KEEP EACH GENERATION’S ATTITUDES IN MIND
According to Ty Francis, MBE, Chief Advisory Officer at LRN, which provides advising and education on ethics, corporate culture and regulatory compliance to businesses, it’s crucial to recognize the difference in attitudes among employees of varying ages — and apply this to your training.
For instance, LRN’s 2024 Benchmark of Ethical Culture Report showed that Gen Z employees have a higher tolerance for rule-bending behaviors; they are 2.5x more likely to agree that it’s acceptable to break the rules to get the job done, compared to Baby Boomers.
“Making the policies, training and communication around the topic of
preventing and reporting unlawful harassment in the workplace relatable to all
ages of employees ... is important in a multigenerational workplace.”
“In contrast, older generations may adhere more strictly to formal workplace norms but may also carry forward outdated behaviors that younger employees view as inappropriate,” says Francis.
Additionally, younger employees often expect more transparency and ethical consistency from their leaders. Conversely, Francis says, “older generations may focus more on hierarchical respect and traditional workplace decorum.”
DEVISE DIFFERENT EXAMPLES AND SCENARIOS
Laying out the workplace policies is critical but also having examples and scenarios to fall back on helps illustrate points and drives them home — especially for younger employees.
“While more senior workers have seen the consequences of sexual harassment in the workplace and experienced the #metoo era, younger workers who have grown up in an era of social media will need relatable content with scenarios that illustrate prohibited workplace behavior,” says Zweig. “Younger workers also respond to interactive learning and often have questions as to how to set and maintain boundaries and have professional communication.”
According to Patrick Collins, Chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at Norris McLaughlin, P.A., explaining more modern types of harassment to older workers is key in today’s climate.
“The number of protected classes has increased and as a result, broadened the scope of behaviors that may be considered harassment,” he says. “As a result, workplace expectations have shifted, sometimes creating generational gaps in awareness. For example, an older employee may have no idea what ‘misgendering’ means, while younger employees have grown up recognizing it as a potential form of discrimination.”
Employees who are not familiar with the shift in work-life balance and the increasingly open workplace culture in general could face problems when talking about policies like paid parental leave. Collins gives this example, which could be used in workplace training as comments to avoid:
“A younger employee’s wife was about to give birth to the couple’s first child,” he says. “The soon-to-be new dad submitted a request for family leave to bond with his new baby. The employee’s (much older) supervisor began to vocally harass the employee about requesting family leave. The supervisor harangued the employee with comments like ‘I have five kids and never took a day off when they were born!’ or ‘What’s this world coming to when you get paid leave to bond with a newborn baby? The baby doesn’t even know you’re there,’ or ‘It sure is going to be a tough 12 weeks for us while you’re at home sitting around with a three-month-old.’”
Another thing to make clear is the use of certain words in the workplace. While older employees may have used terms of endearment such as “honey” or “sweetheart” at their jobs in the past, that is not acceptable now — and that should be communicated, says Francis.“[These terms] are now often viewed as inappropriate or patronizing by younger employees,” Francis says. “Conversely, Gen Z might engage in more casual digital communication, such as using memes or emojis in professional contexts, which older employees might find unprofessional or even dismissive. Another example includes differing perceptions of personal space and physical interactions. Baby Boomers may see a congratulatory pat on the back as harmless, while younger generations might view any unsolicited physical contact as a boundary violation.”
MAKE SURE THE TRAINING IS DELIVERED IN A GENERATION-FRIENDLY WAY
What was used to train employees on workplace harassment years ago might not be effective today. According to Francis, law firms should consider that when delivering training to employees of all ages.
Younger employers often expect more transparency and ethical consistency
from their leaders. On the flip side, Francis says, “older generations may
focus more on hierarchical respect and traditional workplace decorum.”
“Without being cliché, the TikTok generation isn’t looking for an hour-long training video depicting an office scenario set in the 1990s,” he says. “So companies must ensure that their training is modern, depicts relevant scenarios, and is easy to access and consume. There are circumstances where the length of training is mandated but long doesn’t mean it's boring. Or it can include a case study portrayed as a small miniseries of vignettes.”
DON’T SEPARATE BY AGE GROUP
When creating harassment training materials, law firms should be mindful of all ages. This doesn’t mean they should separate training into different age groups, though.
“Just like employers would not break down groups by gender or race for training, they should not consider segregating employees by age for training,” says Heather Weine Brochin, Chair of Day Pitney’s Employment and Labor Practice. “That choice, in and of itself, is problematic.”
Collins also says it’s not advisable to tailor training to various age groups.
“A universal, interactive training program is more effective because it fosters cross-generational learning and perspective sharing. Employees from different age groups can gain a better understanding of evolving workplace norms, emerging forms of harassment and the experiences of their colleagues.”
The only reason for separating training, according to Collins, is if a law firm is speaking to managers or non-managers.
“We recommend that training be broken down between management and non-management employees,” he says. “There are additional training elements that apply to managers, and we also find that non-management employees are less inhibited and will engage more if their supervisors are not present.”
ENSURE THE WORKPLACE IS WELCOMING TO EVERYONE
It’s obvious that older and younger employees may not see eye to eye on what constitutes harassment or inappropriate behavior in the workplace. However, law firm leaders can bridge that gap by generating harassment materials that cater to all, ensuring a more accommodating and comfortable workplace for everyone involved.
“A universal, interactive training program is more effective
because it fosters cross-generational learning and perspective sharing.”
“Acknowledging differences within the workforce based on different employees’ age or other legally protected status, such as gender, religion, ethnicity is an important part of comprehensive policies and effective training,” Zweig says. “Employees communicate and receive communication differently, which is why it is up to the employer to have effective training that educates and assures workers that they may and should report potential harassment, whether or not it is directed to them, so that the company can investigate and take necessary corrective action.”
