During the CUPA-HR conference held at Bryant University on April 10, Kimberly McCullen, Assoc. The Director of Workforce Development at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA illustrated the importance of understanding the different generations, the benefits of diverse generations, and how their shared and distinct cultural, historical, and experiential perspectives shape their values and contribute to an organization's success. For example, with age diversity in teams, there is increased collaboration, innovation, and productivity, and that ageism adds no value to teams.

Additionally, we learned about the trends and fears prevalent in each generation and how the workforce is shifting. There is an increased emphasis on social responsibility, organizational culture, belonging, value alignment, and mission-driven work coming from younger generations.  Older generations didn’t work with technology, yet today, there is a shift towards remote work, utilizing programs like Zoom and Webex, while AI continues to emerge. All these developments could cause fear and apprehension in older generations, yet they are being embraced by younger generations. So, the approach to work will vary between the generations. Unlike in past years, there is a greater focus on mental health in the workplace, with employee fatigue emerging as a significant risk.

It's essential to recognize that we must approach understanding generations with data-driven information, with individualization being a key factor. As mentioned during the presentation, “relying on our biases or assumptions about people in a certain generation holds back teams and inhibits inclusion.”  As an organization, benefits and offerings should be tailored to the needs of various generational groups. The benefits that are important to Gen Z, such as preventive health care, mental health support, and corporate social responsibility, will be different from the needs of Gen X, who are in a different place in life, so elder care will be vital to them as they have aging parents, or they may look for college support as their children enter higher education.

Overall, the presentation was informative, providing valuable insights into how to approach, work with, and engage various generations in the workplace, while also examining the hiring, retention, and training and development needs of all generations in the workforce.