May/June 2010
To best convey safety messages to workers of any age, understand generational learning styles and incorporate them into safety training.
By Rachel Proper and Tara Cox
How you say something can be just as important as what you say. If you don't choose the right delivery method for your audience, it doesn't matter how valuable your message is because the audience will not hear and comprehend it. This is especially true when delivering a message about safety. Today's workplaces are diverse in many dimensions, including age. It makes sense that the young high school graduate collects and processes important information in a way very different from the senior citizen who works beside him. Because each generational group has its own learning style, trainers must adapt their teaching style to incorporate elements that appeal to multiple generations. Trainers who do so will be more successful in reaching each person in the class.
The idea of a generation of people having common cultural experiences became popular with the emergence of the Baby Boom, the term for the 76 million people born in the United States between 1946 and 1964. In the late 1980s, social scientists William Strauss and Neil Howe came up with the theory that these common cultural experiences also shape the ideals, outlook, and beliefs of the people in that generation. Similarly, though the term "generation gap" has existed at least since the 1950s, in the 1990s trainers and human resource professionals began applying the idea of generation gaps to the workplace, connecting generational differences to differences in work and learning styles.
In 2008, Training magazine gave one of its "Top 125 Best Practice" awards to Aetna (Hartford, Conn.) for how it studied and then implemented the idea of generational learning for the online training of its workforce. Aetna's experiences, as they described them Training's February 2008 issue, can help scrapyards shape their safety training to multiple generations.
Group by Group
Generational categories are, of course, generalizations. Some individuals in a given group are far different from their peers. We've all heard of the 87-year-old great-grandmother who carries a BlackBerry and can rewire computers with the best of them, for example. That said, it's still valuable to consider characteristics that describe a typical member of a generational group. The four generational groups most likely found in today's scrap recycling workforce are the Silent Generation/Early Baby Boomers, Late Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y (also called Millennials). Here's a brief description of these generations and what Aetna's research determined is the learning style of each.
Silent Generation/Early Baby Boomers. This group consists of individuals born between 1940 and 1950, mostly children whose parents were in their 20s during World War II. It now is a company's most-senior workforce. These workers typically share their parents' values, including a strong work ethic, loyalty to country and employer, and a willingness to go the extra mile. When receiving training, they most likely prefer on-site demonstrations and printed training material that progresses logically. Although some members of this group might get intimidated by electronic media, overall they are adaptable, quick learners who are eager to please.
These individuals have witnessed many industry changes over the years, including the greater importance placed on safety, so don't overlook their value in safety-training programs. They most likely have first-person accounts of accidents that altered someone's life. Younger generations will find their stories interesting—sometimes horrifying—and most important, memorable. Use this generation's storytelling strengths to create a platform for the importance of safety. Hearing firsthand the dangers associated with the recycling industry and how those dangers can affect employees' lives will have more impact than relying on textbook cases. In addition to having them share stories, use them as mentors for the younger workforce to enhance your training efforts.
Late Boomers. These people, born between 1950 and the mid-1960s, are members of a transitional generation that moved from a morally strict, thrifty, work-oriented society to—shall we say—a somewhat less morally strict and less self-effacing society. This is simply an observation of the general tenor of the times, not a moral judgment. Despite this group's many differences from members of previous generations, Late Baby Boomers for the most part share their parents' belief that hard work leads to material success. They grew up when economic austerity in most families gradually gave way to a material prosperity not experienced before. They had to work hard to keep enjoying the good life, and many gained the reputation of being workaholics.
Though Late Baby Boomers may have an unbalanced work life, they are experienced, dedicated employees who are willing team players and not afraid to question authority if someone challenges their work-goal perceptions. They like linear courses with information covered in a logical, progressive manner, according to Aetna's research. Though they struggle with simulations, if they know beforehand what the course objectives are and what the training will cover, they will accept what you say.
Generation X. This term identifies individuals who were born between 1965 and 1980. They typically have reached a higher level of academic achievement than preceding generations. In some ways, they formed their character in reaction to their parents' conservative, company-loyal practices. Though they are respectful of employers, these individuals realize that a range of skills and experiences will make them marketable in a changing work world. This explains, in part, their focus on education and their willingness to accept unpaid internships, overseas assignments, and time-consuming volunteer work that their parents would probably consider risky or a waste of time. The Generation X work ethic is probably just as intense as their parents' work ethic, it's just more balanced. They generally are personable, interested in others' accomplishments, analytical, and tolerant—sometimes to a fault. This electronically competent group views technology as a means of working smarter and accomplishing more in fewer hours.
