Shocked that I had never heard of a Rolodex, Lisa asked Amy, the Frause intern from last summer (and our current assistant account executive) if she knew what a Rolodex was and the first thing that came to Amy’s mind was a watch. After everyone got a good laugh at our naïveté, we soon realized that our ignorance wasn’t just because we’re relatively new to the workplace- it’s generational.
My generation is just beginning to enter the “real world” and, as we cross from the realm of students to that of employees, a generational divide in the workplace is going to become increasingly apparent. Due to technology and the fast-paced world we have grown up in, we are different from any generation before us.
My generation (called Generation Y or Millennials) is incredibly technologically savvy, specifically with the Internet. We’ve been conducting Google searches, e-mailing and using social networking sites since elementary or middle school. We have diverse social lives thanks to the development of sites like MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook and we don’t think it is abnormal to put our information online. My generation sees social networking as part of a normal social life, rather than a revolutionary concept. We are comfortable with putting ourselves out into cyberspace and aren’t hesitant about Internet networking. Because of this, we can easily tap into the huge power of these websites without much strategic thought.
Another thing that is unique to Gen Y is texting. I have been able to text since I got my first cell phone at age 12 and it has always been my primary way of communicating. But because of my affinity for texting, I am not as comfortable picking up the phone to call someone. When asked to make a call here at the office, the first thing that always pops into my head is whether or not an e-mail will suffice. This isn’t because I’m lazy. It’s just because I am not used to making phone calls and I am not as comfortable with direct communication where technology isn’t there to act as a middleman.
Between our gravitation toward Internet networking and our disregard for one-on-one, interpersonal communication, Gen Y members are at an interesting place, especially because the opposite tendencies seem to be true among earlier generations.
Right now, as the members of Generation Y enter the workforce, I believe there will have to be a big shift in the methods of communication on both ends of the generational spectrum for business to continue to be successful. I will be the first to admit that the men and women of my generation need to become more fluent in the art of direct communication and need to get used to having conversations not mediated by a screen. At the same time, the more open previous generations become toward social media and maintaining online relationships, the easier it will be for them to reach younger audiences and perhaps clients. If all generations within the workplace do their part to learn and adapt to new communication methods, the increasing generational divide may eventually disappear, and, luckily for me, the Rolodex may disappear with it.
- Katie Sells
