their best work possible and genuinely care.  This type of person is resourceful, often collaborative, and consistently productive.  The “dill” employees are also generally likely by their coworkers due to their amiability, work ethic, and reliability. 

 

Eatin’ Sweet!

 

Bread and butter pickles, or sweet flavored pickles, are our next necessity in the office.  Though not highly favored like the reliable dill pickles, the sweet pickles soften up what can sometimes be a tense environment.

 

An employee who is considered sweet, sympathetic, and thoughtful can bring a sense of home to the workplace.  This is the person always checking on how your family is doing, bringing baked goods to the workplace, checking to see if anyone needs help, organizing office parties, remembering birthdays, and so on. 

 

Do not let the sweetness fool you, this person does still need to be a hard worker and due to their level of care, likely will be.  Bringing this sense of hospitality and warmth to the workplace does make it a little bit easier for coworkers to come in every day which is why sweet pickles are a necessity in your office!

 

Fried?!

 

If you haven’t tried a fried pickle, let me tell you, you are missing out big time!  Lucky for you, I can draw up a nice comparison for what a fried pickle experience might entail.  Fried pickles have a lovely contrast in textures from first the cream ranch you dip it in, to the soft, greasy crunch of the fried breading encrusting them, and finally the thorough chomp-crunch of the actual pickle itself.  This pickle experience is multifaceted, highly enjoyable, full of smiles, and a solid go-to for a great time!

 

In the office, the fried pickle is going to be somebody known for their light-heartedness, constant smile, and who cannot be serious for 8 straight work hours.  With their complex texture, the fried pickle knows when its time to have fun, be focused, and crack the right joke without compromising professionalism or productivity. 

 

Sometimes, when tensions are high in the office, people may look to this person to lighten things up with some humor or even just a well-timed smile.  The fried pickle brings the belly laughs and leaves the drama at the door which makes them well-liked by coworkers and keeps the air in the office light!

 

Homemade > Store Bought

 

Yes, people home-make pickles.  Homemade is one of the best types of pickles of all for the workplace!  Homemade pickles are fairly simple requiring about 8 ingredients and a jar.  However, this is still more time consuming than just going to the store and buying pre-made pickles, and it may not taste like the mainstream pickles we are used to.  However, on the health and hard work scale, these persevere.

 

Homemade pickles are vital to the workplace because they are a solid foundation of great work ethic, ingenuity, perseverance, self-starting, and punctuality.  As homemade pickles do not come easy, these employees worked their butts off to get where they are and have a solid skills base as well a strong commitment to the company.  These individuals are focused and highly motivated due to their sense of pride in their work.  When employees have pride in their work, the company is going to reap the benefits of high quality and high productivity.

 

Pickle Juice, Pickle Juice, Pickle Juice!

 

Okay, I know this is “technically” not a pickle, but it is the whole soul and essence of the pickle besides the cucumber element itself.  Pickle juice is the entire driving force behind creating, maintaining, and the enjoyment of the pickles.  Pickle juice offer many benefits: it hydrates, relieves muscle cramps, enhances gut health, and even contains antioxidants.  There are so many benefits to pickle juice and even more to having “pickle juice” in your workplace!

 

Regarding the workplace, I consider the culture and core values the “pickle juice” of a company.  Just as pickle juice is the core to creating and maintaining the pickles, the culture and values of a company being in line with employees is especially important to the company’s success.  Take a look at REVEX’s blog post on the 5 Ways to Revamp Communication on Your Workplace which touches on the importance of establishing a company culture and core values.

 

When a company culture and values are embraced by employees, there is a cohesiveness to the workplace which promotes higher levels of productivity and morale.  Setting a company culture of quality, trust, innovation, family, systems, resourcefulness, and so on will guide employees to live out positive values every day in the workplace.  The culture and value “pickle juice” must be present in all employees which makes EVERY employee a pickle!

 

 

To conclude, you NEED this variety of pickles (and pickle juice) in your workplace!  If all of your employees were the same type of people, your company might lack innovation, creativity, collaboration, and fun!  The strategic combination of reliable, nurturing, energetic, hardworking, and cultured employees will help your company and your employees to thrive.

 

 

Also, don’t forget to subscribe for email updates on the left-hand side of this article!

Thanks so much for reading!

 

Dani Barry 

Marketing Manager 

REVEX

REVEX is a Medical Billing Service & Software Company catering  to the Healthcare Industry. 

