How generational stereotypes hold us back at work | Leah Georges

Translator: Ivana Korom Reviewer: Krystian Aparta

Translator: Karen Winardi Reviewer: Azfa Adid

So, for the first time in America's modern history,

Pertama kalinya dalam sejarah modern Amerika,

we have five generations interacting at work.

ada 5 generasi saling berinteraksi saat bekerja.

The veterans, born between 1922 and 1943,

Para veteran, lahir antara tahun 1922-1943,

are known as the Greatest Generation, the matures, the silents.

dikenal sebagai Generasi Terhebat karena mereka dewasa dan pendiam.

They're known for their self-sacrifice,

Mereka terkenal akan pengorbanan diri,

respect for authority and work as its own reward.

hormat kepada atasan dan bekerja demi pekerjaan itu sendiri.

The boomers came shortly after, born between 1944 and 1960.

Para boomer menyusul setelahnya, lahir antara tahun 1944-1960.

This is a generation characterized by hard work.

Generasi ini terkenal dengan watak pekerja keras.

In fact, we can thank this generation for the term "workaholic."

Kita bisa berterima kasih pada mereka atas istilah "gila kerja."

They appreciate competition, they love effective communication.

Mereka menghargai kompetisi dan menyukai komunikasi efektif.

And they're thinking towards retirement, if they haven't retired already.

Dan mereka memikirkan rencana pensiun, untuk yang belum pensiun.

Generation X is known as the lost generation

Generasi X dikenal sebagai generasi yang hilang

the latchkey generation, born between 1961 and 1980.

generasi tanpa pengawasan orang dewasa, lahir antara tahun 1961-1980.

This is the smallest generation,

Ini adalah generasi terkecil,

sandwiched between boomers and the big millennials.

digolongkan bersama generasi boomer dan milenial tua.

More parents were divorced in this generation

Perceraian semakin banyak pada generasi ini

than any generation prior.

dibandingkan dengan sebelumnya.

They also were the first generation to tell us about work-life balance,

Mereka juga yang pertama mengajari keseimbangan kehidupan dengan pekerjaan,

and the first to really ask for that in the workplace.

dan mengajukannya di lingkungan kerja untuk pertama kalinya.

And then millennials -- you know, the everybody-gets-a-ribbon generation --

Lalu ada milenial -- tahulah, generasi 'semua orang dapat penghargaan' --

born between 1981 and 2000.

lahir antara tahun 1981-2000.

Never knew a time where technology wasn't present in the home.

Mereka tidak pernah merasakan kealpaan teknologi dalam rumah mereka.

They're incredibly pragmatic, they're hopeful and they're determined.

Mereka sangat pragmatis, penuh harapan, dan berkemauan kuat.

They think they're going to change the world,

Mereka berpikir mereka akan mengubah dunia,

in fact, I believe they're going to do it.

dan saya percaya mereka akan melakukannya.

They might be a little bit idealistic sometimes,

Terkadang mereka mungkin sedikit terlalu idealis,

but in just the last several years,

tapi hanya dalam beberapa tahun terakhir,

we've seen millennials overtake Generation X

kita sudah melihat generasi milenial melengserkan generasi X

to be the most represented generation in the workforce.

dari posisi generasi yang paling banyak dalam lapangan kerja.

In fact, more than one in three people in the United States labor force

Malah, lebih dari 1 banding 3 orang dalam lapangan pekerjaan AS

is a millennial.

adalah seorang milenial.

And soon to join us there, Generation Z, born since 2000,

Lalu yang menyusul kita, Generasi Z, lahir sejak tahun 2000,

our high school interns or soon to be high school graduates.

anak SMA magang atau calon lulusan SMA di sekitar kita.

Now, if you open any internet browser,

Nah, kalau kalian buka browser mana pun,

look at Amazon,

cek website Amazon,

search any of your favorite search engines,

dan mesin pencari kesukaan kalian yang mana saja,

you might assume there's a literal war in the workplace, right?

kalian mungkin berasumsi ada perang secara harfiah dalam karier, kan?

We see blog topics like

Kita melihat topik besar seperti

"Seventeen reasons why millennials are the worst generation."

"17 alasan mengapa milenial adalah generasi terburuk."

And "Why baby boomers have ruined it for everybody."

dan "Mengapa baby boomer sudah merusak segalanya."

Or "Bridging the great generational divide."

atau "Menjembatani perbedaan antargenerasi."

