5 tips on managing different generations in the workplace

5 tips on managing different generations in the workplace Generations have their own rules. They speak their own languages, have their own cultural references, and have their own attitude quirks particular to their maturity. This can present a real challenge for the manager or human resources professional who must deal with a diverse staff of 20-somethings to 60-somethings.While a 2012 meta-analysis of published and unpublished data concluded that there are no significant differences between generations, there are significant differences between how younger employees and older people operate in the office, and the effective manager cannot ignore those differences. Here are six tips for coping with those generational differences head on and successfully.1. Recognize and embrace the differencesAs we’ve already hinted, one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a manager when faced with age-related issues is to pretend that the employee’s generation is not an issue. The key is to get comfortable and familiar with how age factors into work personality and adjust your approach accordingly. What will work when dealing with, say, a 25-year old employee who has motivation issues and a 45-year old employee who has become complacent after decades in the same office will not be the same.Understanding where different people are coming from can help you tailor your tone, spoken language, and body language. Don’t treat people differently- just communicate in the clearest possible way, depending who is on the receiving end.2. Break out of routinesStrict routines may be an effective way to acclimate young, new employees to their office duties, but having to do the same thing every day can be suffocating for the older employee. Feeling stuck in a rut can be both dehumanizing and demotivating for individuals who’ve been with the company for a long time.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Don’t downplay the disillusionment of an older employee who complains about feelin g trapped in a routine. Help that employee break out of tiresome patterns while still being able to complete his or her tasks. You may even want to consider having such employees swap tasks to keep their workday fresh. They will be happier and more productive with a little change in routine.3. Be aware of generation-based hurdlesThe workplace is constantly evolving, and this can be a problem for employees who’ve been at the job for too long. For example, an IT pro who has been in the same position for a decade may be slower to embrace new technology than a younger employee would. A younger IT worker may be short-tempered with an older one who doesn’t understand new computer-based problems.Ensuring that everyone is kept on top of the latest developments may clear out potential confusion and defuse potential conflicts that arise from age differences.4. Team them upThey may have different ways of speaking or different attitudes toward work, but all employees are people re gardless of age. This unfailingly becomes clear when employees from different age groups are encouraged to interact.Left to their own devices, employees may tend to bunch up in age-based groups. So it can be helpful to use team-building activities or develop collaborative projects that pair younger employees with older ones to foster a greater atmosphere of understanding in the office. If they have different skills particular to their ages, they may even teach each other a thing or two.5. Keep other managers informedAs you become more sensitive to the quirks of members of different generations in your office, be sure to share that information with your fellow managers. For example, if you find that younger employees are more likely to job hop- and a 2016 study did, indeed, report that a whopping 21% of Millennials left their jobs during that year compared to just 7% of older employees- make sure that your fellow managers are tuned into that issue so they can better hold onto young er employees they can’t afford to lose. After all, the name of the game is building a stronger staff with better communication between all managers and employees.Stay open, stay informed, stay communicative, and the employees you manage will be more satisfied and effective no matter how old they are.

The Colonial Names of African States

The Colonial Names of African States After decolonization, state boundaries in Africa remained remarkably stable, but the colonial names of African states often changed. Explore a list of current African countries according to their former colonial names, with explanations of border changes and amalgamations of territories. Why Were Boundaries Stable Following Decolonization? In 1963, during the era of independence, the Organization of African Union agreed to a policy of inviolable borders, which dictated that colonial-era boundaries were to be upheld, with one caveat. Due to the French policy of governing their colonies as large federated territories, several countries were created out of each of Frances former colonies, using the old territorial boundaries for the new country boundaries. There were Pan-Africanist efforts to create federated states, like the Federation of Mali, but these all failed.​ The Colonial Names of Present-Day African States Africa, 1914 Africa, 2015 Independent States Abyssinia Ethiopia Liberia Liberia British Colonies Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Sudan, The Republic of the South Sudan Basutoland Lesotho Bechuanaland Botswana British East Africa Kenya, Uganda British Somaliland Somalia* The Gambia The Gambia Gold Coast Ghana Nigeria Nigeria Northern Rhodesia Zambia Nyasaland Malawi Sierra Leone Sierra Leone South Africa South Africa Southern Rhodesia Zimbabwe Swaziland Swaziland French Colonies Algeria Algeria French Equatorial Africa Chad, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic French West Africa Benin, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso French Somaliland Djibouti Madagascar Madagascar Morocco Morocco (see note) Tunisia Tunisia German Colonies Kamerun Cameroon German East Africa Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi South West Africa Namibia Togoland Togo Belgian Colonies Belgian Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Portuguese Colonies Angola Angola Portuguese East Africa Mozambique Portuguese Guinea Guinea-Bissau Italian Colonies Eritrea Eritrea Libya Libya Somalia Somalia (see note) Spanish Colonies Rio de Oro Western Sahara (disputed territory claimed by Morocco) Spanish Morocco Morocco (see note) Spanish Guinea Equatorial Guinea German Colonies After World War I, all of Germanys African colonies were taken away and made mandate territories by the League of Nations. This meant they were supposed to be prepared for independence by Allied powers, namely Britain, France, Belgium, and South Africa. German East Africa was divided between Britain and Belgium, with Belgium taking control over Rwanda and Burundi and Britain taking control of what was then called Tanganyika. After independence, Tanganyika united with Zanzibar and become Tanzania. German Kamerun was also larger than Cameroon is today, extending into what is today Nigeria, Chad, and the Central African Republic. Following World War I, most of German Kamerun went to France, but Britain also controlled the portion adjacent to Nigeria. At independence, the northern British Cameroons elected to join Nigeria, and the southern British Cameroons joined Cameroon. German South West Africa was controlled by South Africa until 1990. Somalia The country of Somalia is comprised of what were formerly Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland. Morroco Moroccos borders are still disputed. The country is made up primarily of two separate colonies, French Morocco and Spanish Morocco. Spanish Morocco lay on the northern coast, near the Straight of Gibralter, but Spain also had two separate territories (Rio de Oro and Saguia el-Hamra) just south of French Morocco. Spain merged these two colonies into Spanish Sahara in the 1920s, and in 1957 ceded much of what had been Saguia el-Hamra to Morocco. Morocco continued to claim the southern portion as well and in 1975 seized control of the territory. The United Nations recognizes the southern portion, often called Western Sahara, as a non-self-governing territory. The African Union recognizes it as the sovereign state Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), but the SADR only controls a portion of the territory known as Western Sahara.