Inside Track: Why Legal Department Generational Shifts Are Tying GCs in Knots

The huge differences in opinion over whether a Paul Hastings associate’s slide of “nonnegotiable expectations” was problematic has underscored this reality: Managing today’s multi-generational workforce is mind-bogglingly difficult. If you are a GC, I am not telling you anything you haven’t already noticed. In a recent column for Corporate Counsel, business strategist Scott Steinberg summed up the challenges. “In effect, for the first time in history, we now have five generations in the workplace—all of which learn, work, communicate and consume information in vastly different fashions, which begs the question: How can we better communicate with, engage, and inspire all these audiences.” Perhaps there’s been at least a smidgen of improvement since 2017, when Thomson Reuters surveyed 135 legal department workers for “The Generational Shift in Legal Departments,” a report that concluded legal department leaders were flat-out overwhelmed. “Capturing baby boomers’ extensive experience while making the most of millennials’ traits and skills is a delicate balance, but the vast majority of legal departments are not striking the right balance, or worse, not even acknowledging the challenges facing them,” the report concluded. It’s easy—but misguided—for legal department leaders to fall back on cliches about how generations differ when they try to set the tone for their departments, Law.com’s Trudy Knockless reported last week. 

“A misconception that exists is that preparing for the next generation means programming with a clumsy attempt to send a message like free-pizza Fridays—we care about your physical needs, so here is free food—or no-meeting Mondays—we care about your emotional health, so here is a day without meetings or you can work from home,” said Stephen Kim, general counsel of Avicanna, a developer of cannabis-based medical products. All those are nice, Kim said, but are no substitute for integrity, character and transparency or “for being the GC that actually gets things done, whether it’s substantive law, experience, empathy and coaching, training and development, promotions and raises for the team.” The Thomson Reuters study noted that millennials are perceived to be tech-savvy, entrepreneurial, creative, collaborative and to value diversity. On the other hand, they’re dissed for being too candid, having a sense of entitlement, craving continuous positive reinforcement and for being disloyal job-hoppers. Oh, and let’s not forget millennials’ embrace of work-life balance. It’s a trait some boomers interpret as a lack of work ethic but that many millennials see as reflecting much-needed perspective on what’s really important in life.