Building Inclusive Workplaces for All Ages

 

The article "Bridging Generational Divides in Your Workplace" written by Debra Sabatini Hennelly who advises executives and boards on how to improve organizational resilience by creating cultures of openness, inclusion, integrity, and innovation; and Bradley Schurman who is an expert on demographic change and how it alters social, cultural, political and economic norms in the United States and around the world, published in Harvard Business Review, addresses the issue of generational differences in the work environment and how companies must adapt to changing demographics to ensure sustainable growth in the future.

The working-age population in the United States is declining, and no significant increase is expected in the near term due to the lack of a baby boom and early retirement. During the pandemic, many companies laid off older workers due to age discrimination and cost-cutting measures, resulting in loss of experience and loyalty, and did not consider that there would be a shortage of younger workers to fill those positions once the pandemic subsided.

The world's population is aging due to "population aging," caused by declining birth rates and increasing longevity. This has significant implications for the workforce and businesses, especially in places where more than 20% of the population is over the age of 65.

The article highlights the importance of multigenerational workforces and how they can drive growth and competitiveness, to retain older employees, including inclusive design practices in terms of compensation, benefits, work arrangements, including telecommuting and hybrid work, and workplace design that considers small changes that can improve and enhance the well-being and productivity of workers. The importance of facilitating collaboration and communication between generations to drive innovation is also emphasized. It is important to promote managers who seek to engage multigenerational teams, valuing the contribution of older employees, and building trust to embrace broader perspectives.

It is important to find common ground to build trust between generations and address communication gaps, and companies should promote leaders who can manage multigenerational teams and value the contribution of older employees.

In summary, the article provides a proactive approach for companies to adapt to changing demographics to retain older workers, promoting an inclusive work environment and fostering cross-generational collaboration to drive creativity and sustainable growth in the future.

This article has personal relevance to me in several ways:

As a college student: This article gives me an idea of the demographic trends in the job market and how they might affect my future career prospects, which I should analyze to be prepared when applying for employment.

As a job seeker: As I begin my job search in Canada, I should consider the company's generational diversity policy as an important factor in evaluating job opportunities and how they fit with my career expectations.

As a leader or supervisor: When I had the opportunity to lead teams in my previous work experiences in my home country, I had the opportunity to lead people much older than me. Although the company did not have a generational diversity policy, it was very clear that it had to ensure compliance with the company's values, so the contributions of each team member were always respected, and the opinions of people who already had extensive work experience were considered. In this way we were able to obtain an advantage by having older and more experienced employees who helped us to train new personnel and thus the knowledge management could be developed efficiently.

In summary, this article on generational differences at work has the potential to relate to me in a variety of ways, depending on my current situation and my career goals. It can certainly influence my future employment decisions by understanding how organizations are evolving to adapt to changing generational dynamics in the workplace.

What was your impression of the review? Do you agree with generational inclusion in the workplace? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Hennelly, D. S. (2023, January 10). Bridging generational divides in your workplace. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/01/bridging-generational-divides-in-your-workplace?registration=success