Nowadays, the workforce has become very diverse, not just in terms of culture, gender, and ethnicity but also in age. With the emergence of such changes in the employees’ demographics, the workplace scene today is made up of three or sometimes four different generations:

• Traditionalists

• Baby boomers

• Generation X

• Millennial

People who belong to ages 15 to 24 make up almost 20% of the world population, and they account for 15% of the global workforce. Each of these age groups grew up experiencing various events contributing to their perception of work and values.

So when it comes to managing generational differences in the workplace, you may face conflicting issues that can affect the work efficiency among the workers and the management structure. It can also disrupt the effectiveness when it comes to fulfilling the corporate goals.

If you are managing such a diverse group of employees, here are some strategies you can use to engage them in such a way as to keep conflicts at bay:

Be an Active Listener

Besides directing employees on professional grounds, you should also have a keen ear to listen to their concerns, goals, and thoughts and help them in the best way you can. Always strive to become an active listener if you are already not one.

You can re-read their emails when it comes to millennials and have face-to-face discussions with baby boomers to understand their concerns. Only when you listen to them actively will you understand and get a chance to recognize their potential.

Contrary to the beliefs, older employees have the same potential to put forward creative solutions just like the younger ones, so you can listen to their experience and use it to make improvements. Listening is the primary key to managing generational differences in the workplace.

Learn and Improve Yourself

Without learning the differences the age groups bring to the table, it is impossible to manage them or break up the conflicts. So educate yourself and your employees about the uniqueness and differences that each generation possesses.

Discuss the different styles and preferences with the employees. Only when you make them aware and acknowledge each one’s work style and ethics will there be fewer chances for a clash. It is one of the strategic ways to communicate and work together as a team.

You can invite them for a casual lunch or a meeting and conduct team building activities that aim to conquer generational differences and bring them together as a team.

One-Size-DOES NOT-Fit-All

When it comes to the multigenerational workforce, one single approach or one golden rule does not work. You should not treat the employees the way you want; instead, you should approach them in ways they want to be treated.

If you take rewards, many younger workers would prefer spot bonuses and such, while Generation X may opt for flexible timings and schedules. So you have to recognize the types of people in your team and treat them accordingly.

For managing generational differences in the workplace, especially in this aspect, you can talk to your employees about what motivates them. Discuss their preferred mode of communication and work with this information to come up with changes.

Feedbacks and Communication

Just like listening, communication is also an essential aspect of tackling conflicts between intergenerational employees. Some people may not prefer to candidly give feedback at the office. But this rift in communication can itself contribute to workplace issues.

There should be flowing communication between the employees and the management to work in harmony and towards a single goal.

You can improve this by sitting down with the employees individually and casually discussing their work-life and such. Another strategy you should deploy is encouraging employees to have healthy and direct conversations within the team and exchanges without involving the manager or the human resources team.

The manager and HR team should perform frequent feedback sessions to understand employee concerns and not wait until the yearly performance reviews to talk openly to all employees.

Mentorship

Multigenerational mentoring will help you break the barriers by pushing employees belonging to different generations to find a good connection with each other. You can develop a mentoring program and spread knowledge about management styles, career advancements, understanding the different policies, and more.

Encourage knowledge transfer amongst the employees, helping establish a personal connection, understanding, and adjustment.

Every employee is different, including people belonging to the same generation. Ultimately, managing generational differences in the workplace is about creating a workspace where each person understands and respects different points of view, however unique it may be. 

When you learn to reach out to different people in a way they would understand, you will eventually see them moving beyond differences and working together to achieve their personal and corporate goals in tandem.

BY JAMES BROADNAX