Today’s workforce comprises multiple generations, and each generation has varied work habits, expectations, and communication styles. Implementing strategies to optimize the workforce will reap benefits for the organizations. But it is important to understand what works and what doesn’t.
What is a multigenerational workforce?
A workforce that comprises people from several generations is multigenerational. Research says that the average lifespan of humans has been increasing. Their participation in the workforce has increased (even after the defined age of retirement) too. The age diversity in the workforce is wide. It has become common for organizations to have employees who represent four to five generations working together.
These generations are:
- Silent generation (traditionalists)- born between 1928 – 1945
- Baby boomers – born between 1946 – 1964
- Generation X (Gen X) – born between 1965 – 1980
- Generation Y (Millennials) – born between 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z – born between 1997 – 2012
Benefits of a multigenerational workforce
There are several benefits of a multigenerational workforce. Younger employees are open to learning, accustomed and adaptive to technologies and the changes. Similarly, more mature employees know the duration of their experience and can be good guides and mentors.
- Multiple perspectives: Different generations can have distinctive ways of looking at the same job and may have different solutions. Sharing perspectives brings a broad range of knowledge and abilities to support innovation.
- Problem-solving abilities: Life experience influences how we look at a situation and take action towards it. Sharing experiences can bring out the problem-solving abilities of each generation.
- Learning and mentoring opportunities: With a multigenerational workforce, there is always an opportunity to have a mentor and a mentee relationship within the workforce. For eg., mature employees can mentor their juniors on their career development, and the juniors can help their seniors by making them familiar with different trends, etc.
- Unique relationships: Apart from knowledge sharing and retention, meaningful relationships with co-workers can help meet employees’ emotional needs and contribute to job satisfaction. A variety of age groups inside the organization mirrors a family structure to offer opportunities for personal connections with other generations.
The challenges associated:
- Communication issues: This is the most common problem at the workplace or at home. The communication styles of each generation are different. Since the employees are also from diverse backgrounds, the region they come from influences the communication.
- Negative stereotypes: People have preconceived notions about those in different age groups. The older generation may presume that younger people are ‘snowflakes and the younger generation may presume that the older people are rigid and afraid to embrace technology.
- Varying employee expectations: People from various generations may not hold the same expectations from their employment. The desired compensation package might not be the same for every generation.
Managing a multigenerational workforce
Despite challenges, if the multigenerational workforce is managed skilfully, it will reap benefits for the organizations.
Here are a few ways:
- Fine-tune the inclusive hiring process: Stick to neutral language instead of creating ads that point towards a gender. Also include images and videos with people from diverse age groups on your website.
- Cater to different communication styles: Offer leaders their choice of text-based or video communication methods depending on their teams’ needs. When it comes to one-on-one communication, managers should have the freedom to address these individually.
- Collect feedback: Not everyone is comfortable giving unsolicited opinions. Encourage honest feedback that reveals the pulse of a multigenerational workforce. As you learn how engaged and involved the employees feel, you can discover what you need to improve to manage this workforce better.
- Accommodate diverse working styles: An organization, which can adapt to its employees’ needs will attract and retain the finest available pool of talent.
- Create learning opportunities: People are generally eager to learn new things and expand their skill set. Providing ways and avenues to upskill and reskill will also reduce the communication gap.
- Nurture an inclusive environment: While creating policies for inclusion, age diversity may be the most overlooked strand. Take ageism and perceived generation gaps into account while designing diversity and inclusion policies. Employees should feel respected and free to voice their opinions.
