A Modern Perspective on the Generations & Engagement

This week I got to check out the new digs of Modern Survey and catch up with employee engagement guru and company president, Don MacPherson. It was exciting to witness the growth of Modern and take a tour of their new space.  The Modern Survey crew actually turned the office move into an entertaining video-series. Good stuff!

Don and I are in the early stages of planning a webinar event this spring on employee engagement mega-trends.  The rock solid research and shared insights should help shed light on the organizational opportunity to elevate performance and productivity.  We also plan on having a little fun! Details coming soon.

Our culture conversation this week spanned the full spectrum of engagement issues including managing the generations at work.  Don and his team have completed some exiting new generational research that I will support in my expanded keynote on Generation NeXt (yes, we deliver from the Xer perspective!). We align on the notion that there is increasing impetus for the organization and its leadership to improve communication and connect with employees on a personal level across every generation.  Employees increasingly want a voice in their work style design.  The trend is toward mass career customization or what I simply refer to as “my job, my way”. Progressive organizations are confronting employee opinion and considering upgrades in how to approach getting work done. On a personal note, I’ll add that the view from my office this morning is tough to beat!

While the core drivers for employee engagement are common across the generations, the definition of what the drivers mean differs greatly.