(Specifically Skilled Nursing Facilities)

5 Ways to Modernize Your Workplace

Have you ever walked into your office after working there for 5, 10, maybe even 15 years and realized not one thing has changed in all that time besides your age?  Have you been grappling with that one pesky printer and walking to the same corner to the water cooler since you can remember?  Do you still work on a 95’ Windows PC equipped with minesweeper and a big box back? 

 Modernizing your workplace can have a significant impact on employee productivity, morale, budget, and the company’s overall success. 

 Moreover, with millennials becoming a growing percentage of the workforce, you need to consider the preferences of different generations to cultivate the optimal workspace so each employee can be as productive as possible.  Check out our blog on 7 Ways to Manage Different Generations to find new ways to support diverse generations in updating your workplace.

 

Keep reading for our five ways to bring the modern world into your workplace:

Enhance Your Aesthetics!

The professional aesthetics of your office directly affect employee productivity, morale, and overall happiness.  Interior design and feng shui will help your employees feel comfortable at work, look forward to coming to work, and even welcome visitors to the space as it sets the tone for your company. 

Overall aesthetic should be a clean design that is free of clutter with wires hidden, open spaces, and room for collaboration.  Natural lighting is known to increase productivity, happiness, calmness, and lead to healthier employees.  Ditch the wood paneling and upgrade your office’s color pallet for a fresh coat of paint your employees can enjoy seeing every day!

Prioritizing communal spaces for employees to co-work, collaborate, and converse benefits the company by allowing relationship and idea building between people who may not have desks close to one another.  When employees can collaborate, concepts can grow through idea and experience sharing which advances opportunities for the company as a whole.

Invest in Technology! 

Technology is crucial when it comes to saving your company time and money.  Yes, initially upgrading your technology is an investment but when you factor in the amount of time it saves, the increased labor output, and the decrease in spending on office supplies (pens, paper, folders, etc.), the upgrade pays for itself in the long run.  Not to mention, technology aides in the “go-green” initiative and keeps your company competitive with others.

Technology aides in saving on labor costs because little adjustments like switching to wireless charging, wireless streaming for meetings (no more HDMI struggles), and touchscreens can save small amounts of time throughout the say which add up in the future.

Offering technology training and troubleshooting resources onsite is also a major modern movement of the workforce.  Rather than having an employee try to fix their own computer on the phone with the manufacturer, companies now have an IT specialist to manage the problem and get the employee right back on track with minimal downtime.  The saves the company on bringing in contractors and having to wait for employees to get back online.  It also helps lessen the frustrations of employees who struggle with technology, which leads to happier employees.

Upgrading the technology in your office is also important if you want to remain competitive in the labor market.  Companies want to hire the best, most qualified employees possible and with a shift in generations in the workplace, this means accommodating digital natives.  Digital natives are the younger generations entering the workplace who were raised on today’s technology and are constantly keeping up with new tech.  Offering a workplace competitive in technology upgrades means your company won’t fall behind when it comes to the labor market.

 

Flexibility

 Though flexibility is a broad topic, it is taking charge in the modern workplace.  Employers are beginning to realize the value in allowing employees to work a little more on their terms as long as they maintain and exceed productivity levels. 

 Offering the option for employees to work from home has become a major trend for companies even before Covid-19 struck.  Not only does it save the company on office space, it allows employees to work in a comfortable environment, save time and money on commuting, flexibility in where employees work from, and so much more.  The biggest downfall here is finding ways to ensure your employees are being productive and not distracted by home factors.

 Another way to offer flexibility in the workplace is through scheduling.  Many offices have daily arrival and departure expectations for salary employees (i.e. 9-5 or say 8-4).  If their job is not held to duties that must be done during the standard workday, consider letting your employees shift their schedule a bit.  If an employee knows they are not a morning person, let them come in a bit later and leave later as well (11-7) as long as the position allows it.  Some companies also offer split work schedules where an employee can come in from 8-12 then continue to work from home from say 3-7.  Allowing your employees this bit of flexibility helps them consider needs in their personal lives, work when they’ll be most productive, and they feel heard and cared about at work.  This method will boost productivity and morale by giving your people a voice to tell you what they need which brings me to my next point…

 Listen to your employees.  When you are looking to modernize your workplace, reach out to employees for suggestions on what they need.  You do not have to take every suggestion but work to compromise with your employees, so they feel heard and valued. 

Track and Use Data Wisely!