It's like turning into this "West Side Story,"

Rasanya mirip drama "West Side Story,"

like, boomers come in one door,

Boomer masuk dari satu pintu,

millennials come in another door, the lobby,

milenial dari pintu lain di lobi,

they just fight with each other all day, complain, go home, do the same,

lalu mereka berkelahi sepanjang hari, protes, pulang, dan ulangi lagi,

come back to work, right?

terus kembali bekerja?

Well, so what if I told you these generations may not exist?

Nah, bagaimana kalau saya bilang generasi-generasi ini mungkin tidak ada?

I've been spending some time thinking about this and researching this,

Sudah lama saya memikirkan dan meneliti tentang ini,

and fellow researchers and I aren't exactly sure

saya dan peneliti lain tidak begitu yakin

that these generations are real.

generasi-generasi ini sungguhan ada.

And in fact, if we can agree that these groups even exist,

Justru kalau kita bisa sama-sama setuju kelompok ini ada,

we certainly don't agree who belongs in them.

kita tidak sepandangan soal siapa yang berada di setiap tipe.

And they span something like 20 years.

Dan mereka terus ada selama 20 tahun.

So at whatever point in history,

Jadi, dalam titik sejarah mana pun,

a one-year-old and a 20-year-old are said to share the same value system,

Anak 1 tahun dan orang berumur 20 tahun dikatakan memiliki sistem nilai yang sama,

to want the same things at work,

menginginkan hal yang sama dalam bekerja,

to have the same stereotypes working for and against them.

memiliki stereotipe positif dan negatif yang sama tentang mereka.

And in fact, different areas of the world define these generations differently.

Justru bagian dunia yang berbeda memandang setiap generasi dengan berbeda.

So we can't even compare generations across various areas of the world.

Jadi, kita tidak bisa membandingkan setiap generasi di berbagai belahan dunia.

And these stereotypes about each generation

Stereotipe-stereotipe setiap generasi

have, in a lot of ways, created this self-fulfilling prophecy,

kurang lebih telah membentuk pemikiran yang memenuhi prasangka,

that people begin to act as if they're part of that generation

sehingga orang mulai bertingkah seperti bagian dari generasi tertentu

because we've said out loud that generation is real.

karena kita sudah bilang jelas-jelas bahwa generasi itu nyata.

I'm not so sure that it is.

Saya tidak begitu yakin.

And in fact, this idea of generations

Konsep tentang generasi-generasi ini

has become deeply embedded in United States culture.

telah sangat tertanam dalam budaya AS.

When we talk generations,

Saat membicarakan generasi,

people know exactly what we're talking about.

orang-orang tahu mereka sedang ngomong apa.

In fact, people have a lot of thoughts and feelings

Malah, orang-orang memiliki banyak opini dan perasaan

about each of these generations.

tentang generasi-generasi ini.

And I'll tell you how I know this.

Saya tahu dari mana?

I did the thing

Saya melakukan hal

that every red-blooded American and pre-tenure academic does

yang dilakukan oleh setiap orang Amerika dan calon akademisi

when they have a question.

kalau ada pertanyaan.

I Googled some stuff.

Saya Google beberapa hal.

And this is what I learned.

Dan ini yang saya pelajari.

Google is based on algorithms,

Google berdasarkan algoritma,

and they provide you with commonly searched terms,

dan hasil itu memberi istilah yang sering dicari,

or suggested hits, based on what other people are searching

atau kata kunci disarankan, berdasarkan pencarian orang lain

surrounding the same topic.

tentang topik yang sama.

And it gave me a really good sense of what people think

Dan itu membuat saya memahami apa pikiran orang-orang

about each of these generations.

tentang setiap generasi.

Take a look.

Lihatlah.

I learned that baby boomers are conservative,

Saya mendapati baby boomer itu konservatif,

that Americans think they're stupid.

orang Amerika berpikir mereka bodoh.

The worst generation, they're angry,

Generasi terburuk, sering marah,

apparently they're racist and they're so important.

sepertinya juga rasis dan suka merasa penting.

Looking at Generation X,

Lalu Generasi X,

I learned Generation X is a cynical group,

Saya mendapati Generasi X itu sinis,

they're angry,

suka marah,

they're known as the lost generation -- we know this;

dianggap generasi yang hilang -- kita sudah tahu;

they're the smallest generation.

mereka generasi terkecil.

Apparently, they're stupid too.

Rupanya mereka juga bodoh.

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

And mostly, they're frustrated with baby boomers.

Yang terpenting, mereka pusing dengan baby boomer.

Alright, millennials, this is what I learned about us.

