Generations@Work

About Generations@Work

It began as a curiosity born out of the difficulties of a client. The “it” in this case is our deepening interest in the topic of generations in the workplace. In 2000 our group, formerly know as Nommos, was working with a firm employing several thousand young people. They asked us to study their problem with this seemingly out-of-step group of recent hires. We did. And thus began our fascination with the topic of generations at work.

Generations@Work exists to grow and share our collective understanding of the Millennial Generation as it takes its place at work. The presence of the Millennials at work is being noticed and noted with both a sense of curiosity and concern. Leaders across a wide spectrum of our economy and society seem puzzled and even a bit confused about how to manage this independent group of young workers. With this puzzlement comes the opportunity for costly misconception for both employers and employees. It does seem at times as if young workers and their employers are talking past each other.

Very simply we want to bring generations together in the workplace. We value the wisdom of the group regardless of age demographics. We also recognize the distinctive assets of young people. Our early curiosity with this new generation of workers has grown into a business dedicated to helping other businesses and organizations optimize the potential of this generation. We continue our research and consulting as we continue to create new tools for recruiting, training and developing the generation that, sooner than we think, will be playing a key role in our economy.

Russell Eckel PhD

Generations@Work evolved out of Dr. Eckel’s work in organizational change and workforce development. Of late the emphasis in his work focuses on workforce development, in particular as it relates to the emergence of the Millennial Generation in the workplace. This work is now being done under the banner of a new business named Generations@Work.

Russell Eckel founded the Nommos Consulting Group in 1992, working in the areas of organizational development, organizational change, and leadership. For the past twenty-five years Russell has consulted with and developed organizational change initiatives for leaders as well as operational employees at General Motors, Ford Motor Company, DaimlerChrysler, American Axle and Manufacturing, Harvard University, the National Education Association, and many others. An expert in the field of labor and industrial relations, Dr. Eckel has worked closely with companies and unions striving to create positive change through cooperative partnerships. In 1984 he helped to establish a groundbreaking educational program involving executives of General Motors and leaders of the United Auto Workers Union. His work in this program is ongoing.

Russell received his Doctorate in Social Economy and Social Policy from Boston College and in addition to his consulting practice has remained active in applied social research. He has written on topics as varied as the impact of new technology on labor relations in the telecommunications industry and the impact of employee relocation on organizational performance. In 2000 he and colleagues at Nommos completed a series on case studies for the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) focusing on best practices in industrial relations in the United States.

Dr. Eckel has long maintained an active interest in matters related to work and the changing nature of work. In 2000 he also started the New American Worker Project at Nommos. As with most of his work, his interest in this topic emerged out of his experience with firms and institutions experiencing a change in the age composition of their workforce. Since that time he has undertaken two research projects designed to explore and understand the attitudes and behaviors of young Americans in a variety of sectors and industries.

Russell Eckel lives with his wife, Paula, and sons, Matthew and Robert, in Peabody, Massachusetts.