These four working generations include traditionalists (sometimes called veterans), the baby boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y (or Generation Next or Millennials, depending on your preference). After Gen Xers arrived in the workplace full force by the mid-1990s, older professionals began to note just how much generational differences seemed to account for a variety of issues, such as how an employee viewed his or her position and role in the company, how employees communicated with one another, and even an employee's work ethic. With Gen Y/Gen Next now on the scene, the contrast between more seasoned workers and more youthful ones is often stark.

In the next two blog entries, we'll look specifically at the older and younger branches of the workforce. But before we do, should companies be concerned about generational differences? Actually, there's debate on that. A Wall Street Journal article, "Age is as Age Does" (June 30, 2008) notes that while many companies find it useful to adapt practices to generational differences, others find the notion of playing to an employee's generation a bit overused and too reliant on stereotypes.

But on the other hand, understanding generational differences can be a good step in learning to understand your employees better on the whole. If you adopt a generational perspective to finding out your employees' needs and goals, you might discover that some of the generational ideas hold true, while others don't. Regardless, you'll learn more about how to keep your employees productive and engaged in your company, which can help long-term profitability and reduce turnover. And, if a little attention on generational particularities leads to improved communication throughout the workplace, can anyone argue with that?