Safety and the multigenerational workforce

A handwritten note and a firm handshake, or a social media post and a text message?

The way workers prefer to be recognized for a job done well – and safely – may depend largely on the generation to which they belong.

From baby boomers to Gen Zers, organizations could have up to four generations of workers. And for safety professionals, bridging the gaps between these groups (preferred communication methods and learning styles, for example) can be a challenge.

“At the end of the day, we’re in the people business,” said Carl Heinlein, senior safety consultant at the American Contractors Insurance Group. “When organizations embrace it, the opportunity for successful integration of multiple generations goes a long way. It also shows that there’s an organization that understands the importance of the fact that a 70-year-old may think differently than a 22-year-old. That’s not a bad thing.”

At an early age, baby boomers grew up as TV expanded, Gen Xers were part of the computer revolution and millennials witnessed the early development of the internet. Gen Zers, meanwhile, had access to technologies and social media during their early years and are generally quite tech savvy.

Those unique experiences have helped shape each group.

“The differences become most evident when looking at motivational factors that drive each into action and the communication styles preferred by each,” said Carol Locker, a faculty member at Purdue Global who has researched multigenerational workforces. For each generation of workers, different tools came about.

“When I started my job, I had a pager, I had a clipboard and I had to use a pay phone,” Heinlein said. “The younger kids now chuckle at that. As the world progresses, so do people. The tools are all different.

“In construction, the techniques are kind of the same, but there are new tools to make it more efficient – faster curing materials, lifting devices, drinks that provide electrolytes. We don’t stand still as a society or as industries. We’re problem-solvers.”

Locker says Purdue Global research shows that although phone calls or face-to-face conversations are usually the preferred forms of communication for baby boomers and Gen Xers, “digital natives” such as millennials and Gen Zers most often prefer using text messages, social media and instant messaging platforms.

Learning styles often follow a similar path, said Jill Stabinski, a part-time instructor at the National Safety Council and a certified industrial hygienist for the Federal Aviation Administration.

“I’m very firmly Gen X,” she said. “My schooling style was that you got a textbook to read and it was reinforced with lecture.”

When she’s training baby boomers, Stabinski relies on “printed hard copies to hand out, and I’ll follow up with email copies of anything I went over in class because they’ll probably want to go back. I think it helps them in the learning process.”

However, differences among generations don’t make one learning style right or wrong.

“I think every generation looks at the next generation coming up and says, ‘Oh my God, how are they going to survive?!’” Heinlein said. “In most cases, they actually do better. They’re smarter, faster, stronger. There were differences between me and my father, and me and my children.

“It’s how you embrace it, how you work with it, how you engage with it as an organization.”

How training fits everyone

Whether safety training is conducted virtually or in person, Stabinski’s first goal for learners is to make sure they’re comfortable “if I’m going over any type of technology-driven learning aids, apps or even Zoom.”

She reviews with them how the tool works and goes over how to show yourself on camera, mute your microphone, take part in a chat or use an interactive polling feature.

“Not everybody knows how to use that technology or use it comfortably,” Stabinski said. “It’s important to make sure everybody knows how to participate in the training, and I’m always striving to make training interactive and participatory.”

Bridget Womack is a safety engineer with Mortenson Construction at a battery storage facility in California. When preparing training materials, she thinks visually first and foremost.

“I have as many visual aids as possible,” she said. “I’m going to have the fewest amount of words on that screen as possible.”

She also aims to keep sessions interactive, such as with regular spotter training in which she asks attendees to stand for one exercise.

“You’re going to show me your favorite little (spotting) signal you like to do,” she said. Womack also relies on “a little bit of humor” and workers sharing their experiences to help everyone learn from each other.

“I like having open communication and feedback all the time,” said Womack, who regularly asks colleagues how they like to learn, what their preferred communication style is and what topics they’d like to learn about. She encourages fellow safety pros to “always have an open mind and be flexible whenever possible. Listen to that feedback.”

Another benefit of feedback is constant advancement of training materials and techniques.

“The trainer doesn’t want to waste their time,” Stabinski said. “We don’t want to waste the students’ time. The feedback is invaluable to creating those opportunities for improvements.”

Soft skills and other tools

Regarding multigenerational workforces, Locker is certain of one overriding reality: “There will not be a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Understanding what each generation brings to the workplace can help safety pros gain an appreciation for everyone’s unique contributions.

“We need to embrace these differences because that will provide us with the new perspectives when developing strategies or overcoming challenges,” she said.

Doing this, Locker noted, requires several soft skills.

“The first one is to be adaptable,” she said. “Not everyone is going to want to communicate in the same manner. Even those within a single generation may have different preferences.”

So, safety pros should prepare to tailor their communications to fit each situation.

Soliciting feedback – as Womack and Stabinski do before, during and after every training – is also valuable.

“The third soft skill people should hone is patience,” Locker said. “When differences arise, and they certainly will, people need to take the time necessary to truly understand the perspectives of others. It can take practice, but it will be well worth it.”

Working with multiple generations

Womack is the sole safety pro on her jobsite.

Working with colleagues who have vast experience in her industry can be a challenge at times, but she’s found a simple way to break down walls.

“Just boil it down to, ‘Hey, my name is Bridget. Nice to meet you,’” she said. “Get to know these people as people.”

But that doesn’t mean the process is always a smooth one.

Womack occasionally encounters workers who won’t wear safety glasses, for example.

“There have been times when I’m trying to communicate that expectation when there are team members above the age of 55 and they’ve been in the industry forever,” she said.

Their response often includes, “‘I’ve been doing this for 40 years. I’ve never been hurt,’” she said. “Something I’ve learned is not to take things too seriously or too personally. They’re not angry at me. They’re angry at the policy.”

Her response is simple, calm and straightforward: “It’s just reiterating the expectations of our company policy and reiterating the fact that while that may have never happened to you, this is what I’m trying to do to look out for you in the long run.”

Locker explained that understanding how workers in different age groups interact with each other can open new doors for safety pros and employers.

“Something as simple as asking others in the workplace how they might approach or do things can lead to an abundance of possibilities,” she said. “We must promote this open dialogue and encourage employees to express their views. We might just discover something new and magnificent that will enable us to reap great rewards in our workplace and beyond.”