3 ways to motivate millennials and other generations at work

Communicators are contending with generational differences in the workplace. Here are three tips to help bridge the multigenerational gap.

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Millennials make up the largest segment of the workforce, yet many companies haven’t adjusted their employee communications accordingly.

Here are three easy steps to help you engage these hyper-connected employees without alienating others in today’s multigenerational workplace:

1. Engage each generation on its own terms. “Generations prefer to communicate using the channel that was at the height of its technology during their own work prime,” says Kristin Scroggin, GenWHY Communication Strategies founder and University of Alabama communication arts instructor.

For example, Traditionalists born before 1946 prefer talking face to face, whereas Baby Boomers prefer phone contact and have no problem leaving voicemails.

On the other hand, Gen X avoids voicemail like the plague, preferring email; millennials prefer contact via text or collaboration tools such as #slack or GroupMe.

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