Welcome to the transcript of Advantum Health’s Multi-Generational Roundtable Discussion. This enlightening conversation brings together thought leaders from across the healthcare industry to share their unique perspectives on the evolving landscape. The discussion dives deep into how different generations approach challenges, embrace opportunities, and contribute to innovation within healthcare. Whether you’re catching up or revisiting key insights, this transcript provides a detailed account of the ideas exchanged and the collective wisdom shared during this dynamic event.
August 27, 2024, 7:03PM
Trish Thomas 0:34
Good afternoon, everyone.
Welcome to Advantum health multi generational Workforce roundtable discussion.
My name is Trish Thomas. I lead marketing and communications at Advantum and I’ll be moderating our conversation today.
A diverse modern workforce like we have at Advantum Health is really crucial to corporate performance, but it can also make it hard to collaborate effectively and navigate shifting cultural norms and preferences across generations.
So today we have assembled a panel representing the four generations prevalent in the US workforce, baby boomers, Gen X Millennials and Gen Z. And we’re going to have a lively and honest conversation about our differences.
The challenges of working together and what each unique generation brings to the table for employers and coworkers before we dive in, I’d like to let our panelists introduce themselves. If you guys can briefly tell us your name, your role and a little bit about why you care about this topic, that’d be great. Rose, do you want to start?
Rose Howard 1:45
Absolutely. My name is Rose Howard.
I’m an Account Executive here at Advantum Health.
I work in our in our Business Development department, primarily sales contracts. Pretty much the first phase that everyone sees when they come to Advantum. This topic is important to me because I truly believe in the synergy of all of the different age groups in the workforce that we have here at Advantum, and my main goal within my position is to collaborate with everyone and anyone.
So it is really important to me to make sure that we can effectively communicate across all the generations.
Trish Thomas 2:28
How about you, Dawn?
Dawn Walsh 2:32
I’m Dawn Walsh. I’m the director of Provider Enrollment.
I’ve worked here about 3 1/2 years.
My job pretty much starts after Rose and Ryan get their part done, because before providers can bill, of course, they have to be enrolled.
For me, wanting to join this discussion, I feel kind of like Rose. It’s neat to talk to different people in different areas and even areas of the country and different ages just to get their feel and to make sure everybody collaborates and has a great time working.
Trish Thomas 3:13
Ryan, how about you?
Ryan Dowling 3:16
Hey, I’m Ryan Dowling.
I’m a Business Development Representative, so I work directly with Rose.
I think this topic is important to me because I am a Gen Z, so I have a lot to learn from different generations. So taking taking in as much information and learning from them is extremely important.
Trish Thomas 3:38
Great. Karen, that leaves you. And I have to call out that it’s our “just on the cusp of Boomer” representative Karen who is not on video. So, I don’t know, the technology piece may come up in the conversation, Karen!
But why don’t you introduce yourself?
Karen Babin 3:56
Hi, I’m Karen Babin. I’ve been with Advantum for coming up on five years. I’m a Surgical Coder.
I think this is an interesting topic because I am older.
I wouldn’t say “old”, but older employee, but it’s interesting to collaborate with the younger groups of folks that we have. I work with coders and managers across all of the United States of all different age groups and we do communicate differently sometimes. So it’s interesting to see where this leads today.
Trish Thomas 4:37
Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more.
Well, thank you all for joining the discussion to kick us off.
I’ve got a couple of questions to guide our conversation, but feel free to share any thoughts that pop into your into your mind openly.
I’d like to start with talking about communication.
Different generations process information differently and sometimes prefer different methods of communication. Boomers may prefer face to face meetings or email Gen X my generation may like video calls. Younger generations may prefer text or in app messages. Different generations also have different expectations for what is shared with them, when and how.
I’d love to hear from each of you about a time when maybe communication on your team was challenging due to these generational differences.
And what did you learn from that situation or do to manage it?
Who wants to go first?
