August 20, 2026- There is a unique kind of tension in the workplace these days. It has less to do with what people are reheating in the shared microwave and more to do with the differences in generational experience. As each new generation comes into the workforce, there’s a kind of mass panic about how things are going to be different and the impact that’s going to have on the politics of the office.
Diversity is a beautiful thing – by bringing people together from different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, you are establishing a foundation that can leverage those differences into a team that can accomplish more. There might be lots of division and differences of opinion in the world right now, but most are typically trying to accomplish the same goal.
Repertoire Magazine spoke to Meagan Johnson, a generational expert, author, and keynote speaker, about the many and varied differences between the generations in the workforce and how we can all better work together to support each other. Her book, Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters–Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work, looks at how leaders can how people can coexist, cooperate and thrive in a corporate setting.
Developing generational signposts
One of the ways that Johnson uses to differentiate between generations is through a concept she coins “generational signposts”, which are events that define and influence a generation. She said, “What they are trying to explain is how events, the economy, and situations shape different clusters of people. People born during a certain timeframe have experienced these generational signposts differently than other people of different ages.”
Continue Reading in the latest issue of Repertoire Magazine.