Relooking at what motivates different generational groups

Diversity in today’s workforce is not only about gender, nationality, religious beliefs, culture, but also age and generational differences. Inc.

Photo credit: Himself taken in Naha, Okinawa, 2017

Different generations bring a diversity of perspectives as well as skill sets to the workplace, adding creativity and better ability to service customers.

Baby Boomers (Born between 1946 and 1964)

They are likely to be already working in the company, and in leadership positions. Gallup found that by age 68, only one third are still in the workplace. As Baby boomers possess institutional knowledge and experience, this can result in a significant brain drain. They can be tapped to provide knowledge transfer to Millennials.

Challenges faced by Baby Boomers include health problems and disabilities, and the need to take care of aging family members.

What companies can do [Dona Dezube, Monster] :

Courtney Templin, president, JB Training Solutions, Chicago and author of “Manager 3.0: A Millennial’s Guide to Rewriting the Rules of Management” suggests:

• Start a mentor program to engage Baby Boomers to mentor Millennials
• Part-time consulting and coaching to transfer knowledge
• Offer a phased retirement option to employees who wish to work part time, drawing part-time salary, partial retirement benefits and must spend 20 percent of their work time mentoring coworkers.
• Adapt the workplace to be more senior friendly
• Set up a forum where older workers can share ideas for workplace improvements (BMW).
• Set up multi-generational workgroups to share knowledge

Personal Motivation: What should I look for in a Job and Maslow