EpicFehlReader

For the first time in American history, four different generations are together in the workplace. Companies that want to stay competitive must have employees from different decades, and these workers must learn to get along.

So how can one person reduce conflict and drive productivity across ages?

That's the topic of this book. 

About the Series: The Efficient Professional books explain precisely how to increase your personal productivity at work. Instead of broad advice or general motivational content, the works in this series list the exact steps you should take to transform your career. They include scripts, checklists, and direct instructions.

Amazon.com

It's no secret that science and medicine have advanced to such a degree that humans are living longer than ever before. This also translates into people having longer careers, shorter or only half-retirements, if they go into retirement at all. This is also creating a unique characteristic of the modern day workforce: across the board, companies are now showing workplaces made up of employees representing four different generations. These generations include the "Silent Generation" (1925-1945),"Baby Boomers" (1946-1965), Gen Xers (1966-1980), and Millennials (1981-2000). All of these generations come with their own methods for getting work done and, if we're being honest, prejudices against other generations. This is where author Robby Slaughter comes in and offers tips, tricks and solutions for bringing everyone together to create a harmonious, productive workspace. 

Scientists have reams of research that shows that the year you were born has as much influence on your thinking as the household you were born into.... While we might use terms like "The Greatest Generation" or "Baby Boomers" or even "Generation Y", what is most important is not the watershed years (a specific timespan) but our interpretations of ourselves and others... A birth year indicates what a person has experienced and suggests how they might view the world, but it does not necessarily predict their behavior or their weaknesses. A generation may describe but it does not prescribe. 

Slaughter is a productivity expert who runs a consulting firm that assists not only small businesses and non-profits but also Fortune 500 companies. He uses what he's observed over the years to address some of the common pitfalls employees from different generations tend to fall into, such as unhealthy competitiveness or other unhealthy behaviors, fear of aging, being laughed or mocked at, considered "out of the loop" when it comes to trends or pertinent job skills (these fears often being reflected in behaviors such as lying about age on resumes or hesitancy around modern technology). Slaughter offers some eye-opening examples of how humans in general tend to present themselves, compared to how they (maybe sometimes unfairly) perceive others. He also explains how it's only natural to have a certain amount of pride in the generation we were born into, and how our behavior in general is a representation of a culmination of things -- not only the influence of our particular generation as a group, but also our individual upbringings, our cultural heritage, past experiences, our personal belief system, our moral code or convictions we live by. He then takes all that and breaks down how employees can use the good parts of all that to their advantage, while dumping (or at least pulling back on, to start) the more negative, prejudice thinking.

We need to become more open-minded to styles of working... What we need to respect at work is the process of working itself, and the results that each generation values. 

There's a good deal of helpful food for thought in this little manual. For instance, Slaughter points out that seniority in the workplace, while generally touted, does not necessarily always translate to guaranteed competency in an employee. Likewise, a young employee should not automatically be written off as lazy or incompetent. Employees should simply be taken on an individual basis. There are slackers and go-getters in every age set! I also liked his definition of workplace productivity, how it's not just about the sheer amount of work getting done by a person, but the overall value the person brings to a company: Are they quick to offer support to others in hard times? Are they good teachers to less experienced co-workers? Do they answer questions with clear, succinct answers?

I also appreciated that Slaughter could have some fun with a topic that might initially come off as a little dry to the average reader. He uses the format of a Choose Your Own Adventure type story to teach readers how to successfully interact with co-workers from different generations. He explains that this tool, which he calls The Conversation Map, doesn't necessarily guarantee a home run interaction every time, but at the very least it will help give the reader the confidence and open-mindedness to get the ball rolling on productive discussions. 

I think this manual would likely best serve employers / leaders of companies, but there are also beneficial tools and tricks from the employee perspective. This particular book is only one of a whole series addressing various workplace concerns. If you try out this one and want to see more, you can check out the other titles at efficientprofessional.com The website also lists upcoming seminar dates if you're interested in trying any of those or possibly looking for a speaker to come do a talk at your company. 

FTC Disclaimer: The author, Robby Slaughter, provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.