Generational Impacts on the Nonprofit Workplace

At a recent Valtas team meeting we discussed an important topic – the generational differences we’re seeing in the workplace and the impact each generation is having on the nonprofit world. The goal was to understand what’s important to employees at various stages of their lives and careers so that we can lead better and accomplish more together. 

A team of people across generations in the office together.

In the room were 13 nonprofit Executive Directors, Board Members, and Board Presidents ready to give their biggest takeaways from their most recent roles and engagements. We let each nonprofit leader offer their observations and have compiled those to share with you. Afterwards, we’ll offer actionable next steps that your organization can take to bridge generational gaps.

​(Note: For the purposes of this discussion, “mature employees/board members” is used to refer to Boomers and Gen X while “younger employees/board members” is used to refer to Millennials and Gen Z loosely speaking, with more of a focus on the characteristics and expectations of those generational groups rather than a strict age delineation.)

Organizational Insights

• Mature employees are more likely to join an organization, whereas younger employees are more likely to join “a movement” or become activists. This is causing some nonprofits to reevaluate what their organizations should look like and how they should be led.
• Younger employees have a greater desire for organizational transparency. They bring their “whole selves” to the workplace with the expectation that every part of who they are will be supported. They want the insight into how an organization plans to achieve that and will demand follow-through.
• Younger employees expect to be included in decision-making and are resistant to the idea of hierarchy that is built into organizational structures.

Action Items:

• As a leader, don’t be afraid to talk about your work as a movement and about its importance for the community you serve. It is easy to slip into work and operational details. Those are important but framing them as the actions we can take as a team to have real impact will make the work seem more like a calling than a mundane or calculated task.
• Experiment with intentional collaboration as part of the leadership and management process. Insist on it up and down the org chart too. This shows that you value the passion of every person on the team and what they bring to the effort to serve your community.

 Workplace Insights

• Younger employees appear to have been more significantly affected by the pandemic emotionally. Many felt like their future was robbed from them when the world shut down, and it made them angry. As a result, they continue to show the effects of trauma – overreacting and exhibiting higher levels of stress and anxiety.
• Mature employees tend to prefer more standard systems and prioritize efficiency. They are willing to offer their wisdom to help teach others. Younger employees tend to prefer automation and like experimenting with different tools and channels. They tend to be impatient when it comes to change, wanting to innovate and adjust quickly.
• Younger employees these days seem to struggle with navigating the workplace – balancing advocating for themselves with functioning in a way that benefits the overall team.
• Mature employees want to deal with conflict directly if they have inadvertently offended someone, or someone has offended them. However, younger employees tend to want to go through an intermediary.
• Choosing communication tools has become more complex because there are generational differences emerging in how people like to communicate and which tools they prefer to use when communicating. However, everyone wants to engage and be heard. In some instances, this may mean that meeting structures need to be reevaluated.

Action Items: 

• Set up times for ideas from the staff to be presented to the rest of the staff (either at regular staff meetings, or regular “lunch and learn” sessions). Give younger employees a chance to demonstrate a new tech tool they think would be helpful. At another session invite mature employees to offer reflections that they feel put current challenges into perspective. Be very open about the fact that you are an amazing team with diverse and complementary talents, and that you all owe it to the mission to be open to learning and being inspired by each other.

Career Insights

• Younger employees have never known the job stability that mature employees have, which has caused them to select a mission-driven path in the way that their predecessors do not. This difference in goal can lead to frustration and division along generational lines.
• Younger employees may see nonprofit work as a pitstop along their career path, especially as compensation in for-profit work continues to rise. To them their job is less of an expression of who they are and more of something they are doing along the way in life.
• Younger employees have a better handle on work-life balance and expect that their employer will support their boundaries.

Action Items:

• Talk about this openly. Consider discussing turnover in your organization and ask employees how they feel about it. Is it seen as just a natural part of working today? Or is it a reflection of perceived work-like imbalance expectations? If so, lay out the challenges and ask the team to recommend ways to address that while living withing the limitations and expectations that management is required to address.
• Discuss the pressure employees feel to take on additional tasks (even before being asked sometimes) to avoid being left out or respected for the work that they do. Find out if your employees are feeling this way and brainstorm ways to address it.

Board Insights

• Boards comprised of mature members often have power distributed in a way that is more paternalistic, while boards comprised of younger members tend to distribute power among many individuals, especially those on the front lines. 
• Younger board members have less experience, making it difficult for them to have the right knowledge of what boards are and how they should work to be effective.

​Action Items:

• Offer board training that addresses changing workplace dynamics and how they impact both what we do and how we do it.
• Consider bringing in a nonprofit board advisor that can help a younger board navigate their oversight and management roles in today’s world.

When you need experienced leadership to manage across generational divides, we can help! Whether you are looking for board advisory services, interim leadership, or nonprofit executive recruiting, we have the team in place to support your organization. Contact us today to find out more about how we can come alongside your team to help you find success!