Today’s workforce is increasingly becoming more age-diverse, with more workers staying in employment into their later years and delaying retirement to secure a better financial future for themselves and their loved ones. This means that many people could be working for well over 50 years of their lives and it is not uncommon to see a business with employees aged from 16 to 75 years old. Whilst a number of workplaces offer wellbeing packages that are designed to benefit all generations, there needs to be some flexibility to ensure that you can support, attract and retain the talent and skills that your company will need to succeed.
The past few years have brought about many drastic changes to the way we work and communicate with others, particularly in an era of a multigenerational workforce of which each generation has different preferences and ways of working. These generations, i.e., the Millennials, Gen X’ers, Baby boomers, and the Traditionalists are unique in their own ways. Each differs from the other in its work ethics, morals, values, and professionalism.
While devising a new strategy to support your multigenerational workforce, it would be beneficial to give all employees the chance to tell you what they think and what they would like to see from you as a company, and as an employee. In order to ensure that you can understand the needs of everyone, you must first acknowledge that an individual’s needs and expectations may differ depending on their age and the stage of life that they are currently in.
As it stands, about one-third of the current workforce is either Gen Y or millennials (aged between 25 and 40 years old), but this is predicted to rise over the next decade to around the three-quarters mark. To bring these generations together it will call for more casual meetings, office get-togethers, and festival celebrations to take place. The more your teammates get to know each other; the more will you find a positive trend in collaboration and cooperation.
Bringing about so many changes in your workforce is quite overwhelming. However, the recent studies revealing the benefits of employee training in building a productive team driven by positivity, and mutual respect is a green signal! So all you need to do is put in your efforts, and with time, you will see your challenges turning into milestones.
If you have any questions on any of the above, please get in touch with the office: sally.phillips@wardwilliams.co.uk or call 01932 830664.