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9/24/2009 - SANDY CAPPS DISCUSSES GENERATIONAL DIVERSITY ON NBC-13
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SANDY CAPPS DISCUSSES GENERATIONAL DIVERSITY ON NBC-13
American Behavioral offering training to employers to overcome generational differences
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – Sept. 23, 2009 – The economic downturn has given birth to a new buzz term in human resources circles: generational diversity.
With many retirement accounts depleted because of market losses during the downturn, more retirees are returning to work, and many older workers are extending their careers.
“For the first time in history, four generations are in the labor pool together,” said Sandy Capps, director of training and development at American Behavioral.
Capps shared her insights on generational diversity with NBC-13’s Rod Carter for a Fact Finder report that aired this evening. (A link to the segment can be found here .)
Approximately 450,000 Americans over age 65 actively sought employment last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – a 60 percent increase over 2008’s tally. Nearly one-quarter of Americans ages 65 to 74 are still employed.
The result is a widening gap in the workplace, causing various difficulties for employers. Matures and Baby-boomers who are accustomed to traditional forms of communications – mail, landline phones, fax machines – have trouble adjusting to prevalence of computers, e-mail, mobile phones and social networks in today’s workplace. Similarly, Generation X and Y are motivated more by opportunities to advance their skills or personal fulfillment than preceding generations. Employers also face compliance issues, since age is protected against discrimination by law.
In order to help employers “bridge” the generation gap, American Behavioral has prepared a generational diversity training program for managers. The training aims to heighten awareness and understanding of the generalized differences among generations, in order to decrease misunderstandings, conflicts, stress, discomfort, frustration, and miscommunication.
“By learning how to mitigate differences between contrasting age groups, managers will be able to increase effectiveness in the workplace without reinforcing stereotypes,” said Capps.
For more information on the generational diversity, interested companies can contact Sandy Capps at 205-871-7814 or scapps@americanbehavioral.com.
About American Behavioral: American Behavioral, based in Birmingham, Ala., is a full-service behavioral healthcare organization providing Employee Assistance Program services, managed mental healthcare, pre-employment and promotional psychological testing, drug screening, manager and supervisor training, and critical-incident stress management. Founded in 1990, American Behavioral serves more than 100 companies with employees and families in all 50 states and Canada, and provides behavioral healthcare services to approximately 800,000 covered lives. For more information, visit www.americanbehavioral.com.
Media contact: Tommy Palladino, 205-328-9334 ext. 4, tommy@prview.com
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