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How do leaders from different generations view the future of the workplace? What are the differences in their priorities and attitudes, particularly with respect to quality of life considerations? These subjects were up for debate this year at an international thought leadership conference around the subject of Quality of Life, hosted by Sodexo. On the” Discussion Between Generations” panel were three “future” leaders: Celine Göbel, Esther Soma, and Paras Fatnani. Along with their older counterparts, they responded to thought-provoking questions from Matthew Bishop of The Economist magazine. The three “contemporary” leaders on the panel were accomplished leaders in advertising, Shelly Lazarus; research science, Dr. Sanjeev Sahni; and healthcare, Kristy Waters. Generational Views The panelists discussed what they liked most and least about their own generation’s idiosyncrasies. What do today’s leaders like and dislike the most? Today’s leaders were given kudos for opening minds to what disenfranchised segments of society could achieve. They paved the way for women and minorities to do things they previously couldn’t, such as lead large corporations. However, Boomers have also forged strong social support systems. And while they didn’t do too well at achieving work/life balance, they introduced the aspiration of “having it all.” Today’s leaders as a group tend to be workaholics. Particularly now with 24/7 connectivity, they have forgotten how to relax. Their personal quality of life has taken a back seat to the priorities of their organizations and careers.  Their self-described generational flaws included precisely the workaholic, unbalanced lifestyles from which the young leaders recoil. What do future leaders like and dislike the most? Future leaders are passionate, creative, entrepreneurial, and full of belief in themselves. They see what is possible in ways that older generations couldn’t. They are using today’s technology to create new types of businesses and solve problems in innovative ways. Their entrepreneurial start-ups will be tomorrow’s major corporations. As for what they dislike: Each young leader offered a different negative. Millennials tend to be impatient, looking for instant gratification; and are immersed in technology; Millennials sometimes lose sight of personal values. The next generation of leaders prioritizes quality of life Polls reveal that younger and older generations think differently about the components of organizational success. While 69% of young future leaders said they “totally agree that improving quality of life would have an important impact on the performance of their organization,” only 57% of current leaders do. Asked to rank seven corporate priorities that affect performance, quality of life topped the list for future leaders, but came in fifth for current leaders. Attitudes about quality of life already are changing how corporations operate Shelly Lazarus presides over Ogilvy & Mather, a firm with 20,000 employees, more than half under the age of 30. They care greatly about personal work/life balance, which is an important aspect of quality of life. But what they really seek is freedom to live the lives they want. The firm tries to provide that, but it is not always easy. How can an organization give employees the freedom to do what is important to them and still meet corporate objectives? Google has it right, said Ms. Lazarus. A Millennial-style company, Google would never order people to put in long hours. But by offering lavish free meals, the company accomplishes the same result. Some employees rarely leave, and lots of creative collaboration is accomplished over meals. Employees’ personal and professional lives are happily melded, and they feel in control of their own work/life balance. Kristy Waters explains that Tenet Healthcare has made operational adjustments in the interest of its doctors’ quality of life. To allow doctors more time off than was typical, patients are often seen by multiple doctors. Quality and continuity of care are maintained because doctors stay in close communication, aided by technology (such as electronic health records). Recent years have also seen a paradigm change in healthcare toward promoting patient wellness and quality of life. Sanjeev Sahni researches biofeedback, specifically how people can increase their own happiness by controlling stress via relaxation techniques. In his view, what employees—particularly those shouldering family responsibilities—most want from their organizations is freedom from anxiety. In India, many middle-aged workers have two big anxieties: 1) their children’s education; 2) good hospitals for their parents. To the extent that companies can address employees’ family-related anxieties, they will promote employee happiness. Recognition for work well done is another major factor in eliminating stress at work, said Dr. Sahni. Incentive bonuses and benefits, therefore, may be more important than salary in promoting employee happiness and quality of life. Millennials look for employers that offer the flexibility and resources to work in their own ways, entrepreneurial fashion, within an organizational structure. Many Millennials are eschewing corporate life entirely in favor of starting their own companies, since little start-up capital is required in the Internet age.   About the contributors: This synthesis feature was adapted from the inaugural Quality of Life conference report. The contributors served on the panel “A Discussion Between Generations”, which included Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Founder, Magic Johnson Foundation; Matthew Bishop, Globalization Editor, The Economist; Paras Fatnani, Global Ambassador of Project Chirag and Ambassador for India, One Young World; Celine Göbel, Student, HEC Paris School of Management; Shelly Lazarus, Chairman Emeritus, Ogilvy & Mather; Dr. Sanjeev Sahni, Principal Director, Jindal Institute of Behavioral Sciences; Esther Soma, Student, Yale University; and, Kristy Waters, Senior Vice President, Performance Management and Innovation, Tenet Healthcare Corp.  

The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.