Ryan Dowling 5:43
I would say one challenging part of communication that I’ve experienced is mainly on like Teams or emails. I like to keep it short and simple, but I know some other people like more detailed, long longer messages, so I’ve just focused on providing more details in my messages and focusing on their preferences.
So yeah, just being open to changes and doing as much as possible to keep the process going.
Trish Thomas 6:17
Great. Kudos on adaptability.
Who else has has had a communication challenge that they’ve they’ve managed to overcome?
Rose Howard 6:26
I once managed a team with a couple of employees of different generations.
I believe that we had a Gen X on there. We had Baby Boomers. We had, and I think that we also had a Gen Z. In the beginning communication was pretty challenging.
Obviously, everyone had their different preferences of how they effectively communicated with each other.
For example, I prefer written communication and organization charts.
I believe that helps keep me aligned, which I find kind like more concrete and reliable. But I found that written communication is pretty often overlooked, so I started incorporating more verbal updates with the generations above me who preferred more face to face communication.
And despite my flexibility, I tried to find that balance for everyone, but I did discover that face to face communication really helps bridge those gaps. Then you can also keep your communication pretty on point as well.
So combining both the verbal and the written can really be the most effective for it.
Along the lines of what Ryan was saying, adaptability is going to be the best.
Trish Thomas 7:34
Very good.
Karen Babin 7:37
I would agree with what Ryan was saying. Short and sweet, is what I have in my meetings or communications with the younger generation. It’s quick, quick, quick.
I’m an information giver. I like to teach and explain why I’m doing the things the way I’m doing them and hope that the younger generation can pull some pearls from there, but I’ve had to learn to not over talk and not explain too much, so it is an interesting a way to communicate.
But I I feel like I’m catching on to that as a Boomer.
Dawn Walsh 8:22
For me, I guess I’m with Ryan and I like it. Short and sweet for me.
You’ve lost me after the second paragraph, and I’m like seeing other things to do everywhere else. But I do like to keep it short, sweet and I kind of want to know what the issue is. What you need to me to do about it and how we’re going to resolve it?
And I find that maybe the younger generation is kind of in the middle with their emails and stuff. I do like phone calls because I feel that sometimes an email can come across in the wrong way, whereas a phone call can alleviate whether they are mad at me or “what’s going on?” kind of thing.
Trish Thomas 9:08
Mm-hmm.
Dawn Walsh 9:17
So I do like the phone call or even a face to face.
Trish Thomas 9:20
It can be difficult to read the context or the emotion behind a digital message for sure.
Rose Howard 9:28
And I think an unpopular opinion of mine is sometimes I find it that it is appropriate to slow down and get on a phone call and slowly explain your thought process and how you like things.
Trish Thomas 9:28
Yeah.
Rose Howard 9:41
I think every generation can probably appreciate the the time and the the patience for that.
Trish Thomas 9:48
Absolutely.
So let’s shift a little bit from pure communication to just workplace culture and style.
Different generations also have different preferences for their work.
I mean everything from how we dress or speak to the way we interact with fellow team members, maybe how we think about remote work. Generations really do advocate for their own unique workplace styles. Talk about what you’ve observed about generational differences in the workplace and what do you suggest that we can do to better accommodate and understand each other’s unique preferences?
Ryan Dowling 10:24
I’ll go first.
Ryan Dowling 10:29
I’ve just observed a a lot of people like doing different things. One thing being that some people like to use paper while others like to be all electronic. So I think the best way to adapt to stuff like that is just being open to everything. Don’t turn it down because it’s different or new to you, but give something a new try and if you don’t like it, don’t change. But there’s no reason to bash or be rude to someone just because they like the different way of doing something.
Trish Thomas 10:59
Very good point.
Dawn Walsh 11:02
I’m going to say for me, the general like generational gap is not really there because we’re not in the office every day. If I didn’t see Ryan on camera, I wouldn’t know what his age is. You know, for me, just seeing people’s names and stuff, everybody’s 30 and above. So there’s no difference. And I’m going to treat everybody all the same, whether you’re 20 or 70.
