In today’s work environment, managing multi-generational workforce has become a contemporary issue in human resource management.

Moreso, with competition for talent on the rise, developing a corporate culture of employee engagement and commitment has become a foundational imperative for most organisations.

Multigenerational workplaces has to do with employees with differences in terms of motivations, working styles, communication patterns and technological preferences working together towards achieving the goals and objectives of their organisations.

The trend of having at least three generations in most workplaces is evident in today’s workplace. According to reports, most organisations in the United States (US) now consist of 67 per cent Generation Y employees, while Generation X (born between the mid-1960s and 1980) only make up 28 per cent and the Baby Boomers (born between 1945-1965) with even less at 5 per cent.

Today, employers are faced with the challenges of creating and maintaining a high-performing workforce that will optimise productivity and position their organisations for growth.

Multi-generational Workforce

A major element that compounds the pressure and raises the stakes on employee commitment is a multigenerational workforce. Never before has there been such a diversity of generations in the workforce than now where you have four distinct, age-based groups coexisting in the workplace – a situation where a 20 year-old new hires are working side-by-side with colleagues who are older than they are by 50 years or even more.

Each of these groups has conflicting communication styles, opposing values and preferred ways of doing things, all of which can make it more challenging to manage and integrate into a corporate culture.

Generational differences, workplace experts say can affect a wide range of workplace variables-in particular communication and management. They can also affect employees’ general work experience and satisfaction levels.

Founder and President of Portsmouth-based Loyalty Factor LLC, a training and consulting company, Dianne Durkin, emphasised the need for organisations to learn about each of these generational groups, their needs and motivations in order to ensure long-term employee loyalty.

According to these experts, supervisors and HR managers will need to embed a lot of adaptation and flexibility into their strategies in order to not only attract but to retain talent from each generation.

Durkin, in an article, observed that the Generation X and Nexters make up about 45 per cent of the workforce, adding that together, these 18-to-41-year old individuals equal the same percentage of the workforce the Baby Boomers compose while the Veteran generation makes up the final 10 per cent.

Cause of Blend

Accordingly, human resource experts have attributed this rich mix of generations in the work­force primarily to labour shortages experienced in many industries and the rising average age of retirement. With this broad field of individuals populating the corporate world, it becomes more challenging for employers to describe the “typical” workforce, let alone manage and maximise its talent assets toward higher productivity and profits.

According to a survey by Lee Hecht Harrison, a global leader in career transition and talent development, more than 60 per cent of employers are experiencing intergenerational conflict, however, the article titled, ‘Leading a Multigenerational Workforce’ stated that those very differences can also lead to increased creativity and productivity and ultimately to business success.

“Each generation has its attributes to contribute to your workforce. Older workers of the traditionalist generation are a goldmine. They have years of experience and expertise you can draw upon for training others as new employees join your company. Baby boomers bring thinking outside the box to another level as they use creativity to resolve issues.

“Generation X workers will comprise one-third of the workforce in 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics. Workers from the millennial generation are among the most highly educated–and, probably the least averse to risk-taking than previous generations,” the report noted.

Ideally, a multi-generational workforce would result in improved collaboration, creativity and decision-making.

Yet this vision is far from reality as divergent communication styles and preferences are said to have widened workplace generation gap. Take for instance different experiences with technologies, Veterans and Baby Boomers came of age in a world without computers, while Gen Xers and Nexters are caught in the transition to workplace technology.

President of Top Tier Leadership, Rita Barretta Craig said the varying levels of tech savvy can lead to negative impacts on workplace etiquette and communication, which can increase conflict in the workplace.

Also, another reason for communication discord is that the younger generations find it difficult interacting with people who remind them of their parents and grandparents while the older generations deal with the reverse. This widening age gaps, experts say sometimes prevent the multigenerational workforce from seeing how they can benefit from sharing ideas.

Workforce Challenges

Given these scenarios, the biggest challenge is getting all age cohorts to understand the different ways they approach the workload. This is because each age group are believed to have different understanding of how work schedules will be adhered to and how decisions will be made.

And, as such, management has to find ways of setting collective norms based on values that transcend generations. In addition, supervisors and HR managers will need to embed a lot of adaptation and flexibility into their strategies in order to not only attract but to retain talent from each generation. This is important because if the company fails to identify common ground, it may cause frustration among generations.

Compass HR Consulting Managing Partner, Fred Cooper pinpoints unfair hiring as an area of integrational challenge. He observed that “When in a hiring role, Gen Xers look to those they are comfortable with in age and background. This is a generality, but it reflects the common theme that is becoming apparent by Boomers”

Source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/