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Limited Interaction Among Generations in the Workplace Identified as Key Indicator of Coming Skilled Worker Crisis There is increasing debate about the changing economy, shifting workforce demographics and, of course, over the reality of a future skilled worker shortage. Randstad USA’s annual 2008 World of Work survey, however, uncovers a critical factor that will contribute to a very real talent shortage. According to Randstad, the four generations of workers that comprise the U.S. workforce, Gen X, Gen Y, Baby Boomers and Matures, rarely interact with one another and often do not recognize each other’s skills or work ethic. As a result, U.S. businesses risk a shortage of skilled labor – not because of the lack of manpower in the wake of retiring Baby Boomers, but because of the limited transfer of knowledge. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gen Ys in today’s workforce (79.8 million) outnumber Boomers (78.5 million) who are perceived as retaining the bulk of working America’s institutional brain trust. With this pending generational shift in the workplace, businesses need to focus on building professional relationships with their employees while developing employees’ skills, something Randstad calls “employership.” Central to successful employership is encouraging employee collaboration to achieve company goals, which relies, in part, on employers recognizing employee value, cultivating mutual respect and generating trust throughout the organization. Randstad’s 2008 World of Work survey suggests that companies which maintain an ongoing focus on employership, regardless of demographic or economic changes that impact the workplace, are better able to successfully meet employee expectations and achieve business goals. Generational Divide Although Boomers and Matures have much to offer Gen Y in regards to knowledge and experience, 51 percent of Boomers and 66 percent of Matures report little to no interaction with their Gen Y colleagues. And three of the four generations say they have little to no interaction with the most experienced workers – Matures (Gen Y, 71 percent; Gen X, 67 percent; Boomers, 58 percent). “The workplace is on the verge of real change,” said Eric Buntin, managing director, marketing and operations for Randstad USA. “At Randstad, we believe companies that enact a culture of ‘employership’ can successfully navigate the changing workplace, regardless of economic and demographic shifts. By focusing on and encouraging the professional contributions of all employees, employers can help close the knowledge gap by instituting ways for each generation to recognize their strengths and value to all colleagues.” Softening Expectations Despite being perceived as the overly-demanding generation, Gen Y, along with all employees, is lowering expectations. Specifically, Gen Y is establishing more realistic views of the workplace, and their once idealistic job expectations are maturing. “The declines among Gen Y’s expectations regarding hard and soft benefits are, on average, more dramatic than among employees as a whole, perhaps because Gen Y’s expectations started out higher and more out of reach,” said Buntin. “In fact, Gen X and Boomers are actually somewhat more interested in soft benefits than younger generations.”   By KS Date 05-09-2008