- Why does it get cold in the winter?
- Why do we get sleepy after a turkey dinner?
- Why do we keep poinsettia plants out of reach of small children?
Most of us honestly believe that we know the answers to these questions, but in reality we know the popular, yet incorrect answers. In other words, we often cling to false information simply because it is prevalent. Consider the commonly heard responses to these questions versus the actual correct answers:
1. Why does it get cold in the winter?
- Common, but Wrong Answer: The Earth moves away from the Sun.
- Correct Answer: The back and forth tilt of the Earth puts one hemisphere closer to the Sun (i.e., summer), while the other hemisphere is further away from the Sun (i.e., winter). If you remind people that Australia has its summer while the US and Europe have its winter, they might come around to the correct answer.
- Common, but Wrong Answer: Tryptophan in the turkey makes us sleepy.
- Correct Answer: Turkey is usually served with starchy carbohydrates (e.g., mashed potatos, stuffing, pumpkin pie) that we often overeat, causing insulin resistance. As a result, we do not get all the energy from the food we ate, and we feel tired. As fun as it is to use a big word from chemistry, there is not enough tryptophan in turkey to cause this reaction.
- Common, but Wrong Answer: Poinsettias are poisonous.
- Correct Answer: The poinsettia plant was wrongfully accused of causing the death of a young child in 1919, and since that time the urban legend is that the plant is poisonous. More correctly, however, the plant is not edible, meaning that it is not digestible. So, if your child or pet were to devour a large amount of the plant, you would likely see some vomitting, but the plant would cause no harm.
Notice how the common, but wrong answers tend to be simpler to explain, easier to comprehend, and more memorable. They have the sense of logic, by which I mean that there is just enough intuitive knowledge mixed in to make the explanations seem plausible. Perhaps people even figured out the answers themselves, using incorrect, but plausible logic. It is difficult to give up what we discovered for ourselves, even when we later learn that we were wrong in our conclusions.
Okay, so what about the behavioral and attitudinal differences among employees from different generations? We see differences all the time among our coworkers. The Millennials or Generation Y (1980-2000) are different from Generation X (1965-1979), who are different from the Baby Boomers (1946-1964), who are different from the Traditionalists (born before 1964), right? Think of all the changes that have taken place across those generations! It's no wonder that each generation approaches work differently, right? Surely, all the books, articles, and hype cannot be wrong! (I can’t even type that with a straight face.)
The correct answer is that the generational differences have been overstated. Just like the enduring wrong answers to the other questions we discussed, the real facts about people across generations is more complicated than what many writers would have you believe. Let me address the concept of employee engagement and how it varies by generation. As many of you know, employee engagement is a person’s logical commitment to an employer as well as an emotional commitment and a willingness to do more than what is called for. I refer to these three components as the mind, the heart, and the hands. Engagement is usually measured through employee surveys, and I have been working with that type of data for over 10 years. Are there differences in engagement scores by generation? Yes, but consider two factors that "co-vary" with generation.
First, there is tenure. Employees who are new to an employer have the most positive survey scores, and then scores decline after 2 years with the employer. This is the “honeymoon effect” and it is pervasive in survey data. Paradoxically, turnover is highest among this same group of newcomers (much to the dismay of engagement researchers). Now, if you see this pattern in recent data, you say "Ah, the Gen X and Boomers are less engaged than the Gen Y, but those Gen Y employees are still more likely to leave the company!" Well, yes, but that would be because the Gen Ys are newer to the company. This pattern has been around for decades - long before the Gen Ys were around. What appears to be a generational difference is really a tenure difference.
Second, there is age itself. As employees grow older, they go through life stages (relationships, kids, house buying, school, empty nest...). An employee's mobility is greatest before dual-career issues, kids, and school districts anchor them down. Again, if you look at one data set, you would say "Ah, the Gen Y crowd is so much more willing to move for a job," because Gen Y happens to be at a stage that allows more mobility. In reality that pattern occurred 50 years ago, too, when the Traditionalists were much more willing to move than the previous generation (My dad in RI considered moves to Florida and Alaska after returning from WWII, but mom said no way!).
Sure, people from different generations experienced different environments (e.g., technology, wars), but the effects of these environmental differences is small compared to other variables. You will have a deeper and more accurate understanding of your employees if you analyze their behaviors and attitudes according to tenure, age, personality, education level, and job market… instead of generational cuts. Why do you not hear this more often? Simpler explanations are easier to pass along and to remember... and bad science (sadly) seems to sell better.
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