Oke, milenial. Ini yang saya temukan tentang kita.

So, we're obsessed with food.

Terobsesi dengan makanan.

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

We're also stupid, ah!

Kita juga bodoh, wah!

We're lazy, we're sensitive, we're fired,

Pemalas, sensitif, sering dipecat,

we're also hated, and we think we're important.

kita juga dibenci dan suka merasa penting.

And perhaps the most terrifying search result on the internet --

Dan mungkin hasil pencarian yang paling menakutkan --

Generation Z is screwed.

Generasi Z tidak ada harapan.

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

OK, so, for five years, I've been talking to leaders and followers

Oke, selama 5 tahun, saya sudah berbicara kepada pemimpin dan pengikut

across a wide variety of organizations.

dari berbagai macam organisasi.

And this is what I've come to realize.

Saat itulah saya sadar.

Generations haven't become part of the conversation --

Generasi belum menjadi bagian dari pembicaraan --

generations have become the conversation at work.

generasi sudah menjadi topik perbincangan kerja.

What I've learned

Saya sudah mempelajari

is that we're working under the assumption that those Google results are true.

bahwa kita berasumsi hasil-hasil di Google itu benar.

And so, what I think is that organizations are now desperate

Jadi, saya kira semua organisasi sangat ingin

to figure out how to "manage" the multigenerational workplace.

mencari tahu cara "mengelola" lapangan kerja multigenerasi.

"Manage" it.

"Mengelola," kata kuncinya.

We manage all sorts of things.

Kita mengelola berbagai macam hal.

We're preparing for this wave of millennials to come to work.

Kita bersiap untuk gelombang milenial dalam lingkungan kerja kita.

So we prepare for hurricanes, right?

Jadi, kita bersiap untuk angin topan, kan?

We prepare to take the MCAT, we prepare for natural disasters.

Kita bersiap untuk ujian MCAT, kita bersiap untuk bencana alam.

Why are we preparing for 23-year-olds to come to work?

Mengapa kita bersiap untuk orang 23 tahun masuk kantor?

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

I've talked to these organizations,

Saya sudah berdiskusi dengan mereka

and I've heard amazing things that they're doing

dan mendengar hal-hal menakjubkan yang mereka lakukan

to create a workspace for everybody to get along

untuk menciptakan lingkungan kerja agar semua orang rukun

and to have autonomy and to feel like they're thriving.

dan memiliki kebebasan, juga bisa merasa nyaman.

But I've also heard some really incredibly harebrained ideas

Tapi saya juga mendengar ide-ide tolol

about how to navigate the multigenerational workplace.

tentang cara membuat lapak untuk berbagai generasi.

Are you ready?

Siap?

This is what I saw.

Ini yang saya lihat.

I visited an organization,

Saya ke suatu organisasi,

and they adopted this idea that if you can see it, you can be it.

dan mereka mengadopsi ide kalau Anda bisa lihat, Anda bisa jadi seperti itu.

A really important concept.

Konsep yang sungguh penting.

But I think they blew it.

Tapi penerapan mereka gagal.

The put pictures on the walls of the ideal multigenerational workplace,

Mereka menaruh gambar tentang lapak yang ideal untuk berbagai generasi

because if you can see it, you can be it.

karena kalau Anda bisa lihat, Anda bisa begitu.

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

Or like this one.

Atau seperti yang ini.

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

Like, I don't even want to work here.

Saya saja tidak mau bekerja di sini.

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

You don't get to wear color here, apparently,

Kalian tidak boleh pakai baju berwarna lain di sini, sepertinya,

and HR seriously has problems with people jumping in heels,

dan bagian HR bermasalah dengan orang pakai sepatu jinjit,

I promise you that, OK?

Itu sungguhan, oke?

I talked to an organization who recently decided

Saya berbicara dengan organisasi yang baru-baru ini menolak

against putting a ball pit in the break room

keputusan menaruh arena mandi bola di ruang santai

because that's how you retain millennials.

karena itu cara membuat milenial betah.

We're 30, not three.

Umur kita sudah 30, bukan lagi 3 tahun.

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

And in fact, I know a young, at the time, millennial,

Saya kenal milenial yang pada saat itu masih muda,

who was told that if she wanted people to take her seriously,

dia diberitahu kalau dia mau dianggap serius oleh orang lain,

just because she was a millennial, she would have to do this --

hanya karena dia gen milenial, dia harus melakukan ini --

wear shoulder pads.

pakai pelindung bahu.

Yes.

