The end of the generation debate?

A highly topical subject, a cross-generational panel of speakers, good opportunities for networking: the Eastern Switzerland HR Day on 26 September attracted over 250 visitors to St.Gallen's Olma Hall 9.1. It was a small anniversary: the meeting for HR professionals from Eastern Switzerland was held for the 20th time. "If the HR Day were a person, it would probably belong to Generation Z," said moderator Sabine Bianchi. However, this did not apply to the participants: The majority of them belonged to either Generation X or Generation Y.

But does such a division into "generational pigeonholes" even make sense? Dr Ronald Ivancic, lecturer at the Institute for Organization and Leadership (IOL) at the OST - Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, addressed this question. He pointed out that Generation Y was already asking similar questions of society as Generation Z is today. This means that the differences would primarily result from the respective age and different life circumstances. This is because lifestyles and the associated values change depending on where you are in life. For this reason, generational analyses - and the business with them - should be viewed critically, says Ivancic. Instead, companies need to focus on creating diversity between the generations - "diversity instead of uniformity" was the title of his presentation. And according to Ronald Ivancic, this can only be achieved by working on the culture: "Structure leads to behavior, behavior leads to culture," says the expert.

What the young generation expects from employers

The participants in the subsequent "Generation Talk" also came from the different life circumstances propagated by Ronald Ivancic. The discussion repeatedly revolved around the prejudices with which the different generations are confronted. Ivo Riedi, Head of Vocational Training at the SFS Group, a baby boomer about to retire, warned against stereotyping. Not all young people are "lazy". Michèle Mégroz, CEO of CSP AG, on the other hand, finds it enriching to work with different generations and envies the self-confidence of today's young people in contrast to the past. And when asked what these young people expect from their employers, 18-year-old Anastasia Kurer, who has just started her first year of training, provided the following keywords: Appreciation, respect, a commitment to sustainability and an open culture of discussion at eye level - including with bosses.

Making better use of the potential of the older generation

Michèle Bongetta, Managing Director of the Zihlschlacht and Dussnang rehabilitation clinics, took a look at the practical side of healthcare. Large teams are still common in hospitals, and a "jack of all trades" is needed to manage them, according to the speaker. Coupling this with the demands of the different generations arriving today is difficult. Michèle Bongetta sees the key in a personnel policy with clear and uniform rules, particularly with regard to work-life balance and targeted measures for personnel development and career planning. In his presentation, Hans Rupli, President of focus50plus, explained the need to make better use of the potential of the older generation due to demographic change. Although employees over the age of 50 can score points above all with their experience and social skills, they also need additional training in areas such as digital transformation. This is also an opportunity for knowledge transfer from the younger to the older generation - and vice versa. Hans Rupli also regrets that today's education system is too strongly geared towards young people and that there are too few opportunities for lateral entries or even a career change with an apprenticeship from the age of 50.

From digital natives to AI locals: the future of Generation Alpha

The brilliant conclusion was set by the young futurologist Tristan Horx. He explained the difficulties faced by the younger generation today with an epochal change that we are currently experiencing. We are in the process of saying goodbye to the industrial model of life that characterized our parents' and grandparents' generation. Our lives will be increasingly characterized by different phases with ever shorter intervals between education and work. Each phase will be preceded by crises and transformations. Tristan Horx sees the current challenge in the fact that several different generations are currently participating in economic life and asserting their demands. And he promises the future Generation Alpha a rosy future: they will experience the end of the fossil age, have the longest life expectancy and have changed from "digital natives to AI locals". "If robots become better and better robots, people will have to become more humane people," says Tristan Horx. "The future is created when relationships succeed," and that is independent of generations.

Conclusion of the conference: Breaks between generations and eras are nothing new, and neither are discussions about them. The decisive factor is how they are dealt with - not only in HR departments, but also in the entire company management. Roland Siegenthaler summed this up in a humorous graphic recording at the end.

About the Eastern Switzerland Personnel Day

The Eastern Switzerland HR Day is one of the most important HR conferences in Eastern Switzerland. Its aim is to bring together HR experts, HR specialists and HR managers as well as managers from SMEs and to address current and fundamental issues. The Eastern Switzerland HR Day was developed together with the HR Ostschweiz association and successfully held for the first time in 2005. Today, HR Eastern Switzerland and the OST - Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences act as patrons of the event.

More information: www.personaltag.ch