Trish Thomas 11:35
Excellent. Rose and Karen, do you have anything you wanted to share?
Rose Howard 11:41
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Well, I think the key is how we address the conflicts.
I would say, instead of letting them them drive us apart, how do we view it as opportunity for for growth and collaboration. For instance, Gen Z might be tech obsessed or too informal, but they bring a fresh and a fearless perspective to a lot of things. They are a “no nonsense” generation from what I’ve seen, and there’s something to really appreciate about that.
But on the other side, Baby Boomers might be viewed as bossy or resistant to change. But their experience in leadership have laid the foundation for what we’re doing today. So I just think it’s picking up perspective from everyone.
Trish Thomas 12:28
And the data really does prove out that diverse teams are high performing teams that get a lot done. And companies that are highly diverse perform better than companies that are not.
So I mean, it really is all those differences, even though they can be a little bit of grist in the mill when you’re actually working together collaborating on a project, that really does net out to be a stronger result on average.
You guys touched on conflict a little bit. That might be too strong a word, but misunderstandings and biases like you mentioned, Rose – a Baby Boomer may view a Gen Z as tech obsessed or disrespectful. And a Millennial may conversely think of a Boomer as being bossy or close minded. Have you noticed those instances where generational differences have actually triggered some workplace conflict, and what strategies could you recommend to help get past those petty things and transcend to get the job done?
Karen Babin 13:34
I can speak a little bit to that being that I’m in the Boomer class, but I think that I can be misconstrued as being bossy when I’m just being transparent or sharing my knowledge. I have never experienced from the younger generation any disrespect, which is which is nice, because I think in a lot of workplaces that can be that way.
I’m a mother of Millennials and they don’t read my emails or they don’t check their voicemails. I just have to text them if I want to communicate with my kids!
Trish Thomas 14:18
Right.
Karen Babin 14:22
I don’t think that my experience has had any negativity, so I can’t really speak to the negative side of that, but maybe I’m just oblivious and think everybody’s OK.
Trish Thomas 14:39
No, it sounds like you’re navigating it really well. That makes total sense.
Have any of the rest of you seen some of those examples of of like conflict or misunderstandings, that kind of thing?
Dawn Walsh 14:56
Not sure about it being generational, but I guess it could have been. I did have a manager struggle with one of her team members. I considered it a personality complex because I don’t really think about the generational aspect of it. But you know, thinking about it now with those conversations, that’s probably what it was.
So I just removed the lead to a different team. To someone that maybe they fit a little bit better with that was more their age. Now that I think about it, yes.
Trish Thomas 15:33
I think sometimes we don’t recognize the role that generational differences play in what’s driving some of these, you know, workplace dynamics, I guess you can say.
That kind of leads me to the topic of stereotypes. I think stereotypes can proliferate across generations. There always seems to be a meme or an avatar or a typical person in each generation that we have in our head and they lead to resentments. They can, like you were saying Dawn, shadow our interactions within our company.
When you have those faults, assumptions or preconceived expectations, those biases and packed into our behavior, and our perceptions of other people, and ultimately the results that we get.
You touched on this, Karen, that you know a Boomer coworker can read as domineering, but they could also legitimately be the most knowledgeable and experienced person on a project. And they should take a leadership role and speak up.
Maybe your Gen X coworker seems jaded and disconnected, but maybe they’re just having an off day because they’ve got some personal stuff going on.
How do you read these things on your individual teams, I guess?
And with the coworkers you you’re collaborating with everyday, how do you promote inclusivity and work to create a culture that appreciates everyone’s unique perspective and contributions? How can we assume the best about each other?
Karen Babin 17:07
I think an important part of communicating is listening, not just verbalizing. We have to listen and sometimes repeat what you heard back and paraphrase.
So what I hear you say is “you really want to do ABC.” “I wanna do XYZ” but how can we do a little bit of both?
I think if we are good listeners and communicate back to each other and mirror what we hear, I think that goes a long way with bridging some gaps.
