Picture this: a 45-year old man has just taken the painfully risky decision to switch jobs as he grew tired and weary of his previous occupation and thus felt that it was no longer challenging to him.

A small crowd of people who have his best interests at heart convinced him he’s got nothing to lose, so as soon as he completes a short computer and internet training course, he finds himself sitting at a desk in a shabby office – he is about to start afresh as a salesman at a local telecommunications company. With a sledgeful of experience under his belt, he hopes he will start going up the organisational ladder within a matter of months.

His initial bout of excitement soon faded away when, on his first day, he finds out that he will be sharing a working space with a 20 year old university student who works there on a part-time basis, and he will be carrying out his duties while reporting to the branch manager, who, at just 25 years old, is in possession of a Bachelors’ degree in IT and a Masters degree in business computing.

As if that wasn’t enough to take in, he is also being pressured by his superiors to acquaint himself with new concepts such as business intelligence and cloud computing. He is at a considerable disadvantage, and what he had hoped would be a timely opportunity now masked itself as a disheartening reality.

One of the evident scenarios recruiters, employers and employees have to face on a daily basis is the issue of generational differences within the workplace. According to a report drawn up by British recruitment agency REC, the increasingly diverse workforces as well as the ageing population are creating stress and influencing employment and business trends. The report distinguishes between four conflicting generations that have to be taken account by recruiters who do staffing in liaison with their clients.

They have to do deal with baby boomers, who are more commonly known as the post-war generation, Generation X, who were born in the 1960ss and 1970s and are characterised by their traits of independence, resilience and adaptability, Generation Y, who work hard and play hard, and Generation Z, or the children of the 1990s, the anti-social and tech-savvy lot.

The latest addition to this list is the reason why staff retention and attraction have to be catered to each generation, and it is no mystery that placing adverts, paying promoters and consultants and training people costs big bucks. What makes this Generation Z such a vital constituent of the employment landscape? They are active consumers of media and technology, which makes them tech-savvy and more inclined to choose to put their foot in the door in industries such as information technology, because nowadays, that is “where it’s at” – that is where they’re paid for coming up with the next revolutionary ideas.

They are what American speaker Marc Prensky refers to as “digital natives students and young workers are all native speakers of the digital language – that includes the internet, computers, video games and all the latest gadgets. Their thinking patterns have changed; they process information much differently than the typical middle-aged man would.

“What does that make the rest of us?” asks Prensky in one of his essays. Those who weren’t born in the digital world but are fascinated by technology are called “digital immigrants”. As opposed to the younger folk, digital immigrants have to go through the learning process again in order to adapt to these changes – but some of them are stuck in the past because they speak “an outdated language”. When they’re asked to conduct some internet research, their first resort would be books, rather than the internet. They’d prefer communicating with others by making phone calls, rather than by sending e-mails. The same task they would be able to carry out in an hour can actually be done in minutes. Their value in the job market may be narrowed down; but the skills gap will widen. Expectations are higher than ever.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. This light presents itself in the form of government employment schemes, such as the Training Employment Exposure, which is a structured employability programme based on the pillars of employability, adaptability, and equal opportunities.

It encourages employers to consider taking on board people over 40 years old by offering to cover a year’s worth of expenses outlined in employment contracts. These schemes also push forward the idea of training, especially in-house training, which is an essential for staff attraction and retention. They also help define the measures by which these employers are valued – experience, maturity, loyalty and responsibility amongst others. Recruitment agencies are extending their information networks and promoting job opportunities in areas such as digital media. Recruitment specialist Castille Resources is in the process of doing just that – it recognises the fact that most of its clients are looking for people who specifically have a digitally-oriented talent profile. In response to these changes, it is jumping on the technology bandwagon by roping in people who are proficient in web designing, research, business intelligence, and communication technology. Similar projects have to be invested in if businesses intend to thrive and survive in a market which is growing more competitive by the minute.

If we are determined to dismantle the digital divide and be successful in this digital age, then we should listen to author Clay Shirky’s tidbit of wisdom: “It is the people who figure out how to work simply in the present, rather than the people who mastered the complexities of the past, who get to say what happens in the future.”

www.castilleresources.com

Ms Calleja is a brand associate with Castille Resources Ltd, a local ICT and finance recruitment specialist.