Generation management in TELEKOM SLOVENIJE

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Generation management inTELEKOM SLOVENIJE

• mag. MOJCA BREZAVCEK
• September 2006

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Generation differences and stereotipes our
everyday reality
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Telekom Slovenije Group

• The leading provider of telecommunications
  services in domestic and international fixed,
  mobile telephony, internet telecommunication
  services and system integration in Slovenija
• Offers telecommunication network construction
• Maintainance services
• In total 3600 employees

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Mission of Telekom Slovenije

• We are the first in the market to offer most
  up-todate customer experience of communication,
  distinguished with first class quality,
  reliability and safetiness.
• We connect amusing, innovative and business
  contents which enrich our customers lives. We
  bring people closer, we enable personal
  communication and team work.
• Our customers talk, laugh, write communicate -
  with anybody, anywhere and at any time - they are
  the first.
• We work in stimulating, inspiring and challenging
  environment, where we find joy in team work,
  leadership and inspiration to be the first.
• As the first we create value for us, our
  customers, partners, owners.

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Vision
THE FIRST!
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Ownership Structure
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Telekom Slovenije Group

• Telekom Slovenije
• Established in 1995, after splitting of PTT
  Slovenija Enterprise into Pota Slovenije and
  Telekom Slovenije joint-stock company since
  1998 2,142 employees
• Mobitel
• Established in 1991 1.4 millon users 989
  employees
• SiOL
• Established in 1999 180,000 active accounts, 113
  employees
• GVO
• Established in 2004 465 employees
• Avtenta.si
• System integration and Business Solutions 45
  employees
• Teledat
• Publishing and data management 20 employees
• On.Net - Macedonia
• 76 owned by Telekom Slovenije, 2nd largest ISP
  in the country 90 employees
• iPKO Net Kosovo
• 75 owned by Telekom Slovenije, the largest ISP
  in the country 110 employees

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Net profit of Telekom Slovenije Group (by
subsidiaries YOY in million EUR)
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AVERAGE AGE IN TSfrom 2001-05
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Generation management at Telekom Slovenije

• Do we have any practice in generation management?
• Yes, we share certain views .but
• What kind of a practice do we in reality have?

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How do our employees perceive the situation?

• We can only assume, so we decided to
• do an internal survey to
• explore how our employees work, feel, think, act
  regarding generation management and generation
  differences .
• To get an insight and as a start for a more
  strategic approach.

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We included 3 groups

• YOUNG (up to 30 years old)
• OLDER (over 50 years old)
• DIRECTORS

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• Increasing number of aged employees brings
  generation gap due to different reasons
• Different
• personal values
• working styles
• views
• .
• Older and younger have specific limitations,
  needs and advantages.

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Our task is

• To create a stimulating environment for
• good collaboration and
• good atmosphere to ensure
• better working results.
• To create an environment which will help older to
  stay active, important and useful team members
  and as a result also be happier and more
  satisfied.
• By using the right managing style in managing the
  limitations and differences of old and young.

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• Lets go to the Questionnaire Results.

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Who is an older employee?

• It depends on a person,
• his/her energy, vitality, positive attitude
• If we put a number to an age
• 50 60, even 45 (that is the age when ones
  capabilities start to change)

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Which are the main characteristics of the young /
old employees?

• YOUNG about young flexible, faster, better
  knowledge, coruious, open to new, full of energy,
  ready to do things etc.
• OLD about young yes, they are fast, but also too
  fast, thoughtless, rush

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Which are the main characteristics of the young /
old employees?

• OLD about old rigid, less inclined to changes,
  less flexible, slower, critical, think before
  acting, use experiences, less mistakes, more
  patient
• YOUNG about old afraid of changes, conservative,
  deliberate, prudent, pessimistic, cynic, do not
  follow the development

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Which are the main characteristics of the young /
old employees?

• DIRECTORS about
• YOUNG ambitious, self conscius, open, good
  working habits, interested in here and now, new
  technologies, better knowledge, fresh ideas,
  getting the point quickly, find solutions fast
• OLD experiences, connections, networks, less
  reactive, inflexible, need more time, focused on
  the past. Often do things better, but slower.

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How good are directors in managing generation
differences?

• Almost all say they manage generation differences
  well.
• Do they really?
• Could they do better? Certanly!
• HR department task is to help them with
• Increasing awarness
• Supporting with managing tools, knowledge,

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How good is cooperation between the young and the
old generation in your department?

• Most respondents say it is good and satisfying.
• Due to different reasons
• They communicate a lot,
• they adapted to each other and
• accepted (take advantages of) the differences,
• help each other
• informal socialising

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Work satisfaction
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Organisational climate
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Do directors management styles differ in
relation to young/older employees? Is this
justified?

• Some respondents agree that there are
  differences, some do not see them.
• Some consider differences as necessary and
  justified, some do not.
• Directors answers
• Some say they use different managing styles
• (more patient with young/old, more/less respect,
  more/less demanding, more/less communication).
• Some say they work with everyone in the same way.

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Do directors management styles differ in
relation to young/older employees? Is this
justified?

• But we are different so
• flexible managing styles are necessary.

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Do directors tend to give / delegate different
tasks to young and old employees?

• SOMETIMES, YES, NO
• But mostly
• Task delegation depends on a person,
• his/her knowledge, abilities, expertiseand not
  on the fact how old the person is.

