Managing Generational Diversity in the Workplace with Laurie Battaglia, Align at Work CEO

Imagine Belonging at Work

Today’s episode features an encore presentation of a talk that originally aired in 2019 during the first Annual Belonging at Work Summit. This interview was recorded in a world that has long ago gone away; however, some of the challenges that existed then with regard to managing generational diversity, still remain stubbornly the same.

What you’re about to hear, is a speaker who will underscore the importance of unlocking the power of working on multigenerational teams, and the challenges that every manager has with making this mix of employees work well together, and that speaker is Laurie Battaglia.

Laurie is the CEO and Workplace Strategist of Aligned at Work®, and she works with companies who understand that their leaders are the ones who create a healthy, human-centered environment where they and their teams thrive.

During our conversation, Laurie reminds us that there are five distinct generations in the workplace including Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Zoomers. She also recognizes the distinct challenges people managers endure when leading multigenerational teams.

She reminds us that when we fundamentally can’t relate to someone because they are so much younger or older than ourselves, it’s hard to see things from their perspective. As a result, we can resort to using harmful stereotypes and blame solvable problems on one another instead of working to understand the differences that distance us.

To unlock the powerful potential of multigenerational teams, Laurie offers 3 core strategies to manage generational diversity at work:

1. Openly Communicate. Encourage your teams to openly communicate and respect the reality that different generations may prefer one communication & working style over another, and that your team will need to find a middle ground.

2. Respect boundaries. A wider representation of age groups at work has introduced new generational beliefs and values at work. This reality underscores the importance of respecting the varied generational beliefs and values, while upholding your team’s set of established boundaries and values.

3. Don’t play favorites. During team meetings, build opportunities for ALL voices and perspectives to be considered, regardless of someone’s age, title, or level of seniority. You can achieve this by creating an inclusive decision-making process that encourages open dialogue and psychological safety.

Savor this insightful talk, and if you like what Laurie has to share, consider joining the Belonging Membership Community, where you’ll have a chance to learn more about generational diversity from speakers just like Laurie. You can also connect with other DEI professionals ready to support you as you advance your DEI goals: www.belongingmembershipcommunity.com.

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