A Key to Employee Retention:
Effective Cross-Generational Work
Carol Cortez, Ph.D.
RAM/SWANA Conference
October 15, 2018
Employee Retention A Significant Challenge in 2018
Low unemployment rate
+
Unprecedented retirement rates
=
Intense competition to hire
and retain employees
Managing a Multigenerational WorkforceAnother Significant Challenge in 2018
Traditionals
73-96 years old
Baby Boomers
54-72 years old
Gen Xers
38-53 years old
Millennials
18-37 years old
Gen Zers
17 years old and below
Effectively engaging your
multigenerational workforce is a
key to managing retention
90%prefer to work in a
multi-generational
team
84%
believe their direct manager’s age
is not important as long as he/she
is inspirational
BUT…..
76%
prefer their direct manager to be
their age or older
2018 Randstad Study Results
from U.S. Workers
Recent Research Findings:
Generational Similarities
All employees want:
Respect and fair treatment
To work with others who are trustworthy
To learn and grow
To work on challenging projects
Competitive compensation
Opportunities for advancement
Work-life balance
Recent Research Findings:
Generational Similarities
People want leaders
who have similar values
People want leaders
who are credible and
trustworthy
Organizational politics
are a problem —
regardless of age
o problem —regardless of
age
A Few Ideas to Engage and Retain
Your Multigenerational Employees
Talk about Multigenerational Issues
Facilitate regular
conversations about
generations and allow
for observations and
issues to be discussed
Offer training about
generational similarities
and differences
Train leaders how to lead multigenerational teams
Ensure Multigenerational
Representation in Key Areas
Teams, committees, task
forces, and work groups
should reflect the generations
in your workplace.
Improves innovation and
decision-making
Produces unique ideas and
outlooks
Interview teams should be
multigenerational
Listen and Learn
Work to understand how generations in your
workplace are similar and different and adjust
your practices accordingly
Effective leadership
Appreciation and
recognition
Feedback
Work-life balance
Create Knowledge Transfer Opportunities
Assume everyone
wants to learn
Plan for
successions and
knowledge sharing
Provide reverse
mentoring
opportunities
Diversify Your Channels & Formats
Use a variety of communication
channels for organizational
messages—email, face-to-face, video,
texts, phone, social media
Offer training in a variety of formats—
classroom style, online, experiential,
interactive, self-learning
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