In 2023, Alastair Greener commissioned a study of 110 British HR professionals. Some 66 per cent said communication with and between generations was posing challenges for business efficiency. Yet only 6 per cent rated friction between age groups as a major challenge.
That gap should interest anyone supervising a mixed-age security team. It suggests that colleagues can get on perfectly well and still struggle to communicate effectively. The problem may be less about conflict and more about how information travels, what people expect and what gets missed.
On a security shift, those details matter. You might have a nineteen-year-old starting their first job alongside someone with thirty years of experience. Both need to understand the assignment instructions, raise concerns and know what happens when something goes wrong. The starting point is curiosity because although research reveals patterns, your officers are individuals. I suggest usingthose patterns to ask better questions, rather than deciding you already know the answers.
Has the message actually arrived?
My Communication Habits and Preferences survey of 4,067 people across the UK in 2024 found that, when a call went unanswered, 53 per cent of Gen Z would send a message instead. Only 12 per cent would leave a voicemail, compared with 46 per cent of Baby Boomers. These are everyday habits, not a test of professional competence. They do, however, help explain how two people can believe they have done their bit while neither has the information they need. This reminds me of the quote from George Bernard Shaw, who said, “The biggest challenge with communication is the assumption it’s taken place.”
Imagine a supervisor leaving a voicemail about shift cover and assuming the officer will call back. Meanwhile the officer may be expecting a message they can read and respond to. Each considers their approach perfectly normal and neither has checked the other’s expectation. So for routine arrangements, try asking what works and agree how replies will be confirmed. Make sure officers recognise the numbers used to contact them. A message sent is not necessarily a message received, understood or acted upon.
Callouts and lone-worker welfare checks need an agreed procedure that everyone understands and practises. In other words which channel should be used, when to acknowledge contact, and what happens if there is no response. Personal preferences can inform how you explain that procedure but they can’t determine whether someone follows it, so check understanding by asking officers to talk you through what they would do.
Making it easier to speak up
Another finding deserves attention is that among respondents aged sixteen and over, 71 per cent of Gen Z said they found it easier to communicate and connect with people closer to their own age, compared with 36 per cent of Baby Boomers. That doesn’t tell us how an individual officer will behave, but it should lead to a supervisor asking how easy they have made it for another person to raise a concern with them. A new officer might notice a near miss, an instruction that does not match conditions on site, or a colleague who seems unwell. Knowing the reporting line is one thing, but feeling able to start the conversation is another.
“Come to me if there’s a problem” can sound reassuring to the person saying it while leaving the listener wondering what counts as a problem. I suggest focussing on being more specific with something like: “If an instruction doesn’t fit what you’re seeing, contact me straight away. You don’t need to have worked out the answer first.” Then explain who to contact if you are unavailable. Your response matters too. If someone’s first question is met with impatience or embarrassment in front of colleagues, they may think twice next time. Listen, thank them for raising it and explain what happens next. You can correct a misunderstanding without making someone regret speaking.
Feedback between annual reviews
In my 2024 survey, 45 per cent of Gen Z workers wanted feedback at least weekly. An annual appraisal leaves a substantial gap between those conversations. A supervisor may think silence means everything is fine while an officer may interpret the same silence as a lack of interest or worry that they are getting something wrong. The problem is that neither interpretation has been discussed.Useful feedback need not involve another form or a lengthy meeting. At handover, a brief, specific comment can help: “You stayed calm with that contractor and explained the access requirements clearly.” Where improvement is needed, explain what should happen differently and check understanding. Ask each officer how often a check-in would help. Some want regular reassurance while learning while others value more space. Experience matters, but age alone will not tell you which approach someone needs. Nobody should have to wait for an appraisal to hear about a problem affecting their work.
Giving people a reason to stay
Feedback also opens a conversation about development. Does the officer want more responsibility, experience on another site or support towards a supervisory role? What would make their current job more rewarding? Be honest about what’s available and if promotion is unlikely soon, explain the skills they could develop and the opportunities you can realistically support. An encouraging conversation followed by nothing can undermine the trust you were trying to build.
Give experienced officers the same attention and don’t assume that someone who is older has stopped wanting to learn, or that a younger colleague is automatically the person to explain new technology. Invite people to share what they know and ask what they want to learn.
During 16 years working at sea, I learnt that a team could share a purpose without sharing the same expectations about communication. Getting to know those expectations was part of leading the team and for a security supervisor, that starts with the next shift. Ask how people prefer to communicate, check they understand the procedures and make time to listen to the answer.
Finally, be curious before you judge. The aim is to have a team where every officer knows how to reach you, feels able to speak up and understands what is expected of them.
About Alastair Greener
He’s a generational communication speaker and consultant, President of the Professional Speaking Association UK and Ireland for 2026, and author of Generationally Speaking, a finalist in the Business Book Awards 2026.
Research source: Communication Habits and Preferences 2024, Generationally Speaking, UK survey of 4,067 people. Figures refer to respondents’ ages at the time of the survey. generationallyspeaking.co.uk/research/statistics/.
