Leadership Development Consultant | The Bishop Concept
Many generations make up today’s workforce, each of which has its own expectations, work habits, and communication styles. Businesses can achieve their goals by implementing multigenerational workforce initiatives. In order to attract and retain a multigenerational workforce, what strategies can you adopt?
What is Multigenerational Workforce?
The multigenerational workforce consists of people from different generations. In response to the increasing lifespan of humans, more and more people choose to work well into old age. Employees from several generations, including baby boomers, generation X, Millenials, and the newest generation, form a multigenerational workforce.
3 Ways To Motivate Multigenerational Teams
If you want to manage many generations successfully, you must first understand what each
generation values. Here are a few tips for motivating a multigenerational team:
Understand Employees
Reviewing employee feedback is the first step towards discovering common issues across
generations. Amplify customers. For example, employ a mix of younger staff who are willing
to grow and contribute (until they are allowed to do so) and older retired employees. Upon
polling its team, its manufacturers, young and old, found little value in requesting input from
their employees and realized the cause of operational inefficiency.
Employees of varying tenures and ages must have a solution. Insights into crucial employee
characteristics can be acquired using a variety of alternative approaches. Find out your
company’s feedback research options and techniques and choose what is best for your
teams’ features and reporting options.
Communication Is The Key
There will be disagreements among generations in your multigenerational team; therefore,
understanding why is essential. What’s the impact of a specific generation’s voice? To
establish rules and processes that reflect the distinct viewpoints of each generation,
management must work together. Typically, motivated employees believe they have a voice
at work. You may have trouble motivating staff with a generational mix, but you can create a
cohesive, strong organization if you build a strong team.
Experience Matters
Everyone is affected by their previous experiences. Particularly during the generational
transition, this holds. Generation Y, which was almost born holding a smartphone, saw
employment differently from those who grew up during the Great Depression. Knowing
your employees’ backgrounds will help you understand better what motivates them. An
employee from generation Y, for instance, is more likely to be boosted by a promotion
based on technology rather than job security.
These three steps are crucial to motivating multigenerational teams. Apart from that, you
can consider the following steps to be successful in boosting your teams:
● Develop management and leadership skills
● Verify your employees’ processes
● Providing a variety of employment options to each generation
● Acknowledge that different viewpoints exist in the workplace
● Identify strategies to establish multigenerational teams
● To provide staff with a learning opportunity.
Generations That Constitute The Multigenerational Workforce
The importance of generational experience is discussed and what businesses need to do
when attempting to attract, recruit, and administer new staff. When five distinct
generations are on the job for the first time, this is reasonable. Five generations are at work
at the moment:
Silent Generation
In honoring responsibility and dedication, the Silent Generation often recognizes its
importance. This generation is the last to work for one company their entire adult lives. Even
though you are motivated to obey the rules, you sometimes assume that you can manage
every circumstance.
Baby Boomers
Boomers are typically thought of as “workaholics” and thus wish to achieve personal
success and gain material gains. As they grow older, their youthful perspective and
orientation towards technology remain unshaken. Teamwork is also essential to them, as it
was to the Silent Generation.
Generation X
Public perception of Gen X is resulting from the changes and unease within families and
society at large. Often, they are independent and autonomous while cynical about authority.
Their focus is usually on results, flexibility, and safety. GenX prefer to work alone and don’t
seek criticism unless it’s necessary for self-sufficiency. They have high-tech equipment.
Millennials
As a first-generation, the millennials were exposed to the Internet and IT from an early age.
Due to the strong involvement of their parents, they are typically confident. During the early
years of the U.S. and prosperous nations, people’s lives were rewritten to make them
comfortable. Millennials expect feedback, incentives, and aspirational job benefits. Living
well is their only occupation.
Generation Z
At this point, Gen Z’s attention span and interpersonal skills seem inferior to those of their
ancestors, and although time will tell, they are digital natives. In general, they are openminded, innovative – particularly in terms of technology – and curious, wanting to make the
best use of their varied skills.
Final Thought
Although it is a challenge, learning how to deal with multigenerational employees is
rewarding for your business. Utilize the age-related changes to enhance business
sustainability. The key is to communicate openly, honestly, and transparently to create an
environment where individuals feel valued and made to feel included. By doing this,
employees have a positive employee experience and can meet their potential.