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The Future of Workplace: Generational Views

Young man using laptop in cafe
November 17, 2015

How do leaders from different generations view the future of the workplace? What are the differences in their priorities and attitudes, particularly with respect to quality of life considerations? These subjects were up for debate this year at an international thought leadership conference around the subject of Quality of Life, hosted by Sodexo. On the” Discussion Between Generations” panel were three “future” leaders: Celine Göbel, Esther Soma, and Paras Fatnani. Along with their older counterparts, they responded to thought-provoking questions from Matthew Bishop of The Economist magazine. The three “contemporary” leaders on the panel were accomplished leaders in advertising, Shelly Lazarus; research science, Dr. Sanjeev Sahni; and healthcare, Kristy Waters. Generational Views The panelists discussed what they liked most and least about their own generation’s idiosyncrasies. What do today’s leaders like and dislike the most? Today’s leaders were given kudos for opening minds to what disenfranchised segments of society could achieve. They paved the way for women and minorities to do things they previously couldn’t, such as lead large corporations. However, Boomers have also forged strong social support systems. And while they didn’t do too well at achieving work/life balance, they introduced the aspiration of “having it all.” Today’s leaders as a group tend to be workaholics. Particularly now with 24/7 connectivity, they have forgotten how to relax. Their personal quality of life has taken a back seat to the priorities of their organizations and careers.  Their self-described generational flaws included precisely the workaholic, unbalanced lifestyles from which the young leaders recoil. What do future leaders like and dislike the most? Future leaders are passionate, creative, entrepreneurial, and full of belief in themselves. They see what is possible in ways that older generations couldn’t. They are using today’s technology to create new types of businesses and solve problems in innovative ways. Their entrepreneurial start-ups will be tomorrow’s major corporations. As for what they dislike: Each young leader offered a different negative. Millennials tend to be impatient, looking for instant gratification; and are immersed in technology; Millennials sometimes lose sight of personal values. The next generation of leaders prioritizes quality of life Polls reveal that younger and older generations think differently about the components of organizational success. While 69% of young future leaders said they “totally agree that improving quality of life would have an important impact on the performance of their organization,” only 57% of current leaders do. Asked to rank seven corporate priorities that affect performance, quality of life topped the list for future leaders, but came in fifth for current leaders. Attitudes about quality of life already are changing how corporations operate Shelly Lazarus presides over Ogilvy & Mather, a firm with 20,000 employees, more than half under the age of 30. They care greatly about personal work/life balance, which is an important aspect of quality of life. But what they really seek is freedom to live the lives they want. The firm tries to provide that, but it is not always easy. How can an organization give employees the freedom to do what is important to them and still meet corporate objectives? Google has it right, said Ms. Lazarus. A Millennial-style company, Google would never order people to put in long hours. But by offering lavish free meals, the company accomplishes the same result. Some employees rarely leave, and lots of creative collaboration is accomplished over meals. Employees’ personal and professional lives are happily melded, and they feel in control of their own work/life balance. Kristy Waters explains that Tenet Healthcare has made operational adjustments in the interest of its doctors’ quality of life. To allow doctors more time off than was typical, patients are often seen by multiple doctors. Quality and continuity of care are maintained because doctors stay in close communication, aided by technology (such as electronic health records). Recent years have also seen a paradigm change in healthcare toward promoting patient wellness and quality of life. Sanjeev Sahni researches biofeedback, specifically how people can increase their own happiness by controlling stress via relaxation techniques. In his view, what employees—particularly those shouldering family responsibilities—most want from their organizations is freedom from anxiety. In India, many middle-aged workers have two big anxieties: 1) their children’s education; 2) good hospitals for their parents. To the extent that companies can address employees’ family-related anxieties, they will promote employee happiness. Recognition for work well done is another major factor in eliminating stress at work, said Dr. Sahni. Incentive bonuses and benefits, therefore, may be more important than salary in promoting employee happiness and quality of life. Millennials look for employers that offer the flexibility and resources to work in their own ways, entrepreneurial fashion, within an organizational structure. Many Millennials are eschewing corporate life entirely in favor of starting their own companies, since little start-up capital is required in the Internet age.   About the contributors: This synthesis feature was adapted from the inaugural Quality of Life conference report. The contributors served on the panel “A Discussion Between Generations”, which included Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Founder, Magic Johnson Foundation; Matthew Bishop, Globalization Editor, The Economist; Paras Fatnani, Global Ambassador of Project Chirag and Ambassador for India, One Young World; Celine Göbel, Student, HEC Paris School of Management; Shelly Lazarus, Chairman Emeritus, Ogilvy & Mather; Dr. Sanjeev Sahni, Principal Director, Jindal Institute of Behavioral Sciences; Esther Soma, Student, Yale University; and, Kristy Waters, Senior Vice President, Performance Management and Innovation, Tenet Healthcare Corp.  

The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.