{"id":69,"date":"2017-02-05T12:40:14","date_gmt":"2017-02-05T19:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/justinng\/?p=69"},"modified":"2017-02-05T12:40:14","modified_gmt":"2017-02-05T19:40:14","slug":"generational-differences-for-workplace-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/justinng\/2017\/02\/05\/generational-differences-for-workplace-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"Generational Differences for Workplace Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being in a very unique group bordering the millennial and centennial generations, I was inspired to further investigate the millennial generation in the workforce after recently reading my colleague Cindy Olsson\u2019s blog post<\/a>.\u00a0 In her post, Olsson focused on the differences that millennial generation holds in their expectations for the workplace in comparison to the expectations held by older generations.\u00a0 As she writes, the values of baby boomers lie mainly in the basic needs towards the bottom of the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs pyramid, whereas in contrast, millennials put greater value on upper ends of the pyramid, the self-actualization, and esteem needs of the workplace. \u00a0With the growth in technology and differences in values being the main separation between the generations, the main methods of communication between the generations will certainly be affected.<\/p>\n

Through my Google investigation, I came across Sarah White\u2019s article<\/a> where she discussed the workforce generational diversity and the expectations of communication.\u00a0 She wrote that because the workforce is rapidly being mixed with millennials and older generations whose lives have not revolved around digital communication as the former did, communication tension is caused and employers must adapt to ensure that both generational expectations are met.<\/p>\n

Although face to face communication is the most direct form of communication, I believe that verbal communication is slowly being phased out by the increasing number of millennials in the workforce.\u00a0 Through digital communication, all communication is being recorded digitally through emails, text messages, and more.\u00a0 This may result in the loss of intimacy in communication with the decline in face to face interaction.<\/p>\n

But digital communication may be beneficial for the workplace.\u00a0 The most obvious benefit is the increase in communication speed.\u00a0 It takes a person an average time of 90 seconds to read and respond to a text message[i]<\/a>.\u00a0 When time is a factor to the success of a company, digital communication hails in comparison to the lengthy times of meeting up for a conversation.\u00a0 In addition to an increase in communication speed, the ability to proofread every sentence before pressing the send button will inevitably increase the accuracy of information.\u00a0 With both the speed and accuracy of communication being essential for maintaining strong organizational behavior and lines of communication, I believe that as a workforce, we will soon see that digital communication will triumph over traditional communication as the main source of communication.<\/p>\n

[i]<\/a> https:\/\/onereach.com\/blog\/45-texting-statistics-that-prove-businesses-need-to-start-taking-sms-seriously\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Word Count: 394<\/p>\n

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Sources:<\/p>\n