At the Unleash World conference in Paris, a compelling presentation titled “Generation Integration: HR’s Role in Bridging the Gap” was delivered by esteemed HR leaders: Linda Dunst, Head of Group Digital HR at Erste Group Bank; Murielle Arnould, Director of Organization & Future of Work at L’Oréal; Sabine Bothe, Global Head of People and Culture at Erste Group Bank; and Jean-Claude Le Grand, CHRO at L’Oréal. Our Managing Director, Claire Harrison, attended the session and has shared key insights from this enlightening discussion.
In today’s increasingly diverse workplaces, generational differences are becoming more pronounced. Organisations now employ workers from multiple generations, each with their own values, expectations, and communication styles. The speakers at this session highlighted how HR can play a pivotal role in bridging these generational gaps, ensuring that businesses not only survive but thrive in this dynamic environment.
The Topic: Generation Integration
The core topic of the presentation revolved around how HR can facilitate better integration between generations in the workplace. As more employees from younger generations, such as Millennials and Gen Z, enter the workforce, they often find themselves working alongside more experienced workers from Generation X and Baby Boomers. These generational divides can create tension, but if managed effectively, they can lead to enriched workplace culture, improved collaboration, and innovation.
The speakers emphasised the importance of creating a cohesive workplace environment where employees of all ages feel valued and respected. It’s essential for businesses to focus on cross-generational integration to ensure that the varying strengths, skills, and perspectives of each generation are harnessed effectively.
What Problem Is Being Solved for Businesses and Employers?
One of the primary challenges that businesses face today is how to manage and integrate a multigenerational workforce. With different expectations around flexibility, communication styles, work-life balance, and career progression, generational divides can lead to misunderstanding, frustration, and ultimately, disengagement. Older employees may feel undervalued or overlooked in favour of younger workers, while younger employees may feel misunderstood or stifled by traditional management practices.
For employers, this generational gap can result in a fragmented workforce, reduced productivity, and increased turnover. Organisations that fail to address these divides risk losing valuable talent and damaging their employer brand.
The solution lies in HR’s ability to create programs and policies that foster inclusivity, understanding, and collaboration across generations. Linda Dunst, Murielle Arnould, Sabine Bothe, and Jean-Claude Le Grand highlighted several key strategies that businesses can implement to bridge these generational gaps and ensure a harmonious workplace environment.
Key Insights from the Presentation
- Mentoring and Reverse Mentoring: One of the most effective ways to bridge the generational divide is through mentoring programs. Traditionally, mentoring has been seen as older employees guiding younger employees. However, reverse mentoring—where younger employees mentor their senior colleagues on topics like technology or new industry trends—can be equally valuable. This allows for a mutual exchange of knowledge and skills, fostering respect and collaboration across generations.
- Flexible Work Practices: Younger generations tend to prioritise work-life balance and flexible working arrangements. On the other hand, older employees may prefer more structured working hours. HR plays a crucial role in implementing flexible work policies that cater to the needs of all generations, ensuring that employees can balance their professional and personal lives effectively. By offering options like hybrid work models, businesses can accommodate the preferences of different generations while maintaining productivity.
- Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: Generational diversity should be treated as an integral part of a company’s broader diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategy. The speakers discussed the importance of creating an inclusive environment where employees of all ages feel they belong. D&I initiatives that emphasise the value of each generation’s contributions help to reduce biases and foster a culture of respect and collaboration.
- Continuous Learning and Development: To keep employees of all generations engaged, businesses need to provide opportunities for continuous learning and development. This is especially important for older workers who may feel anxious about adapting to new technologies or changing job roles. By offering training programs that cater to different learning styles and needs, HR can help employees stay relevant and motivated, regardless of their age.
- Intergenerational Teams: Encouraging collaboration between different age groups through intergenerational teams is another way to bridge the gap. These teams leverage the diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences of each generation, leading to more creative problem-solving and innovation. HR can facilitate this by promoting team-building activities and creating projects that require input from employees of all ages.
Claire’s Top 5 Take-outs
After attending this insightful session, Claire Harrison has identified five practical strategies that businesses and employers can implement to address generational integration in the workplace:
- Establish Reverse Mentoring Programs: In addition to traditional mentoring, businesses should implement reverse mentoring programs where younger employees can share their knowledge on topics like technology and innovation with more experienced colleagues. This fosters mutual respect and learning, helping to bridge the generational divide.
- Create Flexible Working Arrangements: Offering flexible working options is key to satisfying the diverse needs of a multigenerational workforce. Whether it’s hybrid work, flexible hours, or part-time arrangements, businesses should adopt policies that allow employees to balance work and personal life effectively, regardless of their age.
- Prioritise Intergenerational Collaboration: Encourage collaboration across generations by forming intergenerational teams. These teams can leverage the strengths of each generation, leading to more creative solutions and improved workplace cohesion.
- Promote Lifelong Learning: Offer continuous learning and development opportunities for employees of all ages. This will not only help older employees stay current with new technologies but also keep all employees engaged and motivated to grow within the company.
- Integrate Generational Diversity into D&I Strategies: Generational diversity should be an integral part of your organisation’s diversity and inclusion strategy. By fostering an inclusive culture that values contributions from all age groups, businesses can create a more harmonious and productive workplace.
Integrating different generations within the workforce is a growing challenge that, when managed effectively, can lead to a more dynamic and successful organisation. By adopting these practical strategies and creating an inclusive environment where employees of all ages feel valued, businesses can harness the full potential of their multigenerational workforce.
Call our Managing Director, Claire Harrison if you’d like to discuss generational integration in your organisation on 1300 001 447.
Claire Harrison is the Founder and Managing Director of Harrisons, a flourishing HR consulting business that sprouted in 2009 from Claire’s passionate belief that inspiring leaders and superstar employees are the key success factor to any business. With over 20 years’ experience, Claire has worked as a HR Director of multi-national organisations, as a Non-Executive Board Director, and a small business owner. Claire’s corporate career includes working with companies such as BHP, Westpac, Fonterra and Mayne Nickless.
