In Depth

Security and the Generational Divide

Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y each present unique security challenges in the workplace. Do employees know what types of physical and digital risk they create? And do you know how to communicate with each group?

By Joan Goodchild, Senior Editor

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Dowling, the president of in Pennsylvania, has a resume in the field that dates back to the 70's. He thinks both a high level of technical proficiency, coupled with a lot of impatience on the part of younger workers, makes it difficult for organizations to smoothly integrate new security systems and policies these days.

But despite their youth, it's actually not Millennials that Dowling thinks pose the biggest threat when it comes to access. Instead, their slightly older peers are the ones you might want to watch out for if you are concerned about access. While Gen Xers have matured and evolved considerably beyond their so-called rebellious earlier days, Dowling says it is still important to key an eye out for this group, which in today's workforce means workers between 28 and 43 years old.

"They like to reject the rules. The have their own way of doing things," said Dowling. "They tend to look for ways around the system, may not realize the security value and are probably less likely to comply."

On the other hand, Millennials, a group whose young lives were defined by 9/11 and who are comfortable with high-security systems, are more likely to comply, said Dowling. But then there is that impatience and short attention span thing again.

"Queuing problems for instance," said Dowling. "They may be more likely to get frustrated and less likely to comply if that is the case."

Queuing, or waiting in line, can sometimes be an issue in a security system, depending on how entry control works, said Dowling. For example, an optical turnstile or other system of control may have a line. Impatient users may view this as a waste of time and try to gain access through an exit door and bypass the security protocol for entry, he said.

And as for his own Boomer generation?

"A new system comes into place and they have an understanding that it is there for a reason. They are going to use it and use it the right way."

Spoken like a true Boomer.

Can't we all just get along?

All of these different perspectives can no doubt lead to tension among workers. Workplace confrontation is a real concern when it comes to generational differences, according to Matuson.

Understanding different styles of communication is the first step to easing the frustration many older workers may have about their youthful colleagues.

"Some of my more mature clients think younger people are from another planet and don't have any respect for their elders," said Matuson. "I think what some of the older workers need to understand it that it's not that these younger workers don't hear them. It's that they listen in a different way."