We now have multiple generations in the workplace, with vastly different aspirations, perspectives and needs. It’s little wonder that some generations don’t exactly see eye-to-eye. Yet, we have to find ways to co-exist and work effectively together, and learning leaders have a significant role to play in creating a seamless, multi-generational workplace. Why? Because learning and development is one of the few things that cross all ages and generations — we all need to build skills, no matter what stage we’re at in our careers. It’s a great equalizer in many ways, and a bridge that can be built across generations.
Personalization is a good start
That said, the best learning leaders discovered a long time ago that personalization is key when it comes to high learning engagement. And that rings especially true when developing a learning program that caters to Gen X and Gen Z alike. They are such vastly different groups that a one-size-fits-all approach will quickly fail. You cannot make a Millennial fit into a Boomer’s box.
You might be wondering what those differences are. Let me give you a brief overview of how each generation in the workplace today views learning and career development.
Boomers are credential-driven
First, you have the Boomers. They are typically a highly educated generation, in the traditional sense, so they value accomplishments and credentials. They desire to learn from proven experts, so anyone with the right credentials, and they will look for respected, high-profile institutions for further study. They prefer to attend in-person courses but have become more used to using online learning and new technologies in today’s hybrid environment. That said, this generation can really be defined as compliant learners — they are used to being told what to learn and when to learn it. Their comfort zone really is in command and control leadership and compliance training. They tend to focus on learning that helps them do their job better today (performance support) instead of learning to prepare for their next move (career mobility).
This generation is typically seen as more rigid in their working identities and they can find it a challenge to pivot quickly to new roles or employers. It’s also worth noting that post-pandemic, Boomers are retiring at record levels, and this is causing something of a brain drain in many organizations.
Gen X wants control
They are followed by Generation X, who are approaching the middle of their careers and who typically grew up with working parents. They are the first generation on-track to be worse off than their parents in terms of retirement preparation. This generation dislikes micromanaging, so they would prefer a more self-directed learning plan. They also look for information and practice rather than pure theory, and they want to know exactly how learning will benefit their career. They aren’t intimidated by new technologies. Gen X are pragmatic learners. They understand the need and importance of compliance training, but they want L&D to make learning easy and accessible so they can direct that learning themselves.
Millennials turn to peers
Then we get to the much maligned Millennials. This avocado-eating generation typically grew up with helicopter parents and familial input is critical to them. They will turn to family or friends (their chosen family) when making big decisions about where to study, what to learn, promotions, employers and more. Like Gen X, they want to be informed about how learning will improve their career prospects.
Millennials are social learners. They have grown up with social media and are influenced more by others on what to learn. They understand the power of collective intelligence and team work, so their learning reflects this style.
Millennials are known for a short attention span of around 12 seconds. This makes them particularly keen on bite-size learning and gamification that makes their learning more interactive and dynamic. Because of their close family and friendship ties, it comes as little surprise that Millennials enjoy peer-led learning and they often want social media elements to be present in their learning environment. They are a digitally-savvy group that expects technology to be present throughout their lives. Learning leaders need to invest in a seamless consumer-grade learning technology stack to meet these expectations. However, this should be complemented by some face-to-face contact which Millennials still value.
Millennials are hyper-focused on career development and see jobs as an opportunity to grow their skills and career prospects. A whopping 87 percent of millennials rate “professional or career growth and development opportunities” as important to them in a job. This is great news for learning leaders, as they have an already bought-in and eager cohort who are ready and waiting to upskill. You just have to provide them with the right learning opportunities.
Gen Z demands digital
Finally, we have Generation Z, who are just entering the workforce. I dub these the rogue learners, because they have a clear distaste for compliance training and they expect leadership to explain the relevancy of what they are learning. Notably, Gen Z also don’t care much for credentials and traditional academic achievements like going to university.
They’re constantly asking “What’s in it for me?” and they need to have a sense of purpose in their learning — especially when it comes to career mobility. This is a shift from older generations who would only apply for their next role when they met all the required skills. Gen Z expects their employers to prepare them for their next step. Both Gen Z and Millennials are known for their relative lack of loyalty to any employer that they feel isn’t doing enough to progress their learning and career.
Gen Z are true digital natives; they don’t remember a world without the Internet and their workplace expectations definitely reflect this. Their tactics for learning are strikingly dissimilar to Boomers’ and Gen Xs’ methods. For one, because of the rise of social media and “snackable” content, many Gen Zs expect content to be ready, on-demand, at the click of a button (or, more commonly, a swipe of a finger).
Gen Z wants a more immersive learning experience, where they are in control of their own learning and where they have hands-on experience to back up theoretical knowledge. Only 38 percent of Gen Z prefer to learn by seeing (reading materials, for example) and 12 percent enjoy learning by listening (to online talks or lectures). In contrast, 60 percent of Gen Z say that working through a problem helps them to learn and 64% like peer-to-peer learning via discussions and debates.