Modern companies are making huge strides to quantify and track as many factors of productivity in the workplace as they can.  Keeping data on the usage of office amenities, utilities, and spaces will help your company see where they needs to invest and what they can downsize in your physical office.  This is very effective when it comes to budgeting office upgrades and ensuring money is going where it needs.

Data is also crucial in tracking employee productivity and retention.  This responsibility would fall on human resources to learn why certain trends are the way they are and what can be done to improve these numbers in the future.

Encourage a Healthy Work-Life Balance!

Technology plays a major role in this factor of modernization.  With cellphones being a computer on the go, employees feel constantly tied to the workplace and available for any work needs.  This can add constant pressure and stress to your employees.  We recommend encouraging employees to “turn-off” when being available is not crucial to their position.  Now I know some positions, especially in the healthcare field, require people to be on-call or somewhat available incase of crises.  However, giving employees some guaranteed “off the clock” or “off the grid” time will help them to relax and unwind. 

A healthy work-life balance has so many benefits for your employees such as boosting morale, increasing employee retention, but most of all, it lowers burnout rates for employees.  Some people do not know how to balance the two and when an employer recognizes this and cares enough to step in and ensure their employee is giving appropriate time to both, it can save the employees relationship with the company and their career.

In conclusion, if your workplace needs a refresher and you want to upgrade your workplace, consider aesthetic, technology, flexibility, data acquisition, and the importance of work-life balance.  Not only will this bring your company into modern times, it will support your employees’ more than you know!  Please feel free to share any training or certification resources you recommend or ask any questions in the comment section below!

 

 

 

Also, don’t forget to subscribe for email updates on the left-hand side of this article!

 

Thanks so much for reading!

Dani Barry

Marketing Manager

REVEX

__________________________________________________________________________

Aihini, Danielle, and Ryan MacInnis. “How Companies Use Workplace Data to Optimize the Office.” Robin, 28 Oct. 2019, robinpowered.com/blog/how-companies-use-analytics-in-the-workplace/.

Davis, Chris. “5 Workplace Design Trends for Boosting Employee Engagement.” ViewSonic Library, 20 Nov. 2019, www.viewsonic.com/library/business/workplace-design-trends/.

Doyle, Alison. “What Is Workplace Flexibility?” The Balance Careers, www.thebalancecareers.com/workplace-flexibility-definition-with-examples-2059699.

Ellis, Christine. “The Modern Workplace Trends You Need to Know About.” IT Lab, www.itlab.com/blog/the-modern-workplace-trends-you-need-to-know-about.

Modern Workplace: Is Your Business Up With the Times? Trends In The, 1 July 2020, instapage.com/blog/modern-workplace-trends.

4 New Training Programs to Help You Unlock Your Team’s Potential

We all know of basic on the job training when you first hire a new employee...  There’s orientation where the new employee learns the ropes, there’s technical training for software, sexual harassment training, and safety training.[1]  These are the standard training most workplaces offer, but what about the training your employees could benefit from that have yet to cross your mind? 

Maybe you haven’t heard of some new training programs, maybe there is a need you are unaware of, or maybe training simply hasn’t been a major priority.  Let’s dive into a few different training types and why they’re important for developing your employees and your company as a whole.

 

1. Professionalism Training

Professionalism Training is especially important when you have employees new to the company and want to set a precedent for how they interact with clients and coworkers in meetings, presentations, emails, and so on.  Setting standards for these professional interactions will ensure a cohesive interface for clients every time they meet with your company. 

Professional training can be best practices for professional dinner meetings such as what to bring, what kind of restaurant to take clients to, and whether dinner is an appropriate setting for the meeting.  Also, professional training includes ethics and social responsibility, the values of employees tend to align with the company and in turn, better quality employees inhabit the workplace. 

Lastly, professional training can be associated with presentations and the quality standards set when presenting or proposing information to a client.  This includes email expectations, when to utilize letterheads, and even workplace attire.  Setting these standards early paves the way for your employee to understand their expectations and to ensure your company leaves a great impression on clients and prospects.[3]

 

2. Interpersonal Training

It is extremely, extremely rare to come across a workplace that does not involve interpersonal interactions.  Interpersonal training can make or break a team as well as the culture of an office.  When employees learn how to communicate, respect, and collaborate effectively, there are going to be higher levels of productivity and employee morale will soar.  Interpersonal training can help individuals learn how to express themselves, understand others, organize teamwork, and cultivate a unified workplace. 

