Generations at Work: 5 Ways to Bridge the Gap

If you’ve been in HR more than a minute, it’s likely you have several generations in your workplace — employees from 18 to 78.

Some love Beyoncé. Others love the Beatles. Some are into N/As. Others love highballs. And in between those two generations (Boomers and Gen Z) are Gen X and Millennials — perhaps the Bon-Jovi and beer lovers.

Generations Aren’t Interacting

Now, here’s the real breakdown of the generations working full-time, based on Glassdoor research:

• Baby boomers (born 1946-1964): 17.3 million
• Gen X (born 1965-1980): 42.8 million
• Millennials (born 1981-2000): 49.5 million, and
• Gen Z (born 2001-2020): 17.1 million.

Unfortunately, they might be working in the same place, but they aren’t interacting well: In a LinkedIn survey,  20% of Gen Zers admitted that they haven’t spoken directly to someone older than 50 in over a year at work. Meanwhile, 40% of those over 55 haven’t spoken to a Gen Z colleague in the same period.

Misunderstanding Between Generations at Work

While we can joke about their different tastes in music and cocktails, the disparities in age can cause misunderstandings and biases that lead to losses in productivity and morale.

Now’s the time to build bridges between the generations at work. Here are five strategies:

1. Stop the Stereotypes

We’ve all heard the seemingly innocuous stereotypes that can break down relations: Gen Z thinks it knows everything – and won’t listen; millennials don’t want to work hard; Gen X wants to be left alone; baby boomers are to blame for everything wrong today!

Organizations can’t operate on stereotypes. So as one expert at Korn Ferry put it: “Leaders are looking to create specific environments and situations where different generations of workers can build trust with each other,” says Karrin Randle, a senior principal in the Culture, Change and Communications practice at Korn Ferry.

2. Emphasize Each Gen’s Value

Let’s flip the switch on those stereotypes and look at each generation for the value they bring to the workforce.

For instance, boomers and Gen X — your longer tenured employees — bring history and institutional knowledge, plus maturity to handle the ever-changing work world.

On the other end, millennials and Gen Z — the younger employees — are often more digitally savvy and can give new insight on the growing customer segments and how to attract them through social media.

Different generations of employees can value and appreciate the unique perspectives each brings to the workplace and learn from each other, says Mark Royal, a senior client partner at Korn Ferry, in the company blog.

One cool idea: Offer “skill swap” sessions where employees of all ages can share their professional (and maybe even personal) hacks on getting things done.

3. Build More ‘Mixed Teams’

Encourage team and department leaders to work across functions, build more teams with members of different generations. They have lots to learn from each other, and they bring different perspectives.

Not only does it boost socializing through the ages, but it can boost productivity and revenue.

When teams meet, give them time to chat or eat informally so they can build relationships beyond business.

4. Create Mentorship Opportunities

Go beyond the traditional workplace mentoring when a veteran employee shows a new, younger employee the ropes. Pair people so they can both learn from each other. That may still mean putting a tenured employee with a newer employee, but you’ll want to give both “mentoring” roles — ways each can share knowledge and know-how and fill skills gaps.

With a cross-generational effort, colleagues can offer unique perspectives to each other. Both people in the partnership could represent the mentor at different stages.

5. Create Opportunities to Talk

Generational differences — the years and environments people grew up in — create misunderstandings and resentment in the workplace.

Consider this example: Several Gen Zers are working in a conference room shoulder to shoulder, each wearing large headphones. A group of baby boomers walks in, aghast at the sight. They all mumble under their breath about how the others are acting.

In reality, the Gen Zers are used to headphones to block out others so they can concentrate on their work. And the boomers are worried the client might show up at any moment and be ignored by the young team.

Both are legitimate workplace behaviors, actions and thoughts. But if members of different generations don’t share why they do what they do, there’s a lot of room for misunderstandings and some unnecessary chastising.

Encourage employees to talk about their approaches to work and why it works for them. In the end, they might end up sharing some across-the-generations best practices.