- June 16, 2021
- By Joshua Reid
- Advice , Company Structure , Generation Z
- baby boomer , boomer , boomers , gen z , generation , generation gap , generation x
How Does a Company Meet the Needs of Multiple Generations?
Businesses today have the difficult task of not only keeping up with the changing trends within society, but also keeping up with these trends within their own companies. As time progresses and older employees are continuing to work past the age when they’d traditionally retire, and as younger employees are entering the workforce, a company has to wrestle with how they are going to meet the ever-growing and expanding needs of the different generations they employ.
How are companies going to handle the tension between multiple generations?
A Workforce article by Sonia Fiorenza titled “From boomers to Gen Z: How to engage a multigenerational workforce” describes how digital technology is shaping the way that millennials and workers over 65 are collaborating and how companies engage, manage, and retain their employees. If Florenza is right, then digital technology could be an option for businesses looking to bridge the experiences between the generations.
One way that I see companies meeting the needs of multiple generations is being able to understand how each generation approaches their assigned work. How does someone who’s 65 or older approach work compared to someone who is under 40 years old? Learning how different generations of employees within a business approach work can help business owners understand how to make sure all parties included are able to collaborate and “feed off one another.”
“In a world of #okboomer memes and “Me Generation”stereotypes, organizations should explore ways to better unify employees and harness the power of a diverse workplace” (Fiorenza).
If a business wants to unify and harness the unique abilities of a diverse workforce, they need to look further into how to meet the needs of the multiple generations employed by their company. Through unifying the generations and helping them to see a different perspective on the work by combining their experiences, businesses can contribute to the wellbeing of all generations.
In the Workforce article, Fiorenza notes several ways that a company could engage with multiple generations:
- Speak their language. (Understanding how to relate information in a way that is understood by all generations.)
- Keep employees motivated. (Find out what keeps employees motivated. What career goals do employees have that keep them coming back to work?)
What happens however when a company’s employees have tension between the generations?
A company’s ability to remedy the tensions between the generations within their company can show potential investors, clients and other businesses how they too can remedy tensions between generations in their own companies and even in their personal lives. Additionally, it’s through learning how to remedy the tensions between employees of different generations that CEOs and managers can show respect to their employees.
In an article from ProSky titled “How Multiple Generations can Work Together in Harmony,” writer Gisel Malek states that companies should instill a culture of respect where all parties (from employees to CEOs) are expected to treat each other courteously. However, Malek does note that some cultures and generations view and value respect differently, and thus, it’s up to the company to make sure that the employees know that they are being respected.
Showing respect towards employees, especially those who are of the older generation, can go a long way for companies in terms of the longevity of their success and the continuing support from employees.
“Many professionals have spent so much time separating the generations, trying to understand what makes them tick, what their needs are, and what environments they thrive best in. The focus should be shifted to how best they can all work together since more than half of the workforce will be comprised of different generations!” (Malek)
By allowing multiple generations to work together, companies can allow for more creativity, especially when it comes to crafting ideas that can help the company stay relevant in an ever-changing culture. Young employees, particularly those of Gen-Z, can use their social media knowledge to help companies understand emerging trends in society that businesses can capitalize on, while more older employees could utilize that knowledge and focus it towards the target audience.
Sources
Fiorenza, Sofia. “From boomers to Gen Z: How to engage a multigenerational workforce,” Workforce, https://www.workforce.com/news/from-boomers-to-gen-z-how-to-engage-a-multigenerational-workforce. Accessed 19 April 2021.
Malek, Gisel. “How Multiple Generations can Work Together in Harmony,” ProSky, https://talkingtalent.prosky.co/articles/how-multiple-generations-can-work-together-in-harmony. Accessed 20 April 2021.
