‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.’

‘Old habits die hard.’

‘With age comes wisdom.’

‘Young and restless.’

‘Entitled…’

It’s a well-known fact that today’s workforces are more diverse than ever. Yet, take a look at the idioms we use to describe generations and you wouldn’t be wrong to believe that ageism is still as rife as ever.

 We know that diversity brings multitudes of benefits to the workforce — creativity, innovation, collaboration, productivity — to name a few. While leaders might consider gender, race, or socio-economic status in their inclusivity policy, they often mistakenly forget about age.

This doesn’t appear to make strategic sense. Our workplace now spans four generations, a fifth generation will soon enter, and older workers are retiring later. Surely now should be the time to be focussing on this wealth of untapped diversity and innovation, not sweeping it under the rug.

If you need any persuading — here’s a stat for you to consider. 87% of employees report high productivity in firms with intergenerationally inclusive work practices, compared to 58% without. Incredibly, it seems we’re only now just starting to realise the huge potential this offers.

However, here’s the catch — a multigenerational team can provide huge rewards, but success depends on you. Leaders must find novel approaches to promote teamwork and psychological safety, and create innovative methods to communicate and collaborate.

This exciting new opportunity brings untapped benefits, but it also necessitates careful planning and strategy.

What’s holding you back?

Even if you consider yourself an unbiased person, age related stereotypes can be quite subversive.

Have you ever hesitated to assign an older worker an innovative new project because you are afraid of their ‘resistance to change’?

Or felt prickled by a younger employee after you read that article proclaiming Gen Z are ‘so entitled’.

We know stereotypes are damaging, but we often inadvertently subscribe to age related assumptions.

In fact, labelling age groups can only serve to further embed prejudices. Take the case of  Procter and Gamble:

They initially excluded older employees from their digital transformation efforts, assuming younger employees were more tech-savvy. They quickly realised that excluding experienced workers led to a lack of strategic oversight and industry knowledge, crucial for integrating new technologies effectively.

Leaders — break your stereotypes, and you shatter the glass ceiling.

How can you build your age diverse workforce?

Create space for mutual learning through reverse mentoring — Pair younger and older employees for mutual learning. PwC used this to encourage cross-generational collaboration and to pair staff across gender and ethnicity, sparking inclusivity conversations that transcended generations.

Find overlap — it’s often easy to hyperfocus on what divides us. However it is much easier to find what unites your multigenerational team, especially as research shows they are united on key issues such as flexible working, purpose, and caring leadership.

Use inclusive communication channels — Recognise different communication preferences and use various channels to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.

Intentionally social — build in intentional social time. This is a low-stakes, fun way for employees to get to know each other, break down misconceptions and build culture.

Leading a multigenerational workforce is both a challenge and an opportunity. If there was one piece of advice I would give you — it is to focus on building a psychologically safe environment where everyone can access equal opportunities, regardless of their age. Do that, and you’ll be in with a chance of accessing the unique opportunities your age diverse organisation offers you.


About the Author

Catherine Nicholson is the co-founder of The virtual training team. She is the Creative lead at VTT and oversees the design of workshops, programmes and “Train the trainer” programmes.

She is passionate about learning transfer, psychology, behavioural science, and business research and has a proven track record of helping organisations across a range of industries develop the skills they need for success.

With over 15 years experience supporting businesses like AXA, GSK, 3M, Microsoft, HubSpot, MOD, Accenture and the NHS, Catherine is an expert in designing and delivering interactive and engaging training to create lasting behavioural change.