Question

A firm has requested your assistance in ensuring that its multigenerational workforce functions effectively as a team. What strategies or programs would you recommend? Why?

Answer 1

There are a variety of strategies that can be adopted in order to make sure that multigenerational workforces are able to work together towards a common goal.

1) Create an atmosphere of respect among the employees - Every generation tends to think that they are better in their overall worldly outlook and their way of working. It is essential for multigenerational forces to accept such differences in opinions and thinking of the other generation and learn to respect them. When the different groups respect each other, only then can they work together as a team.

2) Stereotyping should be discouraged - When people start assuming things about each other without actually interacting with them at a deeper level, they tend to overlook the merits and the individual personality of others. To avoid this, communication between the multigenerational workforce should be actively encouraged. Mentorship roles can be assigned to senior employees to guide the younger generation and building a network between the different generations.

3) Create mixed project teams - Such a practice helps in mixing experience with youthful creativity. When such a thing happens, it creates results that may not have been previously imagined. A multigenerational workforce can thus be a blessing in disguise when formulating a project team.

4) Create a flexible leadership role - Different generation of employees have different expectations from their employers. While the older generation tends to look to the leader to give them further instructions, the younger generation needs more of supervision than an authoritative figure. Thus the different needs for supervision of the employees must be accommodated.

5) Feedback from the employees - To understand the challenges that a multigenerational workforce faces on a daily basis, it is a good practice to get the required feedback from the employees themselves. Once the challenges are known, finding effective solutions to them becomes a much easier task in managing such a varied workforce.