In order to build a strong, well-rounded organizational culture, CEOs often put together staff of talented employees, with no age preference. If you want to boost the firm performance, you simply must add fresh minds into the equation and experienced workers to guide them. At the end of the day, the business is a sum of every part of it, which is why your staff needs to consist of a diverse staff.
However, it comes as no surprise when business owners struggle with handling people with a generation gap. According to the content manager at Aussiewritings.com, Kate Smith, ‘maneuvering this issue is the biggest headache of every manager’.
To help you out with this problem, we have created a list of things that will help you create and maintain optimal performance at your company:
Appreciate the Older Generation’s Experience
The older generation is wiser and more experienced. Everybody knows this. And yet, many employers nowadays focus on the millenials, hiring them for their computer skills and fresh perspectives.
If you are a good CEO, you already know that you need diversity in the firm. Whilst young employees can bring fresh ideas into the workplace, you need the experience of the older generation to keep your business on track.
Appreciate their experience and show them you know their impact is valuable. Even if youth is the moving force in your company, let the older generations know they are needed.
This will help them embrace the change and stay in pace with the technology advancements. If you achieve it, you have the best possible combo – experience and innovation.
Promote Teamwork
In order to keep your business running and succeeding, you simply must make your employers work as a team. Generations can help each other and create business opportunities you never even dreamed of.
Generating teamwork across many generations is not easy. In order to do this, you need to have a unique approach that will allow people to connect. How can you do this?
Here are some effective ideas for promoting teamwork in the workplace:
- Create group tasks with people of different age and background
- Share the team objectives with your employees
- Promote team meetings
- Integrate some fun into the workplace
- Create comfortable conditions for communication
Stop Dwelling on Differences
In most cases, generational stereotypes are not true. At the end of the day, the employee’s performance will depend on their abilities, experience and motivation.
Therefore, stop dwelling on the age difference. Grasp the difference in age to achieve the best possible results, but aim to get to know each employee individually before creating your opinion of them.
Study the Employees
Do you take the time to research new services and products? Of course you do. Every successful business manager does this to keep their company on the right track.
This is not all that needs researching. If you want to motivate the employees and create a good working environment, you need to study them and determine what they need.
How do you do this?
Study the demographics of your future and current workforce with the goal of determining what they need from their job. Preferences vary greatly from generation to generation.
You can achieve this by directly asking your employees about their goals and opinions. Use annual surveys, interview candidates or send someone you trust in their team to find out what you can fix. When you know all this, you can plan their work and allow them to follow the professional paths they have set for themselves.
You should also use this information as a criticism towards your business strategies and human resources. There is no better way to improve than by asking the people in your company what it is that you are doing wrong.
If you go at it the right way, you will be surprised on how many things you can change with their help.
Allow for Mentoring
Young workers can learn a lot from experienced, older workers. This is all true, but focusing solely on it is the worst thing you can do for your company.
Allow for two-way mentoring. Old workers need to learn the new tricks, so create opportunities for both sides. While younger workers will improve their objectives and strategies by using the experience of seasoned executives, these can actually teach the older generations a lot.
Starting from technology to latest trends, young people have a lot to share, too.
If you manage to achieve this, you will improve every employee’s performance in the company. After all, this is what a mixed-age work team is all about.
The best thing CEOs can do for their company is optimize their workers’ performance. This can be achieved by combining the advantages of all generations and creating a great team that can create various opportunities for the business.
