Four Keys to Successfully Managing a Multigenerational Workforce

To create balance in today’s workplace — with its alphabet soup of generations from Boomer and Depression babies to Generations X, Y and, soon, Z — organizations must understand and appeal to these different age groups. Of course, different preferences aren’t based solely on age — salespeople of any age probably share more personality traits with one another than with the software engineers of their age cohort. Yet general preferences exist, and companies can benefit from a diverse workforce because each generation brings its own experiences, perspectives, and strengths. However, there are also potential challenges, such as younger workers managing older ones, knowledge transfer issues, recruitment issues, and communication challenges.