As we progress into a multi-generational workplace, young employees entering the workforce for the first time are now working with and collaborating on projects with people old enough to be their parents. This creates a dynamic working relationship and an active set of workplace challenges.
Here are three tips on creating a successful multi-generational workplace:
- Be transparent: Millennials want to know everything about their organization from the top down. Being transparent with company financials and areas of the leadership’s focus isn’t something Baby Boomers and Generation Xers are accustomed to, but it still benefits them. Providing company information is what the younger workers need to hear to be comfortable and it can open the older workers eyes to the benefits of transparent leadership.
- Make careers unique: Generation X is seven times more likely to be excited to come to work when they feel like their job is a real career, unique from their colleagues. This also works for millennials who want multiple career path options at one organization. If each staff member feels like they’re on their own individual path not only will they feel loyal to the organization, but they will explore what options exist within the organization before looking to leave it.
- Make it a good place to work: I’m not talking about nap pods and beer kegs making an organization a great workplace. I’m talking about the camaraderie between colleagues and trust in leadership. Millennials, sometimes seen as the job-hopping generation, are 25 times more likely to be loyal to their job if they believe they are in an excellent work environment. It’s less about the perks and more about making a stable, successful organization. This is the most important and transcendent component of success in a multi-generational workplace.
Read more about how to motivate your multi-generational workforce
