Generational bias in the workplace—how to manage young creatives who have never worked in person

After attending the Savannah College of Art and Design’s CoMotion Conference in March—where I critiqued graduate student portfolios and joined a panel discussion on workplace equity—I came away with two important observations: First, there’s no shortage of young creative talent in our industry. Second, new recruits are a lot different from previous generations. Yes, the emerging workforce is more diverse, but it also has a different work ethic and style—and employers need to pause before they pass judgment. Bias in the workplace is twofold. First, there’s the historical bias related to ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. While we once closed our doors to diverse groups, now we can’t hire them fast enough. But there is still much work to do, not just in hiring but also integrating this rising talent pool into company culture. The second form of bias is generational. Tracking layoffs and budget cuts How brands and agencies are bracing for a recession Click here Lots of college graduates who were in school during COVID worked remotely—not face-to-face with people or groups. As a result, they developed a different way of communicating that could be perceived as unprofessional, such as writing incomplete sentences or using text messages and Instagram for work instead of email. Even showing up on time and being present at work can be alien concepts. We might automatically feel that if employees aren’t behaving or doing things the way we do, they are underperforming. Now that these young students are coming into the workplace, we need to be understanding and not immediately assume the worst. Here are several ways employers need to adjust for the new workforce: Incorporate allyship Employers and staff who hold positions of privilege in a company need to be allies with colleagues who have less access. Creating and codifying alliances as company policy will foster employee development and growth. Putting the responsibility on employees to develop their own career trajectories is unacceptable. People are coming from all walks of life and need a clear road map for personal and professional development. Companies need to answer many questions, including: What company resources are available to me to learn and grow? Who is chatting with me regularly to ensure that I have an anchor? Who can help me navigate difficulties in the workplace, including overcoming preconceived biases? Recognize your own bias The best way to hold ourselves accountable is to understand our own biases. When someone on a Zoom call is not live on camera, we may assume they are lying in bed and not paying attention. If someone is constantly tired, we may assume they are lazy. These are biases. We really have no idea what’s going on. Recognizing and understanding our biases is not easy to do. Some people will go their entire lives without working on this professionally and personally. As employers we have to do better. It’s our responsibility to create space for people to decide if they want to do the work and provide time and resources to help facilitate those conversations. Hit Pause When a young employee is consistently five minutes late or unresponsive on email, we might assume they don’t know what they are doing. This is the time to hit pause and ask if we are giving them the benefit of the doubt or even having enough information to make an intelligent judgment. Such situations warrant a conversation to understand the cause of such behavior and, if needed, a coaching session to support their approach while guiding them to adopt a more professional way of communicating and contributing. Be transparent As an industry, we have typically waited for major controversies to blow up in our faces before addressing problematic issues. It was the disruption of the MeToo movement, for example, that led us to address and encourage pay equity. Today we are able to solve the pay problem by simply having transparency in terms of compensation. During performance reviews, employees should be told what their projected compensation will be should they receive a promotion and what steps they need to take in order to get there. That kind of transparency allows creatives to focus on the work, with the confidence that their employers are advocates for them and have their back. And they don’t have to be worried about their own value and worth. Although the CoMotion conference was focused on students from motion graphics, the issues discussed were relevant to the entire creative community. Looking at the diversity around the room was the best call to action about why we need to take these issues seriously. There’s a lot of foundational work that must be done to create a high-functioning team. That is our responsibility. Understanding bias is part of that. We have to facilitate conversations to allow our employees to understand and build relationships with each other. And if we are not sure how to recognize personal or institutional biases that might be holding us back, it’s time to bring in professionals who can help. If we don’t implement solutions now, top talent will go somewhere else. Subscribe to Ad Age Sign up now for the latest industry news and analysis Click here

Generational bias in the workplace—how to manage young creatives who have never worked in person

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