Bridging the Generation Gap: How to Get Radio Babies, Boomers, Gen Xers, and Gen Yers to Work Together and Achieve More

Chapter 10

Managing Conflict Across Generations

Sources of generational conflict

Linda and Robin:

In a recent survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, 40 percent of human resource professionals have observed conflict among employees as a direct result of generational differences! In organizations with 500 or more employees, 58 percent of HR professionals reported conflict between younger and older workers, largely due to differing perspectives on work ethic and work-life balance. This data tells us that there’s a huge potential for miscommunication, low morale, and poor productivity—unless the generations figure out the sources of conflict and learn how to handle them successfully.

The largest source of conflict is the ...