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In our Diversity@NORMA series, we highlight the diversity of personalities that work at NORMA Group. In 2023, the focus is on the various generations of NORMA Group employees. Colleagues from different departments, countries and age groups report on the experiences they have had working with older and younger colleagues and how a cross-generational exchange of information and ideas takes place at NORMA Group.
In this interview, Clement Briand, Product Design Engineer at the site in Guichen, France, talks about the insights he has gained from his daily work with older and younger colleagues.
Clement, what do you see as the biggest differences between members of your generation and people who are both younger and older?
I have three colleagues on my team. Two of them are about twenty years older than me. My other colleague and myself are both in our mid-twenties.
I think that people who are about the same age as my older colleagues saw, at the beginning of their careers, their work primarily as a necessity to earn money and secure their livelihood. They put a lot of energy into their work and use to stay with a company throughout their career. Of course, that is probably also a cliché and certainly doesn’t apply to everyone, but it is something that I have often observed with family members as well.
People of my generation, on the other hand, tend to want to find meaning in their work. They want to be part of something and be proud of what they do. They are less emotionally attached to a company and more willing to leave it want to find a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives.
Are there also differences between the generations and their approaches to work?
When I got started in the professional world, I was already familiar with the new technologies. I suppose this is true for most people of my generation. My older colleagues first had to become familiar with them.
I also have the feeling that older people prefer hierarchical management, while young people appreciate more freedom and inclusive management.
Is there an exchange of information and ideas among the generations at NORMA Group?
Absolutely. The company site here in Guichen is a good example of this.
“There are employees here who have more than 20 years of experience.”
But in the last few years in particular, a wave of new employees has joined the workforce in Guichen – most of them are in their mid-twenties.
There is an intensive exchange of ideas and information among all of us: Older employees pass on their experience and younger colleagues bring in new ideas that provide a breath of fresh air.
What have you been able to learn from your older colleagues?
First and foremost, I have been fortunate enough to acquire a lot of knowledge.
“I have been able to learn a lot about best practices and our products – and I continue to learn new things every day.”
At the end of March this year I was in Subotica, Serbia for four days. Having a face-to-face meeting allowed us to further strengthen our team spirit. It was great to learn from the experiences of the other participants.
But I think I also contributed many new suggestions and ideas for our collaboration. Here we believe that all opinions are valuable – no matter what generation they come from.
