Introduction
There are five generations of workers involved in today’s economy: traditionalists, baby boomers, generation X, millennials, and age Z. All of these social groups have different communication styles, approaches to organizing the workplace, and views on life itself. With more than half of the workforce is represented by millennials, today’s companies face the challenge of managing productive and rewarding collaborations between workers of different ages to achieve overall success.
The value of having a multi-generational workforce
Organizing mixed workforces may not seem like the most promising task, but it has several advantages for companies that want to adopt such practices. Each age group of employees has disadvantages and benefits, and the combination of the skills of younger people and older people can minimize defects. For example, older workers are often more productive and motivated than their younger colleagues, and they also have a wealth of knowledge that is very important for business (Louis, Mathews, McCann, North, Poerksen, Perez, Sartain, Siegel, Willyerd, & Staudinger, 2017). At the same time, millennials need to have an interesting work process and perspective, as well as constant self-learning. The skills of older workers will help a lot, so a diverse workforce will never be prone to stagnation and lack of motivation.
Strategies that can be used to enhance communication and retention
Organizing a cohesive and productive team with employees from different backgrounds can be difficult for a manager and leader. There are a lot of stereotypes about older people in the labor market. It prevents people over 50 from successfully being employed, even with sufficient knowledge and experience. Major myths include: older people are less likely to learn new skills, productivity declines with age, and the myth that baby boomers demand higher wages than younger workers (Louis, Mathews, McCann, North, Poerksen, Perez, Sartain, Siegel, Willyerd, & Staudinger, 2017). Often these theses resonate with recruiters, so a real manager must remember during the recruitment process that these preconceptions are not true in the vast majority of cases.
The recruitment process is only one step in creating a capable and responsive company team. Bosses need to find a unique approach to employees of different ages and in the course of their work tasks (Louis, Mathews, McCann, North, Poerksen, Perez, Sartain, Siegel, Willyerd, & Staudinger, 2017). Millennials, for example, work much better if they have clear deadlines, operate goals and priorities, and maintain active contact with each other and their superiors. It is very important to be a coach and mentor to a subordinate who will support and help in difficult situations. Experts believe some common approaches accompany collective success:
- Understanding employees’ true desires.
- Creating sources of motivation such as paid holidays.
- Health insurance.
- Conducting interesting team-building activities.
- Access to courses and programs to gain new and useful knowledge.
Multi-generational workforce and best meet the needs of the community
An important fact is that the creation of a multigenerational workforce is necessary for the current demographic realities. By 2030, the number of older workers in companies could double. Governments are already facing the challenge of providing this group with the right pensions and social security (Louis, Mathews, McCann, North, Poerksen, Perez, Sartain, Siegel, Willyerd, & Staudinger, 2017). But this burden can and should be alleviated because life expectancy and health quality of people over 60 have also increased considerably. It allows them to work longer and retire later, and their skills and experience are important sources of stability for companies and the economy.
Conclusion
To summarize, there are many advantages to building a multigenerational workforce. The leader and business owner must do a great deal to eliminate the myths and stereotypes associated with older people, and then these workers will benefit the company. Following the demands of society is the key to thriving in a rapidly changing world.
Reference
Louis, M., Mathews T., McCann, R., North, M., Poerksen, M., Perez, N., Sartain L., Siegel, J., Willyerd, K. & Staudinger, U. (2017). Harnessing the Power of a Multigenerational Workforce. SHRM Foundation, p. 1-32.