Training materials for Generation Xers should progress logically and present practical information and skills that they can apply immediately. Although they are comfortable using electronic training, they still value personal interaction during learning situations. If Generation Xers demonstrate competency in a given area, allowing them to move ahead quickly will win them over. These individuals also accept mentoring relationships. Most of them believe a mentor is a critical part of the learning experience and a way to experience a situation indirectly. The motto "learn through others" is part of this generation's learning model.
Members of Generation X, sandwiched between the Boomers and Generation Y, must balance very different experiences on either side them: those who went to the library to search books and encyclopedias for homework assignments versus those who used Internet searches to complete their homework and instant messaged friends to find the answers.
Generation Y. Individuals in this group, also called Millennials, were born between 1981 and 1999. In general, this group shows a lack of personal interaction, in part due to a society that has moved away from personal contact in business interactions. Some sociological experts have said this generation has a sense of entitlement—that society owes them whatever they want and that work comes second to their own agenda. They point to overindulgent parents, the isolation of playing video games, and the tolerance older generations have shown them as causes for these character traits.
Many individuals in this group received specialized help as they grew up. If they had a problem in baseball, track, or even math, they received a coach. They focused on one skill at a time. This is the first generation to have the luxury of multiple individuals, outside the immediate family and school, to help them do one thing: succeed.
You could find yourself challenged as you prepare training material for this group. Be prepared for Generation Y to ask, "Why?" This generation is not satisfied with answers such as, "This is how we have always done it." Because they grew up multitasking, they take in only what they consider most important. A trainer must present the "why" in a storytelling format that conveys the importance and ensures workers will quickly understand and process the material's value. Aetna adopted the Thiagi Group's (Bloomington, Ind.) "Four-Door" approach to e-learning. The method, developed by consultant and trainer Sivasailam Thiagarajan, has four basic modules: the library (course content with videos, slide shows, documents, and audio files); the playground (electronic games that aid in recalling and applying library content); the café (a social-learning tool that allows the trainee to respond to course content and review opinions of peers and experts); and the torture chamber (an innovative approach for evaluating the trainee's grasp of course content).
Putting it Together
Any workplace with employees from several generations should design safety training (or any training, for that matter) that is flexible and incorporates a mix of approaches to conveying information. Within the last eight years—as Generation Y has joined the workforce—the need for flexible training has become even more apparent.
Technology is one tool that can help trainers reach the different generations each in its own way. Let employees learn at their own pace during times convenient for them at their computers, and use the technology in the classroom to enhance your program. Some employers provide employees with a computer lab-like setting for half a workday so they can complete online training. This works especially well for employees who don't typically have computer access or an environment that is conducive to online training. A technology-based approach will especially benefit especially the younger, newer workforce that needs training and, generally speaking, has a learning style based on instant gratification, constant feedback, and multiple paths to knowledge, such as the Four-Door method mentioned above. This method provides variety, interaction, and feedback. Keep in mind the needs of your other generations, however, and don't focus solely on the online approach.
Blended learning, another training method, allows participants to complete prerequisite courses online before attending a classroom training session. This gives the younger generations the online atmosphere and the more mature generations the classroom, face-to-face setting. Avoid classroom "download," however, in which the presenter simply lectures for an hour or more. Regardless of generation, most people learn best when training includes activity and variety. Give real examples of how they can implement what you are teaching them. Give live demonstrations, such as how to perform a walk-around inspection, on the actual equipment. Tell a story to help them connect with the lesson you're teaching; and develop a reward program.
Take advantage of the safety training resources of Caterpillar and other companies that serve your industry. On the safety.cat.com Web site, our customers have access to a variety of training materials in formats that accommodate the different generations. On our virtual walk-arounds, for example, users roll their computer cursor over images of a piece of equipment for in-depth descriptions of the different features as well as what they need to inspect. Members of Generation X appreciate this type of training tool because they can immediately use the information in a real-life setting. The trainer can use the material in a classroom, in the field with an actual piece of equipment, or individually within a cubicle. Trainers also can create a learning assessment for recordkeeping and mold the lessons for each student learning style.
Safety inspections, another multimedia tool, include videos, photos, and descriptions of best practices in fire safety, walk-around inspections, and warning labels. The variety of methods holds the attention of members of Generation Y. Trainers can combine this resource with other methods, such as on-site demonstrations, that appeal more to other generations.
With four generations potentially sitting in one classroom, safety-training courses must include a variety of teaching styles to train all participants effectively. You cannot take the risk of someone not learning the important safety lessons you're teaching. Covering all the bases in terms of training approach means a safer work environment, which could save a life. •
Rachel Proper is a communications specialist and Tara Cox is the safety services manager for Caterpillar (Peoria, Ill.).
To best convey safety messages to workers of any age, understand generational learning styles and incorporate them into safety training.