Creating a Multigenerational Team
Creating a Multigenerational Team: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z
Multigenerational Teams
It isn’t uncommon these days to find someone in their 20’s and someone in their 70’s working together within the same organization. Whereas in the past, there may only have been two generations working at the same time, we now have some four different generations in the workforce. Contributing factors to this phenomenon include longer lifespans, older people continuing to work post-retirement for enjoyment, and accelerated learning options allowing young people to join the workforce earlier in life. While having a multigenerational team can create challenges, according to a 2018 Randstad Workmonitor study, 86 percent of global workers prefer working on a multigenerational team. A study published in AARP in January of 2019 found that “Seven in ten workers say they like working with generations other than their own, and the majority agree that both younger and older workers bring a set of positive benefits that enhance the workplace environment.”
Attracting a Multigenerational Team
A study published in the Journal of Nursing Management concluded that “Understanding the different generational groups may allow nursing leaders and managers to consider what drives, motivates or hinders nurses from different generations.” In other words, recruiting people of different generations starts with knowing who they are and what they bring to the workplace and then building on these strengths.
Lindsay Pollak, leading workplace expert and author of “The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace,” explains in her book that “All generations have different experience, different energy and bring different talents and qualities into the mix.” Pollak found that companies that actively cultivated a multigenerational team had an advantage in being able to relate to clients and talent across generations as well as innovate and problem-solve.
Attributes of the Four Generations That Are in the Workforce Today:
-
Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964):
- Our most experienced workers, Baby Boomers know what has worked and what hasn’t worked, and they can be great mentors and valuable leaders. Some Baby Boomers may be looking to retire while others are looking for a more flexible schedule. While they may not want to work a traditional 40-hour week, hiring Baby Boomers part-time is a great way to allow them to pass along all of the valuable knowledge that they have to future generations.
-
Gen X (born 1965-1980):
- Baby Boomers may have invented the internet, but Gen X helped to make it part of daily life. They are typically loyal employees which is partially driven by their debt and family commitments. Gen X is part of the “Sandwich Generation” – workers who are facing pressures of both caring for their children and their parents. Flexible work arrangements, generous family leave policies, and creative time-off programs are important to workers from Gen X.
-
Gen Y/Millennials (born 1981-1996):
- Gen Y/Millennials grew up with technology making them the most connected and informed generation. They value work/life balance and have ambitions to quickly move through the organizational hierarchy. Personal development can be more important to them than financial rewards. A study by Deloitte states that Millennials “feel unable to exert any meaningful influence on some of society’s biggest challenges; but, in the workforce, they can feel a greater sense of control—an active participant rather than a bystander.” In other words, they crave empowerment from their employer.
-
Gen Z (born 1997- 2015):
- Gen Z is starting to enter the workforce while they work the “gig” economy. They are quick to respond to fast moving conditions and are even more tech-savvy than millennials. A recent Deloitte article describes Gen Z as a “pragmatic, risk-averse, non-entrepreneurial group motivated by job security.” They go on to say that “To win the hearts of Generation Z, companies and employers will need to highlight their efforts to be good global citizens. And actions speak louder than words: Companies must demonstrate their commitment to a broader set of societal challenges such as sustainability, climate change, and hunger.”
When it Comes to Working with Diverse Generations, the Keyword is Flexibility
Different generations have different needs. It’s important to motivate your team with incentives that matter to them. Offering training and development programs to keep your ambitious Gen Y/Millennials engaged is just as important as work from home or flex-schedule options for your Gen Xers who are juggling eldercare and childcare. Pairing different generations together so the Baby Boomers can share their knowledge with the up-and-coming Gen Z employees as well as considering different employment schedules for Baby Boomers who are not interested in the typical 40-hour week anymore can both be effective ways of satisfying both generations. Demonstrate a broader purpose for your organization and share the ways in which you are committed to working towards a better world to help recruit and keep Gen Z on board. Utilizing each of the different strengths from each generation in the workforce today will only make your organization stronger.
Nina Weierman is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry, freelance writer and mother. She also writes about running, parenting and travel. Read the other blog posts she has written for us here.