Today’s digital workforce is more diverse than ever before. It may be hard to believe but Millennials now make up the majority of the global workforce and they are already making their way into leadership positions. We’re also seeing Generation Z joining the workforce. But it isn’t only about young people. More and more, Baby Boomers are returning to work as consultants. This means that modern businesses could have as many as five generations of workers in their teams.
How are leading companies responding?
I strongly recommend you read the research and expert views detailed in our eBook The Digital Skills Gap but focusing on the mixed-generation aspect, what are some key behaviours to increase alignment and success?
Here are a few tips to make your multi-generational workforce work for you:
- Acknowledge differences:
There’s no point in pretending that all your employees are the same. It’s important to understand and accept that each employee is different.
- Encourage employees to teach each other:
In line with the above, it may be a good idea to get your older staff members to work closely with their more youthful colleagues. Peer and social learning is a highly effective way for mixed generations to understand one another’s different skills.
- Create an inclusive culture:
Culture is a big part of any conversation about digital transformation and when you have vast generational differences within your office, culture is just as important. Your culture must value each employees’ knowledge and strengths. In doing so, generations with different skills can better complement each other.
- Focus on the consumer:
Forget about the age of your employees, rather encourage everyone to focus on Generation C – the consumer. At the end of the day, it’s not about how old or young your employees are, it’s about how well they serve the consumer. Adopting this mindset might also help to reduce the chances of stereotyping, not just on an inter-generational basis but also within each generation.
Read more about managing a mixed-generation workforce is this Forbes article or if you’re interested in how to deal with a lack of digital skills our recent eBook The Digital Skills Gap brings together the insights from various industry insiders about the digital skills shortage.
Adrian Leer
Managing Director
