Generations at Work

Generations at Work

Generational diversity and Intergenerational care – how many people have heard of these terms? How many employers list either in their values?

More often than not when you read articles or hear discussions regarding the different generations in the workplace they focus on the differences rather than the strengths. Each generation has been attributed with certain characteristics, some sweeping generalisations and a feeling that working together poses significant challenges.

At Flexpertae we believe there is much to be gained by encouraging these four generations to actively work together. Each holds valuable skills, varied experiences, some hold tacit knowledge, others dreams of visions for the future. Combining old and new we can learn from the past to improve the future. Embracing and learning from generational divides offers the potential to build stronger, supportive and more diverse teams.

So what exacty do these terms mean?

Generational Diversity

Generational diversity is defined as the concept of having a wide range of generations represented in organisations. It seeks to combat age discrimination both of older and younger workers.

There are now four key generations in the workforce: Baby boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z, with a fifth - the Veterans generation - mostly having retired.

It is widely recognised that each generation has it’s own unique strengths, values and motivations, and harnessing the collaboration of the different generations is vital to innovation. In addition, to date very few employers have aligned career progression/rewards/opportunities with the different life-stages of their employees. In doing so they would benefit by leveraging the changing motivations and ambitions as each employee progresses through their career.

In 2018 over 50% of global leadership roles were held by Generation X; as they approach semi or full retirement there is a need to transfer their knowledge and skills along with succession planning. Some will take early retirement, some will continue full time and some will look to partially retire by reducing their hours. It is the latter group who, having achieved their career ambitions and now look to wind down, hold the key to focusing on passing on their expertise.

One career approach does not fit all, especially at the generational level, and people inspect and adapt their career ambitions as they progress through different life-stages. Recognising this along with peoples age related changing priorities can only help employers improve staff motivation.

Intergenerational Care

Intergenerational Care is defined as 'planned ongoing activities that purposefully bring together different generations in shared settings to share experiences that are mutually beneficial'

The concept of intergenerational care is credited to Shimada Masahura, a Japanese man who trialled the merging of a nursery school with a care home on a single site in Tokyo in 1976. Following the success of this, many more intergenerational facilities have opened not only in Japan, but in many other countries including the USA, Canada and in the UK. Since the first UK intergenerational facility opened in southwest London in 2017 a further 40 centres have opened in the UK.

Following the introduction of intergenerational facilities in the UK those taking part have observed benefits for both the older and younger generations participating. It is no great stretch of the imagination to envisage how those benefits can also be mapped into the workplace in terms of what workplace intergenerational care could offer.

Benefits for Elderly in homes	Potential benefits for older workers
Reduce loneliness and boost mental health	Reduce loneliness at managerial levels and as an older employee.
Encourage physical activity	Interacting with younger co workers can trigger new activities, eg going to the gym together, or out of work activities.
Promote social interaction with both children and other adults	Social interactions, help keep up to date with new trends, technologies, challenges, younger market, etc.
Support individuals to reconnect with their communities	Support younger staff who may lack confidence. Be a mentor or a safe person to talk to and listen to their experiences. Be of value, help understand and get out of tunnel vision at your level.
A rewarding experience where individuals feel useful, promoting personal growth	Opportunity to pass on breadth of learnings - experiences, career ladder, dealing with management, managing staff, achieving work life balance, etc. Without meaningful exposure to junior staff it is easy to lose sight of initial struggles and empathy.

They also observed benefits for the nursery children, which we can also envisage for junior employees.

Benefits for Nursery Children	Potential benefits for Young or Entry Level Workers
Improved communication and social skills	Improved communication skills for workplace eg meetings, email, presentations.
One to one time with an adult	One to one time with a person with a wealth of knowledge is invaluable. Learning from someone who is not your manager relieves the tension and concern of underperforming.
The opportunity to get to know and understand older individuals	. An opportunity to understand more experienced colleagues and the older mindset and market, to learn from their experiences.
A chance to learn about the local community and history	A chance to learn about their various experiences across many organisations, the good, the bad and the workable. A chance to also introduce “coachability” into the workspace in a friendly and non competitive way.
Increased confidence, self-esteem and empathy for others	Increased confidence, self esteem and empathy for colleagues, managers and customers.

There are also benefits for employers from having a multigenerational workforce – intergenerational interactions can foster creativity and innovation harnessing the strengths and experiences of those generations.

So what are you waiting for? Hug a boomer today, grab a chai tea latte with a millenial, plant a tree with Gen Z and don't forget about Gen X!