How to Navigate a Multigenerational Workforce in Your Center

by Chanie Wilschanski, ECE Leadership Coach & Host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast

When you think about the core sources of workplace tension in your early childhood education center, what are some ideas that come up?

Maybe conflict arises because responsibilities aren’t being defined and delegated clearly enough. Or perhaps some of your staff members struggle to take accountability.

Today I’d like you to consider that a major source of tension in your center might be less interpersonal and more… demographic. I’m talking about the struggles that come with leading a multigenerational workforce.

For the first time in history, we have five different generations learning, growing, and collaborating alongside each other in the workplace. And multiple generations coming together can mean countless opportunities for misunderstanding, tension, and conflict.

But a multigenerational workforce isn’t just a challenge—it’s an opportunity. By understanding, embracing, and even leveraging generational differences between their staff members, owners and directors can create beautifully inclusive work environments where diverse experiences and perspectives carry centers toward excellence.

Keep reading for my thoughts on how you, as the leader of your center, can navigate a multigenerational workforce with grace and success.

Get to Know the Generations

To navigate generational differences in your center, you’ll need to equip yourself with an understanding of the events, attitudes, and worldviews that have shaped each generation. Note that the values and characteristics shared here are generalizations and won’t necessarily apply to each member of each generation—but they’ll give you a useful starting point.

The Silent Generation

Born: 1928–1945*

Defining Events: The Great Depression, World War II

Values & Characteristics: Members of the Silent Generation are typically very loyal, hard working, and eager to help others. Their traditional values extend to the workplace—they’re unlikely to be comfortable working nontraditional hours, and they believe age should be the main factor in determining seniority within an organization.

Workplace Motivation: The Silent Generation is motivated by stability, predictability, and order in the workplace.

Baby Boomers

Born: 1946–1964*

Defining Events: The civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal

Values & Characteristics: Baby Boomers tend to value hard work and to believe hard work by itself should be enough to merit success. They’re more likely than the Silent Generation to take risks in the workplace to further their own careers.

Workplace Motivation: Baby Boomers are often motivated by flexibility in the workplace. At this stage in time, they’ve usually built thriving lives outside of work with families, hobbies, and volunteer activities. Many Boomers are also responsible for caring for different generations in their families, whether it’s aging parents, young grandchildren, or both, further driving their desire for flexible careers.

Gen X

Born: 1965–1980*

Defining Events: The fall of the Berlin Wall, the AIDS epidemic, the Dot-Com boom

Values & Characteristics: Gen Xers are usually extremely independent and self-sufficient—many were “latchkey kids” who were expected to look after themselves while both their parents were at work. They tend to value a healthy work-life balance and seek out employers who can offer monetary benefits like bonuses and stock options.

Workplace Motivation: Gen X is motivated by autonomy in the workplace. They want to be given freedom and latitude to do their jobs well and don’t respond positively to micromanagement.

Millenials

Born: 1980–2000*

Defining Events: 9/11, the rise of the Internet

Values & Characteristics: Millennials tend to bring results-oriented passion and tech-savviness to the workplace. They want to use their creative skills to make a difference and can help teach older generations to integrate new technology into their work.

Workplace Motivation: Millennials are motivated by development and growth. They’re likely to leave an organization that doesn’t give them opportunities to develop their skills and to use their gifts and ideas to meaningfully contribute toward tangible outcomes. Note that development is different from advancement—a traditional career advancement path typically won’t be enough for millennial workers.

Gen Z

Born: 2001–2012*

Defining Events: A post-9/11 world, the Great Recession, rapid advancements in technology

Values & Characteristics: A major defining characteristic of Gen Z is their being shaped by technology access from a young age. But while some older generations see this as a negative trait, it can be a remarkably positive one. Gen Z’s tech savviness gives them the ability to think broadly and innovatively, and to develop creative solutions to workplace challenges.

As a leader of a multigenerational workforce, it will be up to you whether you focus on the differences between the generations and the traits of each generation that you don’t quite understand… or whether you choose to leverage the uniqueness of each generation to build a successful organization.

*Please note: The birth year ranges provided for the generations above are estimates. Sources may vary in their categorization of these generations.

How to Communicate With a Multigenerational Workforce

One common challenge of navigating a multigenerational workforce is figuring out how to communicate in a way that resonates with and makes sense to staff members of different ages.

Let the Generations Inform Your Communication Style

Just as each generation has different workplace motivations, each generation has preferred communication styles in the workplace. For instance, Baby Boomers and other older generations are more likely to communicate bluntly or directly—to “tell it like it is.” Meanwhile, Millennials often respond well to more constructive feedback paired with opportunities for recognition and collaboration.

Generational differences are one factor that can inform how you communicate individually with your staff members. This is especially true when it comes time to have difficult conversations. The way we were raised and the events we experienced while growing up have a major impact on the way we navigate conflict. Taking your staff members’ generations into account can help you find new and improved ways of navigating conflict together.

Quick Tips for Multigenerational Communication

Because each generation has their own communicative styles and preferences, there are countless opportunities for miscommunication and conflict when members of different generations are in a room together. Here are a few actionable tips you can use to help your multigenerational team communicate better with one another.

Audit your staff list. Before a staff meeting, take inventory of which generation each staff member belongs to. These proportions will inform your communication and leadership style.

Ask the right questions. The questions we ask our staff reveal the type of environment we’re working to create. Try asking your team members, “How do you define work ethic?” and take note of how the different generations answer. These types of questions can act as springboards for beautifully collaborative conversations!

Get out of the office. To encourage team members from different generations to communicate and spend time together, arrange for offsite experiences that are connected to your center’s values. Getting physically away from the workplace can present opportunities for older generations to tell stories and give advice, and for younger generations to teach new skills.

Don’t overthink it. You can equip yourself with the context of how each generation in your workplace has grown up and learned to act and communicate without it being the only factor in your leadership strategy. Trust your instincts, take in each generation’s unique perspective, and then take action.

Lead the Multigenerational Conversation

Bringing together a team consisting of multiple generations is a challenge for early childhood education leaders, but it’s also a terrific opportunity. You have the chance to step up and learn to navigate generational differences to create a unique workforce shaped by the special gifts that each generation has to share.

One specific challenge you may encounter in navigating a multigenerational workforce is delegation—each generation has its own preferred management styles and ideas of who should perform which responsibilities. If this is something you’ve encountered at your center, I encourage you to watch our on-demand, virtual Delegate to Elevate Workshop.

Or, if you’re searching for more comprehensive, ongoing leadership support, consider joining our Owner’s HQ and Director’s Inner Circle membership programs.