Trish Thomas 17:42
Absolutely, absolutely.
Dawn Walsh 17:44
And always be open to ideas from everybody, no matter what.
You know each generation, everybody has their own way of doing things.
And it may just be better than yours or you two can work together to create a better process.
Trish Thomas 18:02
True.
Rose Howard 18:03
Going off what Karen and Dawn said, it is definitely about listening – active listening.
But, for example, one of the most diverse areas that I have within Advantum right now is we have a Go Green committee that we are a part of and it has everyone from every single generation, all bringing together ideas and perspectives.
Looking at sustainability initiatives for Advantum Health, and we don’t always agree on everything, but it is a safe space for us to share ideas, take time to consider those ideas and integrate different viewpoints from each other.
And that’s that’s pretty refreshing to be a part of.
Trish Thomas 18:44
I’m on that committee too, and I couldn’t agree more.
Rose Howard 18:47
Yeah.
Ryan Dowling 18:50
I think a huge thing that bridges the gap between generations is talking more, more like personal stuff than just work stuff, because I think that built builds a closer connection and builds trust trust with each other.
More than just a “Hi” every day. Taking the time to learn about them more as a person, more about their career, and taking in all the information that they give you.
Trish Thomas 19:18
So true, Ryan. I think anytime you have a deeper personal connection with somebody, it makes all those little differences or little quirks that could be annoying fade away because you know the person behind all of those things.
Really, really important. Those were great suggestions, everyone.
In closing I want to talk about what works.
Not talk about all of those little issues that come up multi-generationally, but what works for each of you? What do you value or appreciate most about working with individuals from different generations?
Tell me what you love.
Ryan Dowling 20:03
I guess I’ll go.
Being the youngest is just getting to learn from everyone. Learning what’s different about how their career was, how things used to be, and just building off of that.
I know my generation is extremely stubborn, so being open minded and taking in as much information as possible. Building or promoting communication and feedback in the company will be so beneficial going forward with the newer generation getting implemented into the company.
Trish Thomas 20:47
That’s great.
Any other things you guys particularly appreciate about other generations?
Rose Howard 20:55
I always feel like there’s something to learn from someone in a different generation.
I learn new things from Ryan weekly. And then having the opportunity to work with Dawn every week. I do just learn, and you pick up things, and you transform the way that you work as well. This energy between us makes you a better employee as well.
Karen Babin 21:18
I couldn’t agree more.
I enjoy learning about different coworkers from across the United States and how they got to be where they are and what they’re doing and all the experiences that they’ve had in the healthcare industry. It’s very enjoyable.
I really do appreciate the individual person and what they bring to the table when we collaborate for the betterment of our work performance, for our clients, and to make them happy. I think we all have different piece of the pie in putting the whole thing together and it’s very enjoyable. I really do appreciate my coworkers – younger, older, same age. I really do enjoy working with everybody at Advantum.
It’s been fun.
Trish Thomas 22:11
That’s great. It’s really the right attitude to have.
Any closing wisdom or a little love fest for other generations Dawn?
Dawn Walsh 22:20
It’s just to treat everybody the same, because I do have a Millennial and I also have a Gen Z. I always check my phone every time my daughter is around me. It’s nice to teach all the younger kids or the younger generations about Provider Enrollment because I have been doing it for so long. I’m the “olden days,” yes.
Trish Thomas 22:52
The olden days, right?
Dawn Walsh 22:57
Yeah, the 1900s!
Trish Thomas 22:57
That kind of concludes the topics that I had to touch on.
Is there anything else that that was burning in any of your brains that you wanted to share before we sign off? Anything that feels important?
Alright, silence is golden after a round table like that, so thank you to all of you for coming on as panelist and sharing your experiences and insights.
Dawn Walsh 23:21
Now this was fun.
Trish Thomas 23:27
I’m looking forward to seeing how we can apply some of the methods we discussed today and some of the themes that we talked about in our own workplace here at Advantum. So thank you for participating. I hope you all have a great afternoon.