Many business leaders are still struggling to engage generation Z, the group born between the mid-1990s and 2010. Others are already agonising over the next generational cohort: generation Alpha (and 2025 officially heralds the arrival of generation Beta). Yet the greatest opportunity lies in building engagement across generations through an intergenerational approach to workforce management.
Today’s workforce comprises up to five distinct generations, each with varied work habits, expectations and communication styles. And, for a growing number of businesses, the customer base is just as age-diverse.
For example, we know that gen Z is driven by purpose. Gen-Z employees typically prefer to work for organisations that align with their values, which include flexibility and work/life balance. They also want to learn and develop new skills.
If you employ Zoomers, or want to engage them as customers, you need to communicate your values and mission. You also have to explain how their work or brand loyalty creates a positive impact, not just for you but also for society.
To appeal to younger generations, employers should embrace hybrid working and be sure to offer training and mentorship schemes. This will also help to future-proof your organisation, as the latest studies indicate gen Alpha’s expectations and priorities will be a more refined version of gen Z’s.
Managing five generations of workers
An intergenerational approach, however, focuses on more than one age group of customers or employees. It takes in multiple age groups, recognising the strengths and perspectives of each and responding to their wants and needs.
- Traditionalists: Value discipline, loyalty and respect for authority
- Baby boomers: Value teamwork, stability and a strong work ethic
- Generation X: Value autonomy, work/life balance and adaptability
- Millennials: Value purposeful work, diversity and personal growth
- Generation Z: Value truth, communication and flexibility
While it’s easy to focus on differences, all of these groups share a desire for personal growth, professional development and the opportunity to contribute to the world around us. It’s therefore useful for employers to think beyond merely managing different age groups and instead think about building strategies to unleash the potential of these groups.
With the number of over-65s in the workplace growing, there may be a considerable age gap between the youngest and oldest employees in a typical organisation. And, it’s increasingly common for managers to be younger than those they lead. This poses both challenges and opportunities for leaders looking to shape future business strategies, workforce plans and customer engagement.
The bigger the age gap between an older manager and a younger employee, for example, the more likely it is for the younger employee to be unhappy and unproductive, according to a recent study by the London School of Economics. Yet if the situation is reversed, with an older worker reporting to a younger manager, there is no such drop in productivity, suggesting some leaders don’t make the most of the knowledge and skills of younger team members.
Getting the best from a multigenerational workforce
Ultimately, unleashing the potential of an intergenerational workforce is about listening, adapting and adopting more inclusive practices.
The big shift of the past 30 years, from work-centred ideologies to person-first mindsets, requires a more nuanced understanding of what different people need to perform at their best, and the development of work cultures that empower everyone, regardless of age.
This will naturally mean shifting to a more merit-based approach, rather than one driven by seniority, to get the best from younger team members. It will require various forms of flexibility to accommodate all employees, including older workers as we’ll want to retain their wisdom and the cognitive diversity they bring.
It will also mean learning to communicate more effectively for what will be a more community-based exchange rather than a top-down transactional approach to leadership.
Finally, it will mean tackling age stereotypes by encouraging open and honest conversations about assumptions and misunderstandings that can prevent teams and organisations from achieving success.
Sairah Ashman is global CEO at Wolff Olins, a brand consultancy.
