Generation Gap Strategies

Strategies to Bridge the Generation Gap As one can see, each generation possesses unique characteristics that affect work ethic, priorities, and values in the workplace. As a nurse working in a diverse workforce, one must realize that these characteristics are a result of the times in which each generation was raised. In order to meet the needs of all employees and to enhance the work environment, leaders in healthcare must integrate each generation's values through strategies to improve the culture, relationships, and overall job satisfaction in the workplace. Bridging the generational gap through the following strategies can enhance job satisfaction and thus retention. One of the first steps to building employee relationships across generations

Mentoring involves both trust and communication and is an effective strategy to promote the mixing of generations and to encourage learning and sharing. Utilizing this strategy enables nurses ranging in experience to learn from each other's strengths and weakness to deliver the best patient care. Mentoring promotes inclusion of all employees and engages each member of the team (Moore et al., 2016). Sudheimer reflects on her time working with a mentor and notes that after sharing about their personal lives, education, and job expectations, a respect and trust for each other quickly formed (Sudheimer, 2009). Not only can novice Millennial nurses learn clinical expertise from seasoned nurses, Millennials can help older generations adapt to technology and other forms of electronic communication new to healthcare (Fessele, 2009). Each employee brings a different strength to the table to generate a well-rounded healthcare team. To encourage mentors and preceptors to effectively prepare novice nurses, nurse leaders should remind experienced staff that younger generations are the future of the healthcare system (Fessele, 2009). All nurses should strive to better the nursing profession by sharing their experience, knowledge, skills, and ideas with novice nurses. Sudheimer states that "learning to appreciate the generational differences in play on [her] unit allowed [her] to become part of the

Each generation is molded from the events of the time in which he or she grew up, therefore, each generation places different value on aspects of the workplace. Forming trust, encouraging effective communication, and promoting mentorships are all strategies that can be used in nursing to foster employee relationships in a generationally diverse nursing workforce. As a novice nurse, the knowledge gained through researching each generation is invaluable. I will use this knowledge as a guide to aid in forming relationships with experienced nurses of other generations. Understanding each generation's background, values, and what each generation deems as appropriate will equip me to be a well-rounded, respectful registered nurse. Trust, effective communication, and mentorships foster a safe learning environment to enhance job satisfaction in the nursing workforce. These simple strategies can be one step taken to aid in job retention in the midst of a nursing shortage. As a future new graduate registered nurse, I desire to obtain a job at an organization that fosters these values and