Workforces around the world are aging. Senior team members work longer, with an average retirement age of 62, from 59 in the 2000s. Leading teams where employees are older and have held positions of seniority can be daunting. Furthermore, we live in a society that can afford people certain privileges with age, like immediate respect and deference, as much as it can be a cause for discrimination. Very plainly put, some leaders may feel undermined by senior team members who can use their age and experience to second-guess the expertise of younger managers, and young managers may overlook experienced older employees due to ageism.
It’s a conundrum across several workplaces in the US, especially as older people are increasingly opting to stay employed for longer. Here are a few tips for young managers working with multigenerational teams:
Open Communication
It may sound obvious, but one of the first suggestions experts provide on managing multigenerational teams is to keep lines of communication open. Ageism is prevalent in workplaces across America, with over 40% of employees saying they’ve faced age-related discrimination in the office. Ensuring everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts, ideas, and opinions is essential to good leadership. Open communication fosters trust and helps young managers create a positive work environment.
Make Provisions For Communication Preferences
This one is in tandem with the first point; make provisions for different communication preferences. When working with multigenerational teams, managers need to be cognizant of the fact that different age groups might prefer different communication styles. Gen Z employees will likely be more comfortable with tools like Slack, while Gen X employees may prefer traditional communication methods like email. Understanding these differences and preferences can help younger managers lead diverse teams more effectively. Going one step further, they can provide training and support to help team members effectively utilize communication tools to ensure everyone feels comfortable and empowered to work together.
Offer Career Growth
One of the best strategies to combat ageism and manage teams with diverse age groups is challenging harmful stereotypes by offering career progression and new skills to older team members. According to a survey conducted by AARP, 60% of Baby Boomers are willing and eager to learn new skills and are consistently among the most engaged workers in a team. Industry expert, Ashley Stahl, says it is “well worth the time and financial investment to train them” and that “younger managers should specifically ask them what skill set they want to be leading with.” Creating tailored career development and learning programs for team members can go a long way in showing appreciation for and a commitment to older team members.
Capitalize on Experience and Institutional Knowledge
Younger managers are urged to recognize the intrinsic value of older employees. Capacitated with institutional knowledge and industry experience, they’re able to act as an internal advisory board, guiding younger leaders and helping them navigate the corporate world. It is often said that we don’t need to make the same mistakes in order to learn valuable lessons, and older employees are able to see certain pitfalls well in advance, having already acquired the necessary hindsight. Respecting and recognizing the advantages of a multigenerational team fosters an environment where collaboration can thrive.
Create a Schedule For Check-Ins
Individual meetings are a great strategy to dive into the older employees’ goals within a team. Not only are check-ins a great way to seek feedback from team members and discuss career objectives. Structured, targeted one-on-one meetings help managers support employees and discover the leadership approaches that best serve individuals. In planning for these check-ins, managers can send out personalized micro-surveys that explore themes of goal-tracking, personal objectives, and overall sentiments. These meetings benefit teams as a whole, keeping managers abreast of the temperature in the team and providing employees with a forum to express themselves with leaders in a formal, yet personal manner.
Invest in Relationship Building
Another strategy young managers can employ to successfully lead multigenerational teams is to invest in genuine relationship building. Finding common ground is a great way to start by looking at employees’ hobbies, interests, and life experiences. Connecting on these shared interests builds trust and improves collaboration within teams. Exploring team-building activities that pique the interests of all team members or even taking turns exploring various activities that introduce people to each other’s hobbies is a great way to build cohesion; making art together, singing karaoke, and planning outreach days together are just a few of the activities that aren’t age-specific and can be enjoyed by all.
Mentorship as a Tool For Mutual Knowledge-Sharing
Setting up mentorship programs can be a source of mutual knowledge-sharing between young managers and their more experienced, older team members. As ways of working have changed significantly over the last few years, and COVID-19 has exacerbated that rate of change, older employees may feel left behind. On the other hand, younger managers may need to seek the wisdom and guidance of their older employees to assist in their leadership and managing the challenges that come with their role. In creating a mentorship program that addresses these two needs, managers can create a mutual exchange of knowledge sharing. This builds appreciation and respect for each group and strengthens teams by being able to learn from each other.
Concluding Thoughts
Younger managers leading older team members is a growing trend in organizations, as Millennial and Gen Z employees are growing in their roles, while older generations are either unable or not yet ready to step into retirement. This comes with its challenges and benefits. Managers looking to create cohesion and encourage collaboration can use any of the strategies discussed in this article to build trust and bridge the gap between different generations.
Young managers are encouraged to work on effective communication skills, which include keeping lines of communication open and ensuring team members can have one-on-one conversations to provide feedback. Leveraging the age gap by relying on older team members for their institutional knowledge is an excellent way to show appreciation for their expertise and experience, and providing tailor-made development programs helps to keep them engaged. Finally, young managers are encouraged to help teams bridge the generational gap by investing in relationship-building activities and facilitating peer-to-peer mentorship, creating a culture of inclusivity.
