#NowPlaying: Music for the Intergenerational Office Playlist

By Kyle Christensen:

You can’t make everyone happy. Or can you? If you have an office composed of employees from Boomers to Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z, THIS is the playlist for them. In our Intergenerational Playlist, we’ve handpicked songs that will resonate with your entire workforce. It’s the perfect playlist for background listening during your work day or when your team is collaborating on that next big project together. Don’t forget to check back next month because we roll out playlists monthly.

“I would definitely say “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey can bring together every generation. You can’t help but belt it out when it comes on, no matter what age you are!”

– Molly Spelts, Social Media Associate at Red Branch Media (@Molly_RBM)

Intergenerational Workforce Tip #1: Appealing to Individual Generations

The first question you might ask is, how is it possible to appeal to different generations? First and foremost, DO NOT bring the stereotypes to life (I’ll talk about these stereotypes later in the article). Now, this isn’t to say that there aren’t different characteristics and preferences for each generation, it’s about staying on the generational preference side of the fence instead of the stereotype bandwagon side. To do that, you should get to know what each generation prefers and understand them. Thanks to the article, “From Millennials to Boomers: How to Appeal Across Generations for Hiring” by Glassdoor, I’ve summarized some great tips for you:

• Appealing to Boomers: “…ensure your message is woven with respect for their legacy brand and how they can share their learnings with the younger generations. Moreover, boomers are motivated by the knowledge that your company leader needs them.”
• Appealing to Gen X: “…invigorate your recruitment language with indications that you will recognize their value and understand how to incorporate it into the fabric of their day-to-day productivity. Gen Xers are motivated by important work that only ‘they’ can get done. They also believe numbers are driven by the task.”
• Appealing to Millennials: “…ensure you reinforce that you will communicate on an ongoing basis, keeping them abreast of expectations, goals and performance – that you will provide mentoring and support. Rather than the traditional annual review, millennials prefer real-time feedback and regularly communicated, positive validation.”
• Appealing to All Generations: “…make sure you provide a company culture that is alive – the organic nature of growth and expansion and innovation must be at the very root of the company’s foundation.”

Check out these other insightful generational articles for more intergenerational insight:

• Aligning Candidate Personas to Actual Recruitment Strategies
• Marketing to a Multi-Generational Audience
• Solving for Gen X: Managing the Lisa Simpson of Generations
• My Employees Are All Millennials – Here’s How I Manage and Retain Them
• The 4 Millennial Mindsets that Will Change the Way We Work
• Revolutionary Employer Branding for Generation Z

Intergenerational Workforce Tip #2: Working Together with Integrated Teams

Sure, pairing up employees from the same generation might yield camaraderie, but it doesn’t mean great results will follow. Instead, put different minds together by integrating teams of different generations in order to yield amazing and unique results. According to the article, “How To Manage Generational Differences In The Workplace” on Forbes, they say you should, “Mix and match project teams. Use team make-up as an opportunity for team building. Think in terms of “complementary skills and diverse perspectives. This can prompt innovation and new problem-solving techniques.” Bottom line? Always shake it up and never be tempted to group the same generations together.

Intergenerational Workforce Tip #3: Destroy Stereotypes

I’ve saved the best tip for last, and it’s one you should also apply to life in general. Destroy and squash the stereotypes. Make sure your employees know they are equals. While it’s true that each employee might have different perspectives and preferences, it’s more important that they understand that it’s because of these united differences the company is strong. So how can you crush stereotypes in the office? The article “5 steps to ending generational stereotypes” explains how you can stop them:

1. “Expand diversity and inclusion training” because, “…it’s important to understand what different generations can bring to the table, especially the much-maligned millennials.”
2. “Add fulfillment training” because it, “…can help highlight differences and strengths to better address things like who’s the best person to interface with customers or whose efficiency is best for certain tasks or roles…”
3. “Make time to discuss the issues” by the use of, “…town halls and other forums to surface the issues. Solutions begin with awareness…”
4. “Role play” by having your employees come together and, “…ask them to role play a member of a different generation or another often-stereotyped group.” This will, “…highlight how quickly assumptions are made and how often they’re not true.”
5. “Avoid one-size-fits-all programs” because “…each generation is driven by different motivations”

How to Find Us on Spotify

There are a few ways to find us on Spotify. First, you’ll need a Spotify account. You can do that by going to www.spotify.com and creating a free account. Unless ads drive you nuts, a free account is all you’ll need. After you’ve got your account, go to our page and click follow. By following us, you’ll get email notifications each time we put out a new playlist. We’ll be creating fresh lists for you each month, so you can listen to them as soon as we publish them! Now go download the desktop application for your computer, the app for your phone or stream music online by taking a listen to our playlist here.

Working with an multigenerational workforce is about understanding each other and working diversely to solve problems with greater results. Try out these tips and see for yourself how much stronger your workforce can be. Make sure you get to know your coworkers, build multigenerational teams and never tolerate stereotypes. All-in-all, “We’re All in This Together,” so let’s get to work and crank this playlist that the team at Red Branch Media created specifically for all generations to enjoy.

Missed our other playlists? Check them out here:

• Brancher Top 5
• Red Branch Holiday Playlist
• Motivation for the New Year
• Love & Heartbreak
• Guilty Pleasures
• Nostalgia Overload
• Instrumental Focus for Writers & Coders
• Summer Poolside Playlist
• Your Favorite Covers
• Welcome to the Team
• RBM Does Karaoke
• Ultimate Halloween Party Playlist
• #WerkBranch: Music for Work
• #WerkBranch: Music for Brainstorming
• #WerkBranch: Music to Cheer Up the Office
• #WerkBranch: Music for Drowning Out Conference Calls
• #WerkBranch: Music for Your Office Party

Kyle Christensen

Kyle is the Brand Director at Red Branch Media.

Kyle leads our Graphic Design Department at Red Branch Media. His ability to manage incoming tasks, collaborate with the design team, hit deadlines and keep our file storage system well-organized has helped to shape the design department clients love today. While he’s away from the branch, he spends his time playing drums, video games, cranking the latest emo, pop-punk and screamo songs on Spotify, drinking local Omaha brews, and enjoying life with his wife. Kyle has a BASA with a Concentration in Graphic Design and a Minor in Art History from UNO.