“文化是我们从人们身上学到的东西, 它是特定于你所属的群体的, 就像我说的, 都是学来的,” said Elaine Cullen Vandervert , PhD, president of Prima Consulting, 也是AEM最近举办的 产品安全 & 合规管理研讨会. “文化告诉你发生了什么, 你应该怎么想, 你应该怎么做?, 以及你应该如何去做. It tells you how to operate in that group we are talking about.”

It’s obvious everyone belongs to – and participate in – a variety of cultures. 一个人的国籍, gender and religious belief (or lack thereof) all contribute to how they present themselves. 在她的产品安全报告中 & 法规遵从研讨会参加者, Vandervert emphasized the impact of culture in determining how employers can and should go about creating a safe and productive workplace.

One component of organizational culture that employers absolutely cannot afford to overlook is the wide range of ages of their respective workforces and its impact on the development and refinement of 安全 culture.  For the first time ever, there are five generations that can currently be found in the workforce. 婴儿潮一代，很久以前， used to comprise the largest section of the workforce by a fairly comfortable margin. That’s starting to change, 然而, as they continue to retire in greater and greater numbers.

不幸的是, there’s a significant consequence to Boomers leaving the workforce: They are taking with them a wealth of knowledge, skills and wisdom that only comes from significant experience. A study cited by Vandervert found it takes 8-10 years 平均 for an employee to be able to develop a certain level of experience that allows them to administer on-the-job teaching and training. 这是一个发人深省的统计数据, especially when considering 什么 it takes to establish an effective 安全 culture within an organization.

“You need to be able to know 什么 to do when things go wrong from a 安全 perspective,范德弗特说.

It’s impossible for a person or group to participate within an organization’s culture if they are unwilling – or unable – to embrace its norms. 文化s change slowly, 然而, and patience is required. And it all comes down to people themselves, said Vandervert, and how they’re managed. With so many generations in the workforce right now, managing them 有效地 一项任务是不是说起来容易做起来难.

“A study we conducted showed there are five variables related to work that are different across generations,她接着说. “他们是如何处理它的, 他们有什么动力啊, 他们如何看待职业发展, and the attitudes they have about learning within that work environment. And if you step into a workplace with all five generations, you will see conflict.”

Those five generations, as described by Vandervert, are:

• 传统主义者- - - - - - 生于1927年至1946年之间, traditionalists are quite obviously no longer very prevalent in the workforce. However, those who remain are best described as dependable, respectable and loyal. 最重要的是, 然而, traditionalists believe they have earned the right to be respected largely based on their lengthy track record of experience.
• 〇婴儿潮一代 出生于1946年至1964年之间, 婴儿潮一代, 很久以前，也不是很久以前, 主导劳动力市场. Known as the optimistic and loyal generation, Boomers committed themselves to changing the world. 另一方面, 虽然, they tend to be workaholics who were perhaps too often willing to make personal sacrifices in exchange for success.”
• 〇“x一代” Born between 1964 and 1980, members Generation X are known as the first “挂钥匙的孩子.“多疑，思想独立, Gen Xers tend to value work-life balance more so than any other generation in the workforce.
• 千禧一代- 出生于1981年至1994年之间, 用“千禧一代”来形容最好不过了, 思想开放，对个人机会持开放态度. 除了, they are known for their desire to be part of a team, having fun at work and for their tendency to seek out (and embrace) new professional opportunities as they become available.
• 〇“z世代” 出生于1995年至2010年之间, Gen Z members tend to think more in global terms than many of those who came before them. They are dependent on digital devices and, thus far, have been – generally speaking – 更容易出现心理健康问题.

所有 of this is to say when members of these five groups come together in the workforce, 事情可能会变得有点复杂. 这是因为, 在很多情况下, people tend to operate very differently within professional environments based on the rituals, behaviors and norms associated with the generation from which they come.

So, culture is an incredibly important consideration when looking to establish a safe and productive workplace, because employers must be able to determine exactly 什么 will make workers choose to act safely and productively and – perhaps more importantly – find a way to all those widely varying factors work within the confines of their own organizational structures.  

“因为, 最终, culture is the glue that holds everyone and everything together,范德弗特说.