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Generational Guru, Recruiter Discuss Energy's Diverse Workforce by Gene Lockard May 16, 2014 Ready or not, the energy industry workforce is entering a period of considerable change, and managers will have to find the right approach and tone to successfully deal with a much younger workforce, while not disenfranchising more senior workers, according to motivational speaker Karen McCullough at a recent Upstart 360 conference, and Tim Cook, the recruiting manager for PathFinder Staffing. This change in demographics within the industry is being driven by the large number of energy sector workers who are nearing the age of retirement. This is the “Great Crew Change” that is frequently mentioned by hiring officials in the industry. While all industries have their share of retiring workers, the percentage of senior workers in the energy is disproportionately large, Cook said. “There are a lot of people in oil and gas who have 30 or more years of experience. The industry also has a much smaller, but growing, number of people with up to seven or so years of experience. What it doesn’t have are a lot of people with between 10 and 30 years of experience, and that’s the demographic they’re chasing,” Cook told Rigzone. There is a reason why people with 10 to 30 years of experience are relatively scarce in the industry, McCullough told Rigzone. “The oil and gas industry has always been a cyclical industry, and it was going through a bust period beginning in the mid-1980s. Many students in the 1980s and early 1990s who might have considered a career in energy saw what was happening and chose to go into the information technology industry instead,” she said. “Right now, we get multiple calls from people about oil and gas jobs – the Texas Miracle. They want to get into the industry, and there’s plenty of work. The problem for some people is that if they’re not already in the energy industry, they would possibly have to start off at close to an entry-level salary, which wouldn’t be enough for many middle-aged workers,” Cook said, adding that there were still many who “have a hunger to transition into the oil and gas industry.” A result of the energy sector’s senior-heavy workforce is that as the older oil and gas workers retire, they take with them much of the industry’s institutional knowledge and experience, and there are comparatively few workers behind them who are ready to step up and fill the void. That means that it is critical for energy companies to develop a pipeline of qualified people who can be ready to move in and come up to speed quickly. However, these new workers will be working alongside older workers nearing, but not quite ready, for retirement, McCullough told Rigzone. Each generation of workers grows up in a different era, and not all of them respond to the same management style that was in use in the energy sector and other industries in the past. So, managers will need to be resourceful to create an environment that is creative, cooperative and harmonious, while still being productive. The days of the “one size fits all” management approach are over, McCullough said, adding that it is becoming increasingly important to accept the needs of each individual. The key to understanding the various generations is to know how they differ. There are four generations currently working in the energy industry. The oldest workers are the traditionalists, followed by the baby boomers, and then the gen X’ers. The youngest workers are those in the millennial generation. Each of these generations brings to the working environment its own beliefs, styles and values, McCullough said. Therefore, the ways of communicating, conducting business and even thinking is changing, and they must continue to change in order to accommodate these and future generations of workers. Each generation helps create, and is shaped by, the events of the times they grew up in, and their values, attributes and work styles reflect these different time periods. Mccullough and Cook each noted a number of characteristics that differentiate the generations: Traditionalists value loyalty, conformity, rules and authority, and are disciplined and detail-oriented Baby Boomers value individual choice and focus on individual choices and freedom Generation X workers place a high value on family, feedback, autonomy, and creativity Millennials crave change, often do more than one thing at a time, like to be active rather than passive, and enjoy working with teams Managing Energy’s Multi-Generational Workforce
Dealing with the differences between the generations poses a significant challenge for any manager, McCullough said, adding that before it is all over, the workforce will change because of millennials. “Some baby boomers are looking forward to working with a new group of younger workers, while others have a few reservations. However, millennials can help bring about a change in values that can benefit everyone in the workforce.” “Millennials do not want to spend eight hours at a job that makes them miserable. Things like child care, time off, better benefits, paternity leave, and the ability to work from home when needed are going to have to become more commonplace,” she said. “The old guard can learn from the new as well. Who’s to say who is right or wrong. We have to acknowledge the differences and embrace them.”
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