We have grown accustomed to hearing about Generation X and Generation Y, the Millenials (who are the same as Generation Y) or the Baby Boomers (who preceeded Generation X), and Generation Z (who came after the Millenials). They are terms that are very dear to marketing practitioners because it is a neat way of creating segments. Previously we would segment by gender or occupation. Now we also find it convenient to segment by generations.

This terminology about generations has also entered the HR world. Numerous articles have been written about working habits and expectations and attitudes of the various generations. I ask whether there is any truth to such generational stereotypes that have been created.

I believe that when we do this, we are missing the plot. The idea that people born between a certain date and another date share the same values, work ethic or personality should be questioned. It is based on the assumption that people born within a certain period in history have the same experiences and traits and, therefore, the same values, attitudes and perceptions. There may be some similarities but these should not lead to creating a stereotype.

Focusing on the differences between generations in our HR decisions lead us nowhere. We need to focus on differences between individuals

This has resulted in HR departments making wrong recruitment decisions because it is assumed that a person who falls within Generation X may not be suitable for a job because of the individual’s age. This is just one example. Another wrong assumption could be that a person who, according to his or her date of birth, would be described as a millenial, is assumed to be more suitable for a particu­lar job or is likely to display particular traits at work. This thinking continues to have an impact on the way people are hired, promoted and managed.

Research is starting to show that the way young people (typically millenials) manage their emotions is no different to the way older people manage their emotions. Other research shows that beha­viours of people of different age groups are very similar to one another when the context in which those beha­viours occur is the same in both cases, such as when joining a company.

Let us be a bit more practical. It is easy to find an employer who decides that younger employees should be preferred to older employees, because younger employees have a career ahead of them and one is more likely to recoup the investment one makes in training. We do not stop to think about what creates loyalty and staff retention. One assumes that age is the key. An older person would be retiring soon and therefore is not seen to be a good investment. A younger person is seen to be a good investment because one still has several years of working left.

We could use other forms of stereotypes in our decision making because generalisations are always easier to understand, without appreciating that they bias our opinions. We do not appreciate enough that individual personalities, intelligence, motivations and skills are not dependent on generational stereotyping, but on one’s individual upbringing, on one’s life experiences and one’s ability to learn from those experiences.

Last week, I wrote about difficulties HR people encounter to try and define what constitutes a suitable work-life balance for their workforce. I argued that it depends greatly on the individual and there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach.

I repeat that we cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all approach this week as well. Focusing on the differences between generations in our HR decisions lead us nowhere. We need to focus on differences between individuals.