One of the mainstays of our Intergenerational Engagement workshops is the communications preference section. Sales Managers and Sales People are experiencing game-changing results simply by understanding and adapting the way they communicate with members of the five different generations active in today's economy and workforce. Adobe just released their annual consumer email survey this morning, and there are some changes as it relates to how we like or loath email.
Generally speaking, the preferred forms of communications have gone something like this.
Silent Generation (Over 72): Write me!
Baby Boomers: (53-71) Call me!
Generation X: (39-52) Email me!
Generation Y/Millennials: (22-38)Text Me!
Generation Z: (Below 21) Message me!
As a GenX - Boomer Cusper, I can relate to email. Our generation has a love-hate relationship with email. Larger companies that are led by Boomers, GenX'ers love to send, read, and cc throughout the day. I would regularly receive over a hundred emails per day at my former company, and it occupied a great deal of my workday, nights and weekends. For companies, email is not only the primary communications tool, but it has also become a CYA tool for the "risk-averse." Ever have a quick conversation with a coworker, and they end the conversation with, "Can you send me that in an email?"
In Adobe's survey, they found that email is so all-consuming in the workplace, many are prying themselves away from email in search of a better work/life balance. And because more Millennials are getting to leadership roles in their companies, they are joining the email party in a big way.
Here are some key highlights from the survey:
Millennials get excited about email: 32% of consumers overall reported excitement when checking personal email, but that jumps to 43% for older millennials – more than any other age group.
Multitasking consumers admit to checking email in most situations (no matter how awkward or dangerous) including: While in the bathroom (43%)…And even while driving (14%)
Many younger Millennials are on email at the gym (28%)…while more than half of older Millennials check email first thing in the a.m. while still in bed (51%)
According to the survey, consumers are also increasingly trying to relinquish email on vacation, with nearly half (47%) not checking or rarely checking work email while on vacation, up from 42% in 2016. Older millennials report checking email on vacation more than any other age group (48%).