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Values .

• Older generations values
• Security, good relationships, respect, loyalty,
  health, not too much changes
• Younger generations values
• Personal, proffesional progress, material
  benefits, freedom, spare time, status,
  challenges, being taken into account, speed,
  creativity, career

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Do our employees experience any conflict of
values between generations when working
together?

• MOSTLY NOT, but
• mutual respect and acceptance of differences is
  needed,
• good managing is very important
• (differences can be turned into
• advantages)

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Do our employees experience any conflict of
values between generations when working
together?

• Certanly there are differences, but
• is this a conflict?
• This depends on people, personal characteristics,
  managing. and many other factors.

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Training and education are there any
differences between young and old employees?

• Directors say they make no age differences in
  deciding who to send to a certain seminar,
  conference.
• But our evidence shows differently

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Amount of training for age groupsin 2005 (in
hours)
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Training and education are there any
differences between young and aged employees?

• The reasons for this discrepancy could be
• More initiative from younger
• Older already accomplished certain educational
  programs
• Directors motivate younger by offering training
• Directors make differences but are not aware of
  them

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Who gets promoted if having the same
preconditions for promotion young or older?

• Directors have different views
• Some prefer
• younger (motivation, stimulation),
• older (waited longer, more experience, more
  mature)
• But
• mostly they consider age of not important factor
  in deciding who to promote (other characteristics
  are more important)

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Do older employees fear the young ones?(make
them redundant, replace them, take over more
demanding and interesting tasks, ignore them, )

• Depends on personality, but mostly yes.

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Do older switch off few years before
retirement?(Do older tend to distance
themselves from the work few years before
retirement)

• YES and NO.
• Depends on a personality, managing, the team,
  colleagues, knowledge, level of education .
• Switching off can happen due to different reasons
  (being fed up, being put aside, bad managing,
  being looked down upon, not feeling well among
  younger colleagues, cant follow the demands of
  every day work)

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How could switching off be prevented?

• By
• Right managing style, motivation, including in
  project teams, giving important tasks, not let
  them sleep, give them different roles
• Also helps
• Communication, socializing, respect, being
  active, attend educational programs, positive
  approach

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How could cross-generation conflict be prevented
or better take advantage of it?

• DIRECTORS answers
• Assign older counselors roles, talking to both
  sides, get them understand and accept the
  differences, include both generations in the same
  projects, stress the importance of good
  experiences, more communication, mixed working
  teams.

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How could cross-generation conflict be prevented
or better take advantage of it?

• YOUNG GENERATIONs answers
• Accepting and appreciating older colleagues
  knowledge, experiences, business practice,
  communication, collaboration, mixed teames, older
  as counselors, workshops, encouraging

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How could cross-generation conflict be prevented
or better take advantage of it?

• OLDER GENERATIONs answers
• Communication, socializing, collaboration, not
  being afraid of each other, sharing experiences,
  knowledge, helping each other, accepting as they
  are, mixed teams, knowledge transfer, right
  attitudes, mutual respect, tolerance, openly
  talking about problems

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What could you benefit from working together with
younger / older colleagues?

• YOUNG patience, experiences, different working
  styles, networks, social intelligence
• OLD knowledge, new ways of looking at things,
  flexibility, dynamics, activity, different point
  of view, new ideas, idealism, informality, energy
  

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CONCLUSIONS
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Conclusions

• How to keep older with all their demands, special
  personal characteristics and needs active and
  useful for the company?
• Older can offer a lot. But how to encourage them?
• Not only in theory but in practice?

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Conclusions

• Our goal is to create an environment where
• Young, old and all in between work together
  efficiently (they compensate what the other
  generation lack)
• The older stay fully active and contributing
  (according to their special limitations and
  needs)
• Young get all the encouragement and support they
  need

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Conclusions

• In order to achieve that we have to
• Keep and develope good atmosphere in the company
• Encourage life long education and training
• Organize specialized educational programs for
  elder employees (to suit their special needs)
• Older colleages as counselors and mentors in
  training programs
• Encourage and make older aware of importance to
  stay active for their own good (plan their own
  career, include in training programs, be
  initiative and proactive)
• Make the opportunity of flexible ways of
  employment for aged employees

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Conclusions

• 7. Adjusting work conditions and training
  according to specific demands of aged employees
• 8. Make managers (directors / heads of the dept.)
  aware of the topic and give them recommendations
  for working with older employees by
• Including this aspect in their training
• Giving them concrete guidelines and
  recommendations

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Conclusions

• Guidelines and recommendations for managers
• Encourage positive atitude towards older in their
  department and encourage mutual respect between
  young and old (recognizing and accepting the
  differences)
• Recognize and emphasize the advantages of older
  employees
• Give older employees enough training
  opportunities
• Give older employees important, demanding tasks
• (dont let them sleep or switch off)

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Conclusions

• Form mixed project teams (young and older working
  together)
• Encourage communication, informal socializing
• Give older more counselors roles (when
  appropriate)
• Give older time and space to adapt and accept
  changes
• 9. Use flexible managing methods (consider needs,
  limitations) .

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• Only with joined forces of all included actors
  (society, state, institutions and companies) we
  will succeed in our efforts to keep older
  employees active, satisfied and contributing the
  best they can.

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Thank you!