b'Gen YFresh Outlook, Brings New Challenges to Roofing Industry Tony A. Solano,freelance writer Dmotivations among generations have long shaped business with managers and employees toat iffering es and dictated their growth. In general, middle-aged managers viewincrease effectiveness and success the workplace differently than employees in their early 20s. The roofingnumerous Fortune 500, mid-size, and business is no different, as employers try to bridge gaps in how memberssmaller companies. of different generations approach their careers. More and more mem Dr. Grodnitzky also helps people bers of Generation Y, also known as Millennials, are beginning to enterchange their environments by the workforce and their career goals, skill sets, and means ofmaking better choices and fine-communi tuning cation can be vastly different than their Generation XBaby Boom their interactions with others. He and er predecessors.has researched intergenerational Generation YCheryl McGlothlin is the director of marketingrelationships and work habits in the member and business development for Empire Roofing. Her parents, Ronnie andmanufacturing industry which can , Sandra McGlothlin, started the Fort Worth-based commercial roofingbe similar to construction in its laborbusiness 30 years ago. She has seen how the generational differences inintensive nature. industry outlook have challenged her family\'s company, and she joined"Manufacturing typically defines the MRCA\'s Young Contractors Council to facilitate discussions on howsuccess as doing things correctly over and(from to bridge communication between generations.over again," Dr. Grodnitzky explained. "The "We were seeing family businesses where parents were saying, \'Theychallenge is innovation,"said, and for that he don\'t listen to me,\' and their children were saying that theirtheyto use technology. parentswant are being unfairly hard on them in the workplace," McGlothlin said.Dr. Grodnitzky explained that Millennials are the first generation " \'re also hiring these youngerand it\'s hard to communicateto have the Internet, computers,cell phones at their disposal You workersand with them because Millennials learn and communicate differently."throughout their formative years, making them more "native" to Michael Huntington,of maintenance services, marketing,technology than other generations. Simply put, technology has shaped director and sales for AM Roofing, Indianapolis, IN, is awho haswho they are and the way theyin the world. Therefore, it\'s Millennialoperate struggled with implementing workflow changes to older managers. Justimportant for Baby Boomers and Generation Xunderstand this to as Baby Boomers often assert that members of the younger generationreliance on technology and for Millennials to be patient with the , don\'tto them, Huntington said it has been difficult to get hisgenerations that came before them. listen veteran coworkers to listen to him when he pitches ideas for changingCareer Aspirations Differ workflow to become more efficient, or implementing new technology.Millennials\' career motivations are not so easily deciphered. Unlike "In an industry like this, athe guys who are in management lot ofprevious generations, making money is not amotivation for positions have beenfor 20 or 30 years. They\'retosole aroundcontentMillennials and some younger members of Generation X. They value do things theyhave always been done, so getting them to wa thingspersonal time so theyachieve abalance. embrace technology has been aHuntington said. He saidcanwork-life struggle,"In contrast, Babythose born between 1946 and 1964, are some managers are still most comfortable printingandBoomers, documentsmotivated by the desire to have acareer, said Dr. Grodnitzky. The blueprints and viewing the hard copies rathergetting the samestellar thanbarometer for their success is financially b and theytypically information on ascreen or tablet.ased,are computerwilling to work well over 40 hours per week to achieve their goals. "The "Ithink weatime waiting for things," do(Millennials] havehardBaby Boo to their managers and said, \'We want more. We Huntington admits, "but it\'s because we\'ve been raisedamers came insocietywant to be able to afford more than one car in thewhereas the where information is always atfingertips."house,\' ourprevious generation was happyone car." Michael\'s father,Jim, 51, is president ofRoofing and an MRCAwith AMGeneration Xpeople born between 19651981. board member. He said heto have amixyoungcomprisesand striveshealthyofAlthough still motivated by success, Generation Xmore of a employees as well as more seasoned staff b they can learn fromseeks ecausebalance between work and life, according to Dr Grodnitzky. Members each other. "The older workers are very valuable becauseey\'ve. th of Generation Xinclined to measure the success by productivity alreadymistakes, and some of the younger guys have yet to makeareir maderather than hours worked. Huntin tonDr. Grodnitzky said an individual in Generation Xcome to them."g added that he also values the fresh ideas and eye for technology that his Generation Ybring.might employeestheirsay, \'If I can do40 hours what it takes someone manager andin Generational Differenceselsehours to accomplish,\'tit against me.\' 80don hold Gustavo R. Grodnitzky, P has done extensivethe topicThe concept of "workinglive rather than livingwork"been hD,research ontotohas otivat membersworkseople of understanding and m ingof Generation Y. Heembraced by Millennials, who are p born between 1982 and 2000. 14www.mrca.org- MidwestRoofer'