Iya.

People younger than her and older than her wouldn't take her seriously

Yang lebih muda atau tua daripada dia tidak akan menyeriusi dia

unless she wore shoulder pads.

kecuali kalau dia pakai pelindung bahu.

Straight-out-of-the-80s,

Pelindung bahu era 80an

can't-even-buy-them-anywhere shoulder pads.

dan sudah tidak bisa dibeli di mana pun.

This young woman had two graduate degrees.

Dia punya dua gelar pascasarjana.

This young woman was me.

Wanita itu adalah saya.

And this is the best we came up with?

Ini hal terbaik yang bisa kita pikirkan?

How to navigate the multigenerational workplace ... is shoulder pads?

Cara menjembatani perbedaan generasi dalam pekerjaan ... pakai pelindung bahu?

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

So, this is also what I've learned talking to organizations

Jadi, ini juga yang sudah saya pelajari dari banyak organisasi

that employ a wide range of people of various ages.

yang memperkerjakan orang-orang dari berbagai usia.

We are so much more similar than we are different.

Kita punya lebih banyak persamaan daripada perbedaan.

And we're hearing this consistently.

Dan kita sering dengar ini.

People want work that matters, they want flexibility,

Orang ingin pekerjaan yang penting, fleksibilitas,

they want support, they want appreciation,

dukungan, apresiasi,

they want better coffee.

dan kopi lebih enak.

But none of these things are tied to a generation.

Tapi semua ini tidak dikaitkan dengan generasi tertentu.

Now, sure, we see small differences in what people want.

Oke, kita melihat perbedaan kecil dalam keinginan orang.

We know 20-year-olds and 60-year-olds go home and do different things.

Kita tahu orang 20 tahun dan 60 tahun melakukan hal berbeda di rumah.

They have different values.

Nilai panutan mereka berbeda.

At least when it comes to things happening outside of work.

Setidaknya begitulah untuk hal di luar pekerjaan.

But I think what's happened

Tapi menurut saya,

is that this focus on generational cohorts,

yang terjadi adalah fokus terhadap perbedaan generasi,

these groups of people,

kelompok orang-orang ini,

has created a space where we just forgot that people are people.

telah menciptakan tempat di mana kita lupa orang tetaplah orang.

And to know who they really are, who we really work with,

Untuk mengenal mereka sebenarnya siapa, dengan siapa kita bekerja,

we have to figure out how to better navigate

kita harus mencari cara mengakomodir

this multigenerational workplace

berbagai generasi ini

than ball pits.

lebih dari sekadar bak mandi bola.

Call me one of those idealist millennials, but I think we can get there.

Sebut saja saya milenial idealis, tapi kita bisa mencapainya.

And I don't think the idea is too terribly difficult.

Dan saya pikir konsepnya tidak terlalu sulit.

What if we radically, simply, not easily,

Bagaimana kalau kita secara sederhana

meet people where they are?

menemui orang di mana mereka berada?

Individualize our approach.

Buatlah pendekatan personal.

I've never met a generation.

Saya jarang menemui generasi.

I've had a lot of conversations

Saya sudah banyak berbincang

with people who happened to identify with a specific generational cohort.

dengan orang-orang yang mengakui mereka kelompok generasi tertentu.

I know that 80-year-olds text message

Saya kenal orang 80 tahun yang SMS-an

and 23-year-olds crochet blankets.

dan orang 23 tahun yang merajut selimut.

None of these things are stereotypical of that generation, right?

Hal seperti itu tidak melulu milik generasi tertentu, kan?

Nilofer Merchant -- she's a thought leader in innovation --

Nilofer Merchant -- dia adalah pionir inovasi --

she tells us we have to meet people in their onlyness,

Dia bilang kita harus menemui orang dalam keunikan mereka,

that is, that spot in the world where only we stand,

yaitu titik dalam dunia yang hanya ada kita,

as a function of our unique history, our experiences and our hopes.

sebagai fungsi dari sejarah, pengalaman, dan harapan unik kita.

But this requires flexibility and curiosity.

Tapi ini memerlukan rasa ingin tahu dan pikiran terbuka.

And what happens when we meet people in their onlyness,

Kalau kita menemui orang dalam keunikan mereka,

only the spot in the world that they stand,

di titik dunia yang hanya ada mereka,

we learn that that boomer who is just acting "angry" at work all the time

kita tahu boomer yang biasanya suka "marah" terus saat bekerja

is scared.

sebenarnya ketakutan.

