Bridging the IT Generation Gap

When younger workers are hired in the same department as older workers, the results can be frustrating or rewarding. What makes the difference is how management decides to blend the workforces. The 80 million Generation Y workers, called millennials, who were born after 1977 bring a host of talents to the office. They generally are skilled at hands-on, experiential learning and gain skills by attempting to perform a task rather than by reading a book or attending a lecture. They multitask, prefer to work alone, accept change readily, and access information at all hours of the day. These work habits are contrary to what older workers have experienced during their careers. To blend the cultures, managers must devise methods of fostering coexistence. The project-oriented nature of IT work appeals to the bright, creative, energetic millennials, and they perform best when given new technologies and the freedom to experiment. Enjoying new situations and challenges, they excel at mentoring less tech-savvy workers on using the innovative hardware and software and rotating among various departments to meet new people. They also thrive in an atmosphere that encourages blogging and texting, so the work environment should allow mobile social networking and communications.

What are your thoughts? Do you find this to be the case at your place of work? Must be 150 words or more.