Welcome to the Monthly Work Remix, where I answer career and workplace questions submitted by professionals like you. Every month, I’ll adapt episodes of my brand new podcast, The Work Remix, into a reader-friendly advice column. Click the links below to stream the individual episodes and hear my answers in greater detail. Episode 4 – “Understanding a Multigenerational Team as a Traditional Startu...

I’ve seen it many times. After wrapping up one of my presentations, I’m approached by a Baby Boomer or Gen X manager who says, “My young employees just don’t have any common sense! How can I understand them?” Other times I hear more extreme responses like, “My Millennial employees are lazy and entitled. I regret hiring anyone under 35.” I am strongly against generational shami...

After a great response to my recent post on saying thanks to employees, I began thinking about small actions that lead to big results. For example, knowing a junior employee’s name can be more impactful on that person’s motivation than a $1,000 bonus. Then I came across this Harvard Business Review article on tips to cultivate more inclusive meetings. How simple! I understand that diversity is a complicat...

This week’s topic is an offshoot of the automation/tech theme, and it’s on the minds of employers across all industries: remote work. With a decent WiFi connection and laptop, many employees can now work from almost anywhere: home, a coworking space, Cabo San Lucas, you name it. But in my conversations with managers, I’ve noticed the topic of remote work brings a lot of angst. Many managers fear that th...

“Young People Are Going To Save Us All From Office Life,” cheered the headline of a recent New York Times article that caught my eye. As the article explored, flexibility is often cited as the highest priority for newer professionals as they evaluate jobs. But I would argue that, in our current five-generation environment, workplace improvements should appeal to employees of all generations. Wondering how yo...

You might believe your benefits package is top-notch, but would your employees agree? Possibly not: A surprising 36% of respondents to Capital One’s 2019 Work Environment Survey say that their company offers none of the benefits they expect. This, of course, can have a major impact on your workplace morale and productivity. I promise this is not an article about wooing Millennial employees by offering back rubs, b...

Here is a quotation that I share in my training programs on generational diversity: “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today.” In what era do you think this was written? This week’s Economist? A political speech from the 1960s? The Roaring Twenties? The late eighteenth century? In fact, these words are attributed to the poet Hesiod, all the...

My speaking engagements frequently take me to college campuses, where I have the opportunity to connect with professors and administrators about the hot topics on their campuses. For the past few years, I’ve been struck by the number of times leaders at a wide variety of colleges and universities have talked to me about the overwhelming mental health needs of today’s Generation Z students. Recent statistics...

While Millennials in the workplace have dominated our thinking about generations for years, it’s time to acknowledge that they are no longer the “newbies” in the workplace — in fact, the oldest Millennials are now aged 38. So, while decoding the Millennial mindset is still an important part of the work I do as a multigenerational workplace speaker and consultant, much of my clients’ attenti...

For the first time in American history, there are five unique generations in our workforce: the Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, Millennials and the newly graduating Generation Zs. At some organizations, colleagues up to 50 years apart in age and work experience are working side by side. There are many areas in which the generations differ in their expectations and preferences in the workplace—comfor...