Because he's worked every day since he was 16 years old,

Karena dia sudah bekerja setiap hari sejak usianya 16 tahun,

and on a Monday, sooner than he can imagine,

dan suatu Senin, lebih cepat daripada yang dia bayangkan,

he'll never go to work again.

dia tidak bisa bekerja lagi.

He's got plans.

Dia punya rencana.

It's going to take like a week and a half

Menyelesaikan semua tugas rencana pensiun

to do all the things on that retirement list.

akan makan waktu 1,5 minggu untuknya.

But then what?

Lalu apa?

What if we give a little bit of grace

Bagaimana kalau kita sedikit lebih

to the person that might be a little scared?

berempati pada orang yang mungkin takut?

Or that Generation X-er

Atau generasi X itu

who has four drop-offs, three kids, two hands,

yang punya 4 tempat tujuan, 3 anak, dan 2 tangan,

and is just trying to keep the wheels on the bus.

dan hanya berusaha untuk tetap bisa menyetir.

Sure, maybe she's a little aloof at work.

Mungkin dia agak penyendiri di kantor.

Maybe she's a little independent, maybe she's exhausted.

Mungkin dia mandiri atau kecapekan.

Or that millennial

Atau milenial itu

who asks for a raise after two months because they're "entitled?"

yang minta kenaikan gaji setelah 2 bulan karena mereka "manja?"

Well, maybe it's because that generation has more debt

Mungkin itu karena hutang pinjaman milenial setelah

than any generation before them, coming out of college,

lulus kuliah, lebih banyak daripada generasi sebelumnya.

and they just need the money

dan mereka hanya butuh uang

to keep going, to pay rent.

untuk tetap hidup dan punya rumah.

And suddenly, when you meet people in their onlyness,

Tiba-tiba, kalau Anda menemui orang dalam keunikan mereka,

that spot in the world only they stand,

titik yang hanya ada mereka,

we're not talking about a generation anymore.

kita tidak lagi bicara soal generasi.

We're talking about Jim or Jen or Candice.

Kita bicara tentang Jim, Jen, atau Candice.

And so here's my challenge to us.

Ini tantangan saya untuk kalian.

Pick a person, just one, and explore their onlyness.

Pilih satu orang saja, dan jelajahi keunikan mereka.

And then learn.

Lalu pelajari itu.

And then in the moments where it's appropriate, teach.

Dan saat yang tepat tiba, ajari diri kalian sendiri.

And figure out what they bring to work that no one else can bring to work,

Cari tahu apa yang hanya mereka bisa bawa ke tempat kerja,

because that's what makes work richer.

yang membuat kerja lebih bermakna.

And then do it again.

Lalu lakukan lagi.

And do it again.

Dan lagi.

And then some day, we're not working with generations anymore.

Lalu, suatu hari, kita tidak bekerja dengan generasi lagi.

We're working with people.

Kita bekerja dengan orang.

And so to really understand the beauty of the multigenerational workplace,

Jadi, untuk memahami keindahan lingkungan kerja multigenerasi,

I think we just have to meet people where they are.

Saya pikir kita harus melihat orang lain apa adanya.

And that doesn't require that we unpack and live there with them.

Kita tidak perlu pindah dan tinggal bersama mereka.

But we might find, at least on occasion, it's a beautiful place to visit.

Terkadang, kita akan menemukan, keindahan dalam keunikan mereka.

And so I think there's just no need

Karena itu, saya pikir tidak perlulah

to argue about which generation is the most angry

berdebat tentang generasi mana yang paling suka marah,

or the most entitled or the most so obsessed with food.

paling manja, atau paling terobsesi dengan makanan.

We all come to the classroom, to work, back to our homes,

Kita masuk ke kelas, kantor, lalu pulang

a little bit tired and a little bit tattered sometimes.

terkadang dalam keadaan sedikit lelah dan kacau.

Maybe let's just do our best to humbly meet people where they are,

Mari kita berusaha mengenal keunikan orang dengan rendah hati,

how they show up that day,

dan kondisi mereka pada hari itu,

generation and all.

terlepas dari generasi.

And in those moments

Dan pada saat itulah

where it can feel a little bit like intergenerational warfare,

rasanya mungkin sedikit seperti perang antargenerasi,

I think we can at least all agree

saya pikir kita semua setidaknya bisa sepakat

that shoulder pads aren't the solution.

bahwa pelindung bahu bukanlah solusinya.

(Laughter)

(tertawa)

Thank you.

Terima kasih.

(Applause)

(tepuk tangan)