Learning to suit all ages
Clearly, learning leaders have a vast audience to cater to. It is impossible to have a single learning strategy that meets the needs and expectations of these very different generations. However, there are seven common threads you can weave throughout each group.
No. 1: Clear career paths are vital. For all generations, knowing where they’re headed gives them a clear reason behind learning. This is particularly relevant if you’re moving away from traditional top-down, mandatory training into something more learner-centric and self-motivated.
Even Boomers who are headed for retirement need to feel invested in learning — if not to further their own careers, then to pass on their decades of experience to others. Explain to (or show) each learner how a learning pathway or new skill can translate into an upward move or new career, by linking skills to career opportunities, having senior execs talk about their learning journeys and showcasing “learners of the week/month”.
No. 2: Learner knows best, or do they? Self-directed learning requires learners to understand their personal career goals, learning preferences, and how they learn best. A major step before implementing your learning plans, therefore, is to give people time and space to reflect on their goals and learning style.
One of the first actions that former CHRO of Unilever, Leena Nair, carried out before executing a new learning strategy was to invest in “discover your purpose” workshops. Speaking at Degreed LENS 2021, she explained how 150,000 Unilever employees were able to take part — and why the tactic was integral to the overall success of the learning strategy. “When we know our purpose, we feel more anchored and have a better learning mindset. Gives you strength, courage, and you can go on to do great things,” she said.
Coaching can also come into play here. But you don’t need to invite a coach in to speak with all of your employees. Upskilling managers to coach their teams can be just as effective.
No. 3: Pick-your-own learning. Giving people the autonomy to choose their own learning resources can help you meet the different preferences of each generation, while tapping into Gen X’s need for control and Millennials’ and Gen Z’s digital-first culture. The best learning systems now provide a range of learning content, from short blogs to podcasts, or formal courses and in-person learning, and all tracked in a single place so everyone, from Boomer to Gen Z, gets their learning efforts recognized.
No. 4: Practice makes perfect. Reinforcing theoretical learning through practical experiences is something that’s important to Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. It also helps to mitigate the forgetting curve (if not practiced, 90 percent of what you learn will be forgotten in a week). Plus, it deepens a skill by coming at it from more angles than just theoretical teaching.
You can provide these kinds of experiential learning opportunities during the work day through projects, special assignments, volunteering, and temporary workstreams. Another practical way to reinforce learning is by encouraging someone to teach a colleague — in medicine, this is known as “see one, do one, teach one” and it’s a beneficial way to build relationships between people as well as help someone master a skill.
No. 5: Try mentoring and coaching. Closely linked to the above point, mentoring can provide opportunities for different generations to meet, work closely together, and improve their skills. Reverse mentoring can help older generations get up-to-speed with the latest technology, trends and organizational processes. Meanwhile, mentoring between a Boomer and younger generations can help to pass on some of their knowledge before retirement. It may also bridge the understanding gap that’s been reported between some generations and that may be adding friction to your workplace.
No. 6: Find learning influencers. Younger generations place greater trust in recommendations from their peers, so you can leverage this by encouraging key people across the organization to recommend learning content. This might be a line manager (employees turn to their managers 73 percent more than their L&D team) or it could be “influencers” in different departments, offices or locations. Look for the people who often advocate for your learning content, who regularly share what they’re learning and who are vocal about wanting to further their skills. Use them as your cheerleaders to get everyone else interested in the learning opportunities on offer.
Remember, every employee in your organization has an expertise. Give them a megaphone to show off that expertise and soon you will find that you have an army of internal trainers who will informally produce and share content.
No. 7: Start a two-way conversation. Open, clear communication between L&D teams and learners will help you understand how well your current opportunities and resources are meeting your workforce’s needs. Make sure you ask a good representation of your workforce (all ages, seniority, minorities, genders, etc.) so you can see exactly how effective your learning strategy is for everyone.
Millennials and Gen Z value regular feedback, so having mechanisms in place for managers to gather feedback from teams on a weekly basis or at project completion will help to fulfill this need. Better still, equip managers to offer relevant learning opportunities when giving this feedback, saying something like: “You’ve done a great job with project managing the team for the first time, would you like to formalize this experience with a short course on ‘The Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management’?”
Hitting the mark
Considering your learning strategy through the eyes and experiences of each generation is a good habit to cultivate. Not only will it help you better hit the mark with today’s workforce, but it also makes your learning strategy more resilient against future changes. If you consistently communicate with learners of all ages from across your organization, you’ll be better able to spot new trends or opportunities to evolve your learning strategy.
It’s an unavoidable fact: Your workforce is ever-changing. We will all age and new generations will emerge. The only way to meet the learning needs of each generation is to be open to listening to them, let them direct their learning and give them the right resources to succeed in whatever life stage they are in.
