With some people now working into their late 70s and 80s, today’s workplaces can span five generations. And in less than a decade, Generation Alpha will join the workplace mix too.
Age diversity brings with it a myriad of opportunities, perspectives, and abilities, yet workplace conflict and tensions often arise due to generational differences and challenges. These play out in several ways:
- Communication issues. This includes preferred mode of communication (email, face to face, phone or instant messaging), communication styles and the language used within the workplace
- Attitudes to diversity and inclusion, including how entwined D&I becomes within your business and what initiatives you get involved with
- Thoughts on flexible working arrangements, and work-life balance
- Attitudes towards politics, social justice, climate change – and your organisation’s role and social responsibility to be involved in these areas
- Differing expectations which can involve salary and benefits, an individual changing employers or careers, as well as opportunities to professional learning and development
- Stereotypes and biases which lead to assumptions about ability to take on new information, commitment to the workplace, capacity to use technology or how performance is evaluated.
Leaders who ignore generational stereotypes, or don’t work to create inclusion for individual’s of all ages may soon see conflict and a toxic culture arise within the their team.
Managers should also understand that ageism may result in discrimination, poor productivity, and a negative impact on psychological safety within the team.
Leaders should take an active approach to ensuring all ages have opportunity to grow, contribute and learn in a respectful environment. Start by considering the following:
- Your policies and code of conduct are inclusive of all age groups, and your team live by your organisational values whilst at work
- Advocate for the development of a strategy for your workplace to manage a multi-generation workforce. This document could include inclusive practices around recruitment, promotions, performance feedback, support into a new job or into retirement and ways of communicating internally
- Create opportunity for your individual team members to connect with one another, and see the value in an inter-generational workplace
- Focus on similarities, not differences. Everyone wants to be valued and respected and to have meaning and purpose at work, have job autonomy, and to tale on meaningful and purposeful work
- Get to know your people. What makes them tick, why do they love their job, what challenges are they tackling, and how do they like to communicate
- Challenge bias, and address conflict quickly. Your team should know that you’re committed to a psychologically safe and respectful workspace. Coach your team to challenge their biases. Encourage conflict resolution, and create opportunity for honest and transparent communication.
- Let the positives thrive. Knowledge sharing, diversity of thought and optimising talent come from an inter-generation team – lean into and create opportunity for your team to benefit from your age diversity.
The multi-generational workforce is a newer diversity dimension, which many leaders are realising deserves attention and focus. Insufficient savings, longer life spans, new attitudes towards retirement, and gaining meaning, routine and enjoyment from work are some of the reasons people are working for longer. But it’s not just the individual who benefits, our workplaces profit too. Embracing your team’s age diversity leads to them offering better customer service, utilising different knowledge and perspectives, and tapping into creative problem solving.
