With global life expectancy nearly double its age from over 100 years ago, the age span of people in the workplace continues to widen, especially with Generation Z entering the workplace for the first time. Organizations will continue to experience a cross-generational work environment that spans four generations. It can be challenging for leaders to manage multi-generational employees, as each one has very different priorities. Therefore, a focus on collaboration will be important in order to integrate effective DEI strategies to meet these expectations.
There are many benefits to employing a team that spans multiple generations. For organizations to recognize and appreciate the diverse benefits of their workforce, understanding each generation is necessary.
Generations currently in the workplace are:
1. Baby boomers (born 1946-1964)
2. Generation X (born 1965-1980)
3. Generation Y/millennials (born 1981-1996)
4. Generation Z (born 1997-2012)
Creating an inclusive and meaningful employee experience from start to end of an employee’s work cycle will create a better working environment for everyone.
Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. This generation is known for its strong work ethic, placing significant importance on professional accomplishments. This generation is often reserved from a social perspective and considered the “workaholic” generation. It is also more likely to prefer one-on-one communication and phone calls over email and instant messaging.
Generation X was born between 1965 and 1980. This generation was the least studied of the current generations in the workplace and is often referred to as the middle child between the baby boomers and millennials. Known for being extremely independent and self-sufficient, valuing freedom and combatting micro-management in the workplace, those part of this generation are widely credited for creating the concept of work-life balance.
Generation Y, also referred to as the millennial generation, was born between 1981 and 1996. This generation is currently the largest in the workforce and will continue to lead three quarters of the global workforce by 2025. Millennials thrive on new innovations and startups. Like those part of Generation X, millennials desire work-life balance and crave flexibility in remote or hybrid opportunities in the workplace. Excellent at multitasking, this generation is often criticized for being overly dependent on technology.
Generation Z was born between 1997 and 2012, making this generation the youngest in the current workforce. It is the first generation to grow up in a world that is completely wireless. As true digital natives, those part of Generation Z are considered the most tech-savvy of all. Known for being creative, flexible and self-reliant, they are also more cautious and concerned with career stability.
Creating an inclusive multi-generational work environment includes understanding everyone’s personal brand, while fostering collaboration among the generations and ensuring an organization’s brand identity represents the personal brands of each generation. There is no denying that as each generation has entered the workplace at different times, they have faced different obstacles and environments to navigate. However, from a DEI perspective, the more diverse the opinions are, the better. Leaders in organizations need to pay attention and take time to build up and work with their multi-generational employees in order to create a cohesive team.
These four generations have different working and communication styles, largely due to technology, as each generation uses it to communicate in very different ways. While baby boomers are willing to use technology for productivity purposes, they prefer to communicate face to face or over the phone. In contrast, younger generations embrace digital communication through email and instant messaging. These different styles can lead to miscommunication or a lack of communication.
Despite these challenges, a multi-generational workforce is still an indispensable contribution to a company’s success for various reasons:
- Each generation has a different approach to solving problems, which is very beneficial when identifying potential solutions and new ways of addressing day-to-day issues.
- Each generation is unique due to their personal brands, which is a great asset to an organization. By employing people from each generation, organizations can better understand the different target audiences from a DEI lens.
- Generational diversity at work presents learning opportunities for all employees, giving these opportunities for employees to teach one another new ways of approaching things with increased efficiency.
- A multigenerational workforce is an ideal environment for mentoring. Many organizations initiate a mentoring program to allow employees the opportunity to educate one another, which helps employees gain new skills and information while improving how they work alongside each other.
In addition, there are many best practices for approaching generational diversity to reap the full benefits of DEI in the workplace.
1. ADAPT RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES AND ESTABLISH EMPLOYEE RETENTION PRACTICES
To benefit from generational diversity, organizations need to recruit individuals across generations by crafting recruitment advertisements and messages to appeal to diverse candidates. Baby boomers may positively react to mentions of a company’s industry awards or other successes, while millennials may care more about personal development opportunities and social responsibility.
During interviews, leaders are encouraged to ask candidates questions to learn more about the company’s culture and expectations. Assessing a personal brand through the recruitment phase is important as leaders can make informed decisions about whether a candidate and the company’s core values are a match.
To support retention efforts, it is important for organizations to create an effective employee retention program, which addresses opportunities for feedback as means to gain insight to what the company needs to change. Some of the most effective strategies for retaining talent, despite cross-generational conflict, includes fostering teamwork, improving communication and building a mentorship program.
These four generations have different working and communication styles, largely due to technology, as each generation uses it to communicate in very different ways.
2. AVOID AGE-BASED ASSUMPTIONS AND STEREOTYPING
To take full advantage of a multigenerational workforce, it is important for leaders to avoid making any assumptions or stereotyping based on age. For DEI practices to work long-term, the relationship with each employee is foundational for success. Leaders should connect directly with each employee to learn about their individual preferences and working styles. Taking the time to listen to each employee to learn about what they want will open the lines of communication, helping everyone work together more efficiently, and improve employee engagement.
3. CUSTOMIZE THE APPROACH FOR EMPLOYEE BRAND IDENTITIES THROUGH ASSEMBLING AGE-DIVERSE TEAMS FOR PROJECTS
Every employee’s personal brand offers unique preferences, skills and ways of communicating. Taking a customized approach to align with each employee’s brand will ensure an organization is committed to diversifying their workforce and applying DEI practices effectively. This also allows for improved working relationships and happier employees overall.
By creating age-diverse project teams, organizations can leverage the unique strengths of each generation, while encouraging team members to collaborate and build relationships with one another. For instance, a Generation Z employee may be aware of the latest technology and social media platforms, while an experienced boomer may have invaluable industry knowledge and skill.
4. ADOPT VARYING COMMUNICATION STYLES BY REFINING FEEDBACK TECHNIQUES
Because generations have different communication styles, organizational leaders must ensure they are adopting various styles of communicating with their employees. Different generations can learn from each other, therefore refining the techniques for delivering feedback and applying these based on employee preferences to solidify an organization’s commitment to DEI, while creating a stronger culture of generational diversity.
Taking this personalized approach will not only make employees happy, but will also make it easier for leaders to deliver effective feedback.
Creating an inclusive and meaningful employee experience from start to end of an employee’s work cycle will create a better working environment for everyone. A diverse, multi-generational workforce is a secret weapon, as having a multitude of experiences and perspectives creates a less intimidating corporate culture, while the diverse experiences and perspectives can reward an organization with problem-solving abilities and insights.
When organizations commit to creating an inclusive and collaborative multi-generational employee experience, it supports a company’s brand identity long term and honours its DEI commitment.
Reena Khullar, founder and CEO of Agilis Executive Consulting, is an executive consultant with a background in HR leadership and strategy for organizations in the professional services industries. Reena has specialized in developing and implementing HR strategies unique to an organization’s corporate culture, providing a competitive advantage for its people, business and strategic success. Reena is also a member leader and contributor of the Forbes council, contributing to Forbes on topics related to executive leadership and professional development, and is quoted periodically on the Forbes expert panel. Reena is also a member of the Harvard Business Review advisory council and provides research and insight in shaping the content developed, enriching perspectives on ideas from HBR’s publications on management and leadership.