Responding to Organizational Impacts
Technology & GenZ
Anticipating this challenge, we introduced the concept of Workplace 2040 during this period. As we encountered the different expectations and behaviors among the generational mix in our clients, it became apparent that maintaining cultural cohesion and high employee engagement was going to be contingent upon finding common ground and establishing norms for behavior that were consistent with this time in society.
During this period, our client base was primarily professional services firms, which operate in a very different context than normal hierarchical corporations and organizations. Because T.H. Easter creates customized solutions for each of our clients, this was right in our wheelhouse. Our initial contacts with these clients frequently involved some type of behavioral clash, including microaggressions, perceived harassment, or discrimination based upon race/ethnicity/gender. It also involved internal and external social media posts and “chats” that would have been considered unprofessional in the traditional workplace. We generally were called in to conduct investigations, and we often found that many behaviors that older workers considered acceptable were not seen that way by younger employees. By contrast, younger employees felt empowered to be “honest” via social media and older workers were taken aback by this level of frankness.
Navigating Change
Our guiding philosophy is that an organization is only as healthy as its leadership. We began by focusing on executive coaching and team coaching for leaders, because it was imperative to identify their individual skill and competency strengths and challenges for targeting to maximize their effectiveness for the good of the organization. This included leading executive team discussion with topics such as Recognizing, Valuing and Understanding Diversity and Inclusion and Privilege, Power and Oppression in the Workplace.