The modern workforce is more age-diverse than ever before. As more people from older generations continue to work longer and more younger people start their careers, clinics and medical offices may find themselves with as many as four different generations clocking into work. But do generational differences in workplace attitudes arise due to this wide variety of ages? Conventional thought might suggest so, but the data might surprise you.
Four main generations are still in the workforce today. Those generations are as follows:
The gulf in attitudes between a person born in 2002 and a person born in 1964 might seem vast. It’s certainly true that as we get older, we naturally accrue more experience that can benefit our organization and coworkers. And at the same time, younger people might have a different, fresh perspective on longstanding challenges that can energize a workforce.
However, many believe that a person’s age can determine a lot more about their workplace attitudes than simply their experience level. For instance, many people might think that Baby Boomers prefer to work in person while Millennials and Gen Z prefer remote work. But how different are generational differences in workplace attitudes at the end of the day? And do they make a difference in the dynamic of your clinic’s daily workflow?
We can turn to the current data when investigating whether generational differences in workplace attitudes exist. Many people have wondered the same question, and many scientific studies have illuminated the issue.
An in-depth analysis of over 20,000 study responses recently provided a surprising answer: that “meaningful differences among generations probably do not exist” and “the differences that appear to exist are likely attributable to factors other than generational membership.”
While people can still experience a wide variation in their needs, goals, interests, and preferences throughout their careers, research suggests that age and generation don’t contribute much to those differences.
So what can explain the pervasive belief that generational differences have such a huge effect on workplace attitudes?
Unfortunately, the main ways that age differences affect the workplace come down to the negative effect of stereotypes. These stereotypes can manifest either as the perception that people from different generations have about each other or the perception that people have about their own generation. Either can have a negative impact on a person’s experience at work.
For example, one laboratory experiment showed that perceptions of age can adversely affect training scenarios. During the experiment, the apparent age of participants was manipulated using different photos and voice software. When training someone on computer tasks, the outcome suffered when the participants thought they were teaching someone from an older generation. Stereotypes about older people’s ability to learn new tasks meant that the participants had lower expectations and provided inadequate training.
Another study showed that when employees believe in stereotypes about their age group, it can negatively impact their interpersonal dynamics. The bottom line is generational differences in workplace attitudes don’t tend to exist consistently—but stereotypes about different age groups do.
So what can you do to combat these effects? One of the best things to do is facilitate open discussions in your clinic. You can emphasize the advantages of working in an age-diverse group, discuss the meta-stereotypes that can negatively impact an employee’s self-image, and facilitate discussions about how stereotypes about aging can affect a workplace.
In healthcare, having a diverse workforce dramatically benefits your business, employees, and patients. When people from different generations work at your clinic, you have a wide selection of perspectives and experience levels to leverage in patient care. By keeping discussions open and emphasizing a team mentality, you can ensure that your age-diverse clinic remains a great place to work or receive treatment. And if you need to find new employees to build your clinic’s team, MyTeam is the medical staffing agency of choice in the Pacific Northwest.
We match your business with top-notch employees whose goals and preferences align with your clinic’s needs, ensuring you find long-lasting and dedicated workers to fill out your team.