Not only is interpersonal training valuable in building a team environment, but it is also great for managing conflicts in the workplace.  When employees have the skillset to navigate conflict in the most effective and professional manner, it can help save and even grow coworker relationships.[4]  The NADIA Training Institute offers a great training program for Workplace Interpersonal Skills.

 

3. Diversity Training

“Tolerance and acceptance are the cornerstone of any successful business model.”[3]

Diversity training is important not only for interactions between employees, but also for employees interacting with clients or customers as well.  A heightened awareness and acceptance of cultural differences will help your employees to serve customers to the best of their ability which speaks volumes for your company. 

Employees interacting in a team environment also need diversity training to ensure collaboration and productivity are at the highest level of function for the ultimate success of the company. Check out  REVEX's blog post on Management Dynamics: 7 Ways to Manage Different Generations for some great suggestion on inclusion in the workplace.  Diversity Training supports a positive work environment for all employees and all who enter the doors of the company.[3]  ESSEC Business School offers a great Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace course completely online through Coursera.  

 

4. Skillset Training

Finally, offering your employees opportunities to advance their skillset won’t only beef up their resume, it will also benefit your company exponentially.  Hubspot Academy offers an array of certifiable courses in sales, marketing, and service FOR FREE on their website.  This is a great way to bring some fresh ideas and skills to your team while helping them advance their personal skillset.  Investing in your employees is a great way to show you care, to keep them from being stagnant, and to keep your company moving forward.[2]

When I was a manager for a start-up company, it was a very small business. I had to wear many hats.  Luckily, I had a boss who provided me with all the resources to be successful and accomplish tasks where I had limited experience.  I’m a chronic learner, I never want to stop pushing myself and growing professionally and these free courses do not take much time and are full of valuable content.  Not to mention… MOST of them offer certifications FOR FREE! 

 

 

In conclusion, offering non-traditional training to your employees can prove to benefit them and your company in ways you have not considered.  Every opportunity for employees’ personal growth is an opportunity for your company to grow as well because employees run your company!  Invest in your people and they will invest back!  Please feel free to share any training or certification resources you recommend or ask any questions in the comment section below!

 

Also!  Don’t forget to subscribe for email updates on the left-hand side of this article!  

Thanks so much for reading!

Dani Barry
Marketing Manager
REVEX

Management Dynamics: 7 Ways to Manage Different Generations

Nowadays, walking into the workplace, you are likely to come across a range of different generations depending on the industry. Vast and rapid advancements in technology as well as delayed retirement ages have resulted in up to 5 generations being present in the workplace. ^[2] This changes workplace dynamics up quite a bit; presenting challenges for management when running teams with these differences.  

 

Let’s start with defining these generations and the tendencies they are likely to lean towards. 

Now, keep in mind, these are generalizations based on studies and cannot be applied to everyone in these generations- we are all still individuals here!

 

[3]

 

  

Managing a team with such different individual experiences, skills, and preferences can be quite a headache when you are trying to consider everyone’s specific needs. The best way to approach this is to look at it as a HUGE advantage.  Managing all comes down to how you harness this positive force of diversity in your workplace. 

 

 

Here are a few suggestions:

 

1- Embrace the value each generation brings to the table.  

 

If your target consumer market includes all these different generations on some level, then you have your target market’s opinions right at your fingertips. When your company is releasing a new product, launching a new campaign, or looking to attract a new audience, you can utilize your employees as they may be in your targeted audience.  

 

Diversity breeds innovation. When you need help with product and process improvements, you should consider arranging your teams to include combinations of each generation and encourage them to collaborate and share ideas.  If a group of people of the same experiences, generation, race, etc. come together to think of new ideas, they may come up with some great ones. However, true innovation will come when people from different backgrounds can come together, share their experiences, brainstorm, and expand on one another’s ideas.

 

2- Acknowledge Strengths

 

Too many times we make jokes about “those darn millennials” or how older generations may struggle with “the cloud.” While these jokes may be funny to some, they are only going to downplay the strengths each these groups.  

 

For example, older generations may struggle to keep up with technology, but they can rely on their new generation counterparts to help them out whenever they need to figure out where their document got lost in the cloud rather than just struggling.  Encourage each generation to use their strengths to help/prevent their counterparts from struggling within the office. On the other side of this, sometimes technology does fail us, and a system may be down temporarily. This is when the generations who did everything manually can step in and help the technology-reliant generations with how to continue being productive until the system is restored. ^[2]  

 

Encourage teamwork and discourage generation-based stereotypical jokes. We all know the stereotypes of each generation; we’ve heard probably all of the jokes, now let’s play on each other’s strengths and avoid the underlying animosity these jokes may generate. ^[3]

 

3- Do Not Assume or Generalize.

