Behind the scenes: A closer look at employee training

Behind the scenes: A closer look at employee training
Tags: Employee Training
January 4, 2009

Recent employee satisfaction and engagement studies, including our own at Personnel Decisions International have noted that development opportunities are a key factor in employees' overall job satisfaction and a top reason they stay at a company.

At the same time, organizations are learning how influential training and development programs are in creating and sustaining a superior workforce — one that can meet and exceed customer-service expectations and one that develops the next generation of leaders from within.

I recently conducted a "Generational Differences Training Workshop" with a large big-box retail client. The training group consisted of cross-functional leaders within the company, all of whom lead other employees and had been identified as top performers. The goal was to reach a greater understanding of generational differences and how celebrating them can enhance the workplace.

Before the session

The participants were sent a short e-mail survey to fill out prior to the workshop. The survey was used to identify:

- which generation each participant represented,

- their views on the generations and

- their thoughts on how generational issues affect their company.

The most important part of the training came when we discussed this new appreciation of the generations.

During the session

The session started with an overview of the four generations in the workforce:

- Traditionalists

- Baby boomers

- Generation X

- Generation Y

Each generation was described by the major influences of its age and by characteristics typically shared among its members.

We explained that instead of stereotyping by generation, we simply were presenting one lens through which to view some of the differences in the workplace. Individually, people should be evaluated on their personal views, motivations, abilities and characteristics. But the purpose of the training program was to understand on a macro level that some generational trends impact employees' approaches to the workplace.

Once the participants understood the premise of the training and learned about the perspectives of each generation, we separated them into four multigenerational teams and asked each team to take on the characteristics of one generation. Then, we asked them to evaluate what was great about the company and what needed improvement through the eyes of their assigned generation.

We then put groups of individuals together, asking them to retain their perspective based on the generational viewpoint they were previously assigned. The new multigenerational groups were presented with a business problem and asked to figure out how the company should address it. This led to passionate — and sometimes argumentative — discussions.

For instance, one business challenge was the concept of relocation. As relocation is common for retail managers, the challenge felt realistic and relatable. Baby boomers are used to moving where the company assigns them — it's just part of the job. But Gen X and Gen Y insisted that this was a large request with a major impact on their social and personal lives. Solutions for this problem depended greatly on the generational perspective.

The business examples illustrated the power of generational differences for the group and the nuanced challenges it represented for the company and its leaders.

Impact of the session

The last and most important part of the training came when we discussed how this new appreciation and understanding of the generations would impact the employees' day-to-day interactions at work.

We discussed how the lessons applied to them individually, on their work teams and with their bosses. They learned how each of these work relationships could be improved by incorporating and celebrating generational differences.

The high-potential group of leaders walked out of the training having loved the experience and learned how the lessons of the session could impact their behavior at work as they manage teams of multigenerational employees.

Diane McGrath is an account executive with Personnel Decisions International.