From assuming that Gen X and Boomers are out of touch to being certain that anyone who’s a part of Gen Z is attached to their device 24/7, generational stereotypes are everywhere and can easily skew your perspective when working with others, whether you’re hiring a nanny or senior caregiver — or are a professional child or senior care provider yourself.
“Generational gaps have never been wider,” points out Ryan Jenkins, a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and an internationally-recognized keynote speaker. “That results in clashing work styles, communication preferences and leadership styles, so we’ve got to get our hands around it. Otherwise, we’ll just continuously miscommunicate and make improper assumptions.”
Whether you’re hoping to figure out the best way to talk to a Gen Z babysitter about your expectations or want to be sure you’re getting through to a Boomer senior care client, here are four of Jenkins’ best tips for bridging the generation gap.
1. Consider whether more frequent check-ins may benefit your working relationship
Although everyone, no matter their age, has the same need for clear communication and feedback from an employer, the way we go about defining what that looks like varies wildly from generation to generation, says Jenkins. While your communication preference may not be your younger caregiver or older client’s preference, by being aware and open to adjusting, you can get on the same page.
For example, for older Millennials, Gen X and Boomers, or who he refers to as the “established generations,” no news from a boss is good news. “Contrast that with the emerging generations — or younger Millennials and Gen Z — and if they’re not hearing from their boss, they’re on LinkedIn within hours, looking for a new job, thinking something’s wrong,” explains Jenkins.
Not only does Gen Z expect real-time feedback, but research shows that the closer you can provide feedback to the actual behavior that you want changed, the more likely that that behavior will change, says Jenkins. For that reason, it’s important to have more frequent check-ins, whether you’re an employer or caregiver.
“If our goal is to connect across generations, we have to go that extra step and we have to find ways to trade communication for connection.”
— Ryan Jenkins, a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and an internationally-recognized keynote speaker
2. Think about opportunities to prioritize connection
We tend to think that, given all the technology we have access to these days, we’ve never been more connected, but the truth is that we’ve never had more ways to communicate, says Jenkins. Connection is a whole different ball game.
“Communication is the exchanging of information, and it’s processed in the front part of our brain,” he says. “But connection is this sense of feeling seen and heard. It’s the ease of communication between two people, and it’s actually processed in the back part of our brain.”
Say you text your nanny a warm “thank you” for helping your child with their homework assignment. “It doesn’t become ‘connection’ until they hear the tone in your voice or see your body language,” explains Jenkins.
He continues, “If our goal is to connect across generations, we have to go that extra step and we have to find ways to trade communication for connection.” In other words, says Jenkins, you’ll do well to find opportunities to trade a text for a phone call, a virtual meeting for an in-person one or a statement for a question.
3. Understand what younger candidates expect in an employment opportunity
When it comes to committing to a professional opportunity, people of every generation want the same three things: a better boss, a brighter future and a bigger vision, says Jenkins. And everyone wants to connect work with impact.
However, there’s a key difference between younger Millennials and Gen Z’ers and older Millennials, Gen X’ers and Boomers: “Established generations see those three things as nice-to-haves, whereas emerging generations are viewing those three things as conditions of employment,” says Jenkins. “If they don’t feel like those three things are being delivered at work, they’re a finger swipe away from finding another job.”
Holding this in mind as an established generation employer can make you more appealing to younger nanny, babysitting or senior caregiving candidates.
4. Get curious
Jenkins encourages people to reframe generational differences as an actual gap — “distance” versus “different.” “We’re all way more wildly similar than we are different,” he explains.
However, distance translates to not knowing someone’s story or understanding the context in which they grew up. “That distance, that ignorance causes tension,” he explains. “It causes us to shut doors.”
The fix? Becoming more curious about why someone you’re in a working relationship with might be communicating or working in a certain way based on their generational perspective and experiences. In turn, you’ll find it’s easier to close the distance.
