How to Resolve Conflict in the Multi-Generational Legal Workforce

In any workplace, conflicts are inevitable. Whether it’s a dispute over communication styles, dress code, feedback, work ethic, respect, loyalty, pay, or more, there’s no way everyone is going to get along all the time. In a series of posts on About.com, Alison examined each generation and how to resolve workplace conflict. She started with the four types of generations currently in the legal workplace. Next, she shared some specific sticking points, and see how they might be resolved: 

• Resolving Generational Sticking Points Over Feedback:  Many disgruntled young attorneys say what they dislike about their jobs is the lack of feedback they receive. Here’s how to remedy that sticking point.
• Meetings and Communication Styles: Two of the most common generational sticking points in legal workplaces are over meetings and communication styles. These two sticking points go hand-in-hand, since often the debate is over what forms of communication are appropriate in a meeting (texting, tweeting, etc.).
• Loyalty, Respect and Work Ethic: Older attorneys are constantly complaining that the “kids” today don’t want to put in long hours and face time. Young attorneys counter that they’re actually working longer hours, because technology has enabled everyone to be “on call” at all times, so they’re expected to check emails after hours and on the weekends, in ways that older attorneys never would have done when they were starting out.

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