CRS: Breaking Down Generational Walls Within The Workplace.

During Wednesday’s “Living in the Gap: Communicating, Managing, and Working Across Generations” session at CRS, panelists Cumulus Media’s “New Country 96.3” KSCS and “99.5 The Wolf” KPLX Dallas PD Mike Preston, Riser House Entertainment President Jennifer Johnson, SiriusXM/Pandora PD Kathleen St. Clair, and 33 Creative artist manager Regan Donato agreed: Real interaction is important. Whether Boomer or Gen Z, face-to-face communication goes a long way.

What varies most between generations is what they value from a job. While older generations have never really “clocked out,” younger generations value a healthier work-life balance.

“Our degrees were different,” Johnson, the panel’s Gen X-er, said. “I was a chemist and going to med school. I didn’t have Belmont [University in Nashville]. I didn’t know that existed during that time. Now people have invested so much money into their education, and they have real bills in 2026 that look economically very different than they did back in the day. I could work for free. Before I had a real job in the music industry, I went and did it for free. I went and represented songwriters. I said, ‘This is my college education. I’ll work for free. I’ll do anything I can. I’ll mow the grass. I’ll pitch your songs. You don’t have to pay me — let me earn it.’ Now you can actually pay to go to college to do this.” 

Donato, the panel’s Gen Z-er, assured the audience that if she has 20 vacation days, she’s going to take them all.

But Gen Z values personal interaction more than their elders would believe. Despite coming of age during the COVID-19 pandemic and social media becoming a much larger part of their lives, Donato and St. Clair agreed that building relationships outside of the office is something that they value as much as previous generations.