There’s no denying today’s workplace is radically different to that of only a few years ago. Over time, employers have found that today’s workforce is evolving due to demographics, the impact of the pandemic, and working preferences across the population. In some cases, there are as many as five generations working alongside one another. With this in mind, now is the time for HR to be proactive in seeking out, engaging with, and retaining a multigenerational workforce for the good of their company.

According to Olly Harris, global managing director of Page Outsourcing, HR has the opportunity now to get to grips with diverse age groups in the workplace and secure advantages. “Those who proactively prepare are those who prime themselves for success, both in accessing currently overlooked talent pools, and realising the true value of effective collaboration between generations,” he says, while noting that half of all workers will be over fifty years old by 2030. “Those beginning now have more time to adapt to the nuances in needs of each generation, allowing HR teams to set these individuals up for long-term success,” he adds.

One clear advantage, Harris explains, is that by recruiting diverse candidates, organisations can reflect their own client base better. “Within insurance markets,” he says, “older generations prove more effective in articulating benefits and value of certain products, such as life insurance and pensions, when compared to younger counterparts. This is because they can more deeply understand the customer and what they are seeking from the product.”

Ross Crook, recently appointed global managing director of client services for Morgan McKinley Talent Solutions, is not alone in stating how the pandemic was influential in bringing more generations into organisations. The ability to work from anywhere, to be part of a hybrid workforce, to satisfy the desire to be active, and “do something real” has all played a part. He notes that 10 years ago, the emphasis fell on bringing returning mothers to organisations and the age diverse workforce is part of the ongoing intention to identify parts of the talent pool that have been ignored or at least not given so much attention as others.

Crook says that age now does not necessarily dictate where in an organisation a person should be or how they should be employed. The three-day week is highly attractive to older people who want a better work-life balance. It is not unheard of for apprentices to be over 50. Alongside this, Crook identifies five benefits of the age diverse workforce, including:

• increased creativity and innovation in the business;
• improved employee morale;
• a better understanding of clients;
• market growth; and
• an increased understanding of cultural differences.

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