 

Just because I gave a basic outline of generational habits and preferences, it does not mean your employees within these generations will fit into those little boxes. ^[3] Nor should you place them into those boxes. Even as I was compiling the information for that chart, I found myself saying “wait, that’s not me, I’m not like that.” Likewise, you should not do that to your employees.

 

Rather, give them a chance to tell you how they like to interact, be motivated, etc. During an interview for my previous company, I had to complete a Culture Index (essentially a workplace personality test). ^[1] The results determined if I had the tendencies for the job (introvert/extrovert, logical /emotional based, etc.). This test was also used to see if I would be compatible to work with the team they already had in place. Finally, the company would recommend having your results posted in your workspace (they also had it online available on their online portal), so others could understand how you work and process.

 

This helped deter a lot of office drama because people would learn “Susan” was not “stand-offish” when she lacked eye contact or spoke little- she was just introverted and preferred to communicate via email.

 

Giving your employees this assessment can also give them a chance to show how they like to be communicated with, how they tend to think, and why they interact a certain way.  This is extremely valuable not only for you, but for their fellow employees. Keep in mind, this will also help you from generalizing your employees into these generational stereotypes and help you to manage them better in the long run!

 

4- Upgrade your workplace communication practices.

 

Communication is going to be a major part of building a cohesive team and needs to be a priority within management.  Though the blog post, 5 Ways to Revamp Communication in Your Workplace, is not specifically about managing different generations it has some great tips on improving communication, building company culture, opening communication channels, and educating your team.

 

5- Build a mutual mentorship program.

 

Mentorships can be extremely valuable, but have you ever heard of a mutual mentorship? This is where you bring together two very differently experienced people, maybe of two different generations, to work together and learn from one another. 

They learn an understanding of each other’s thought processes, share skills, and experiences, etc. ^[3] This can be a very mutually beneficial program that builds team morale throughout the company as well.

 

6- Survey. Survey. Survey.

 

Offer your employees a chance to be heard anonymously. Some generations are more passive, some people are shyer, and some employees fear speaking up because of consequences. Offer your employees a chance to make suggestions for a better workplace anonomously. With up to five different generations in one space, you need to offer different avenues of communication; surveying your employees is a great start. ^[2]

 

This survey can be multiple-choice, Likert scale, short answer, or a combination depending on how in-depth you want your feedback to be. Just like everyone has a different style they learn best in (visual, audible, hands-on), people communicate differently so these varying avenues are important.  

 

7- Be a scientist!

 

No, I’m not talking Frankenstein-style… Leave your employees intact, please. 

Experiment with your management techniques by making micro-changes. This means making small adjustments, sometimes large ones, as you learn about your team and their needs. If round-table collaboration is difficult with people talking over one-another, tweak it into smaller teams, or have a method where only one person communicates at a time. The best way to optimally manage your team is to be open to trial and change.  

 

Study your employees and what works best for them and continue to adjust until you find the perfect practices.^[3] Honestly, you may never find the PERFECT workplace practices, so adjustments may always be made. Make change an active part of your management style and do not give it the stigma of being a bad thing!

 

 

 

In conclusion, consider your employee and their experience. This consideration will bring more value to your management techniques as you can play to their strengths and create an optimal workplace for each generation to thrive. Embrace the strengths of each generation by getting to know your employees without generalizing them based on stereotypes. Innovation is formulated in diversity so create spaces for collaboration between differing generations.  

 

Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to comment anything you may have to add or ask! Be sure to subscribe for email updates on when REVEX posts a new blog!

 

Dani Barry

Marketing Manager

REVEX

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^[1] “Culture Index Inc.” Culture Index, www.cindexinc.com/.

^[2] Frey, Emma. “Managing Five Generations in the Workplace.” BSCAI, Building Service Contractors Association International, 31 Oct. 2017, www.bscai.org/Contractor-Connections-Hub/BSCAI-News/managing-five-generations-in-the-workplace.

^[3] Knight, Rebecca. “Managing People from 5 Generations.” Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Publishing, 12 Aug. 2015, hbr.org/2014/09/managing-people-from-5-generations.