I was recently asked to speak and facilitate at a leadership conference and retreat for a company whose front line employees are mainly in their early 20’s with the managers and leadership of the company primarily in their late 30’s and 40’s. 

While there was a tremendous amount of camaraderie and team cohesion (they were a very fun group to be around!) I couldn’t help but notice the difference between how the generations viewed the concept of “work ethic” and how that created a natural tension, even among an amazingly close-knit team. Some of the older ones were venting about “kids” not having work ethic and some of the “kids” wondered if the older peeps needed to “work smarter” instead of just “harder.” 

So who is right?

I believe they both are right and wrong-at least from a “connection” perspective; which if you know me, you know that connection is what I am all about! 

Let me unpack that further…

If you're a manager and you believe your people have no “work ethic” how do you communicate that to them? You may choose to say, “You have no work ethic!” As soon as you level that charge at someone (who probably believes that s/he does have work ethic) the person gets upset at you, says lots of bad words in his/her head, draws up the defenses, and disconnects-which isn’t good. 

There is a cohort of leaders in the workforce who believe that employees should live, breathe, eat and bleed for the company; and while that mindset was prevalent a generation (or two) ago that is simply not how Millennials and Gen X-ers approach their careers today. 

Today’s leaders managing today’s workforce need to step back from demanding loyalty, commitment and sacrifice and step towards creating a culture and environment that encourages employee engagement. I’ll dive into the idea of creating an engaging corporate culture in future blog posts-so stay tuned! 

In the meantime, if you want to know what is considered a motivating and encouraging culture and environment for your younger employees, just ask! 

What about younger workers?

If you’re a Millennial or Generation X-er, you don’t get off easy, especially if you work for a Baby Boomer, or any boss that has a different definition of work ethic than you do. It’s important to know what is perceived as work ethic in your company. What does it look like, sound like, and feel like to your supervisors? If you don’t know … ASK!

Then, once you know, I would encourage you to comply with those perceptions, even if you think it’s foolish! When you have built up credibility within the organization then you’ll have a platform to present the changes that you feel are important so that you can work smarter-not just harder. 

Having been a boss for much of my career I can tell you unequivocally that I would have been ticked if a new employee started telling me how I should do things! I know it may sound petty to many of you, but it’s the truth of how I felt-and I can assure you many supervisors feel the same way too! 

Before you’re tempted to say “You have no work ethic!” or “You need to work smarter, not harder!” pause…and remember that other people may feel differently than you. Instead of demanding that they share your point of view, why not find ways that you can connect and grow together?

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