How Organizations Can Better Support First-Gen Professionals

Growing up, my mom was a nurse, and my dad was a police officer. Neither were white-collar professionals, but they encouraged me to pursue “corporate life” after graduation. I remember being hired to my first job at Sun Life and listening to a conversation between my boss and colleagues. They were speaking English, but the words weren’t registering in my brain. They used things like “synergy,” “pipeline” and “paradigm,” and I remember feeling absolutely lost. At times, I even felt like I was destined to fail because how were my fellow new hires able to understand what was going on while I sat there, confused?

It wasn’t until a few months later that I realized that, while my newly hired colleagues may be the same age and have started the job at the same time as me, some were actually years ahead thanks to their parents’ white-collar careers. They had absorbed the corporate culture, norms, and even a baseline of the unfamiliar jargon since childhood—things I had limited exposure to because my parents weren’t in the corporate workforce. 

But this isn’t a unique experience. This is the reality for first-generation professionals (FGPs). 

Entering the corporate world is challenging for most people as it’s a new and complex environment, but for FGPs, the journey is even more difficult. Whether they are first-generation immigrants or the first in their families to step into the corporate realm, FGPs face a unique set of challenges

Defining First Generation Professionals 

When we talk about first-generation professionals, we’re talking about people without familial ties to the corporate space. Harvard Business Review defines them as “those who transition from working-class roots to white-collar careers.” Often, these individuals are not the only first-generation professionals but also the first of their family to attend and graduate post-secondary school—making these early years of their career even more difficult to navigate.

When someone is the first of their family to do anything, it presents a unique challenge where they are unable to look to their family members for guidance or knowledge transfer. Without a parent or grandparent to share their experience and, for lack of a better phrase, “tips and tricks” to navigate the workforce, these young professionals are forced to independently decipher the corporate culture, norms, and customs while gaining their footing as an entry-level professional. Add in the additional layer of complexity when it comes to international students who graduate and land a job in their new home country—they not only have to navigate the corporate world, but the broader societal norms as well.

Cultural Adjustments

Knowing the difficulties of FGPs, organizations have a duty to help make the transition as easy as possible. We often assume people have a base-level of knowledge right when they start their new jobs, but even if they have the technical skills, there’s the possibility of a gap in the cultural aspect. Many people grew up listening to their parents take calls before dinner or overheard heated discussions about colleagues at the dinner table. When this happens, we unknowingly absorb the underlying norms of corporate settings from a young age. 

But without that exposure, these assumptions can be detrimental. 

So what can organizations do?

Onboard Compassionately

Cultural adjustment is crucial for FGPs who may need time to understand workplace culture, communication styles, and social dynamics. Organizations need to prioritize compassionate onboarding, ensuring cultural competency is a focus for all employees, especially leaders. As these new workers are coming into the organization, understand that the questions they’ll ask are coming from a place of curiosity and that they may even be embarrassed to ask certain questions.

Inclusive Communication

Organizations need to be aware of potential language barriers and proficiency issues they’ve created. Think back to when you started at your most recent corporate role—do you remember having to learn a whole dictionary of company-specific terms? It seems the majority of organizations have their own jargon and it’s on the new hires to learn the language. This is an even more difficult step for FGPs as they may not have even known each organization has slightly different names for the same things. 

Organizations can help bridge the communication gap with inclusive communication, diverse modes of communication, and avoiding excessive corporate jargon. Explicitly stating unspoken rules ensures that all new hires, not just first-generation professionals, aren’t left in the dark.

Connection Matters

As well-adjusted corporate professionals, many of us know success extends beyond hard work. Raw data and completed projects are important, but true success also includes how effectively someone can communicate and connect with their peers and colleagues. This connection plays a pivotal role in who is assigned what tasks, who lands promotions and who doesn’t. First-generation professionals may not initially realize the significance of these “power skills” or they may even be excluded by other employees because they do not conform to traditional organizational norms. Organizations should emphasize the importance of building connections, and provide opportunities for new hires to make connections and build networks early in one's career to enhance employee success.

Employee Support Programs

FGPs may experience isolation as a result of a lack of shared experiences with family and friends. Providing resources like Employee and Family Assistance Programs (EFAPs) and health benefits such as mental health coverage, telemedicine and more, can provide employees with the tools and resources to build resilience and seek support without stigma. EFAPs can also include services to support work-life balance, a critical aspect for FGPs who may be navigating additional responsibilities tied to family and cultural expectations while managing demanding work roles. Organizations may also choose to develop a resource hub for easy access to onboarding materials, accessible training programs, and resources to explain corporate culture and expectations.

Mentorship, Sponsorship and Networks

Structured mentorship and sponsorship programs are essential to address feelings of isolation. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can help alleviate this isolation. ERGs catering to diverse employees offer a platform for support, connection and social events, fostering a sense of community. Harvard Business Review highlights that FGPs were nearly twice as likely to find ERGs helpful during their first job compared to non-FGPs. This underscores the importance of mentorship and sponsorship in navigating challenges and fostering a supportive workplace environment.

Visible Role Models

Seeing leaders who share similar backgrounds and experiences is crucial for inspiring and motivating first-generation professionals. Diverse leadership serves as role models, demonstrating that success is attainable for everyone, regardless of their background. Take a look at your leadership teams and assess whether your workforce diversity is reflected.

Ongoing Cultural Competency

It’s no surprise that many first-generation professionals may also be people of colour. This means they will likely also face microaggressions and misunderstandings. Organizations need to provide safe reporting routes for all employees and ensure that new hires exposed to bias or discrimination know how to report it in a confidential and secure manner. Navigating discrimination in a corporate setting is that much more difficult when you aren’t comfortable in the environment yet. It’s also important to understand that incorporating cultural competency as part of ongoing organizational training and expectations is crucial for not just FGPs, but all employees.

Bringing it Home

My daughter, nearly 25, landed her first corporate job as an intern for one of Canada's largest telecommunications companies at 18. She was invited back year after year and eventually landed a full-time position at the same company right out of university. 

We like to joke about how people thought she was so mature and had years of experience under her belt when she first started. Her Senior Vice President even considered moving her up to management leadership training until he realized she'd just hung up her cap and gown a few months prior.  

And as amazing as that is to say, she'll tell you herself that when she first started, she had trouble writing emails to her colleagues. She would text me throughout the day, anxiously asking if her message was appropriate; can I use an exclamation point here? Are smiley faces allowed? She'd also check in about standard customs. She'd ask things like, do I have to stand up when my boss walks into the room? How do I ask for vacation?

I would chuckle and answer her questions, but the reality is, they were very valid questions. These are questions many new professionals have, but only a fraction of them have someone they can ask.  As someone who was a first-generation professional, I know how the lack of generational professionals in my family makes it that much harder to feel like you're on steady ground. I constantly questioned myself and wished I had someone to ask the seemingly silly questions when I started. 

Whether we like it or not, the corporate space operates differently from the rest of the world. There are cultural expectations we can only learn through experiencing the workplace ourselves or having someone pass along the knowledge. I'm grateful to be that person for my daughters, but I am also committed to advocating for all the other first-generational professionals out there…and as an organization, so should you.

(Full disclosure; my daughter helped me write this article so everything I wrote about her and her experience came directly from her mouth!)