MultiGen at Work

Marisa Kawata Watanabe, DDS, MS

Technological advancements, social trends and generational gaps continue to bare their teeth and shape our present and future times.

As I glanced at my bookshelf that houses some of my favorite childhood titles, it was quite nostalgic to reread “Mary Alice Operator Number 9, Miss Nelson is Missing” and the unforgettable “The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist.” My name is printed proudly in just-learnedto-write letters in the upper left corner, and I sat imagining when I first turned the crisp new pages to now gently turning the weathered pages — both giving me such satisfaction. Fast forward multiple decades later and with a quick search on the web, the very same book is at my fingertips as an e-book or an audio book to listen to during my drive to work. Growing up split between generations certainly created a blend of culture — playing vinyl records and LPs on my record player, using a Compaq computer to play Frogger on the green screen, listening to cassettes and CDs on a boombox, to the big introduction of AOL (“you’ve got mail!”), mini-disc and mp3 players and social media platforms no longer in existence. Technological advancements, social trends and generational gaps continue to bare their teeth and shape our present and future times.

With the Merriam-Webster Dictionary constantly adding new words I have yet to encounter, understanding the ever-changing slang has been a humorous and now annual ritual at our family gatherings. Previously proud to use slang abbreviations like YOLO (you only live once), IMHO (in my humble/honest opinion) and SMH (shaking my head), I realized each year that I have become so cheugy (out of date and no longer trendy) that I might end up tripping over these generational gaps. Instead, I rely on my next generation of cousins to “educate” me on the latest craze, social media platforms and new ways for easy and instant gratifications. Whether or not I choose to follow the next trend, clear communication between providers and patients, among health care team members and between family members has always been, and remains, imperative in building trust, strong rapport and a successful practice.

Recently, Fortune Magazine published an article by Lambeth Hochwald regarding the growing generation gaps in the workplace and what changes are to come. According to Hochwald, 40% of Americans currently have a supervisor who is younger than they are and millennials will be the dominant demographic population by 2025. Companies and organizations comprised of Gen Z (1997-2012), millennials (1981-1996), Gen X (1965- 1980), baby boomers (1946-1964) and the Silent Generation (1928-1945) working together are demonstrating the demographic shift of workforce composition. Noting the higher percentage of younger supervisors, the traditional hierarchical mindset of “older age equals higher position” has begun to wane.

With dental student indebtedness on the rise, a 2022 survey study regarding general perspectives of orthodontists in the United States and Canada found significant variability among different generations in practice. The results of the study described that more technologically advanced and costly equipment were utilized more often by the younger generation (notably with higher student debt) of orthodontists versus the Silent Generation. In addition, another significant difference was noted in practice marketing, with the younger generation relying heavily on social media platforms and the older generation limiting the budget to more traditional marketing. In a multigenerational team, collaborating and marrying the strengths of digital media with personal word-of-mouth supports the success of the health care team and practice.

In “Promoting an Age-Inclusive Workforce; Living, Learning and Earning Longer,” the authors explored the rapid changes in population demographics, highlighting the strengths of generational diversity in the workforce. The authors noted that a “key advantage of a multigenerational workforce is that it enables effective synergies between experienced and less experienced staff to the benefit of employers and employees.” But to accomplish this synergistic multigenerational workforce, support is needed for the dental team to bridge communication and behavior gaps; this may start with building a practice or health care team whose goal is to eliminate stereotypical references to each generation. Other examples include incorporation and development of training geared toward team or practice goals rather than segregated or siloed groupings of experience as well as practicing incentivization of overall production to showcase the collective impact that involves the multigenerational workforce rather than individual incentivization.

FWIW (for what it’s worth), maybe it’s about time we catch up with Merriam- Webster — IYKYK (if you know, you know). Take courses on implicit bias, communication and ways to diversify your team. The times of using pager code such as 424 (call me back) and 43770 (hello) have passed, and sooner than we think, Gen Alpha (2013-2025) will join the workforce. Now, if someone tells you, “These dentures are snatched!” — celebrate — that means you are on fleek aka on point!