Jul 17, 2014 | Blog

May the (Older Work-) Force be with You

Engage Your People

Last week I heard that Harrison Ford had recently been treated in hospital after being injured on the set of the latest Star Wars film. The story I had from a colleague was that the door of the Millennium Falcon had shut on his foot, crushing it to pieces. In reality it turns out that a garage door came down on his ankle a bit too hard. Whichever way it happened, it’s fair to say it was not a good week for the Star Wars actor. But what really caught my attention was the news that Mr Ford is now 71 years old. How did that happen? One minute he’s outrunning imperial storm troopers and the next he’s into his eighth decade.

Well, I guess it happens to us all. Based on figures from the Office for National Statistics, the number of people aged over 60 is expected to increase by 13% over the next 6 years. With many of the ‘baby boomers’ already in their 60’s, most of the growth in the older population will come from the over 65’s. Within 20 years, nearly a quarter of the population will be aged 65 or over.

We also know that the number of people planning to work into their sixties and beyond, whether through personal choice or financial commitments, is increasing. Suddenly, the prospect of you or I working into our 80s no longer seems so unlikely. The management of a more age diverse workforce will surely pose a new set of challenges for employers as we head into the future.

With that in mind I delved into our Hay Group database of employee opinion to understand how employers in the future might look to engage different age groups in the most effective way. For me, a few main differences stood out. For younger employees (Millenials and Gen Xers), it’s all about the future. They are looking for clear opportunities to progress in their careers, to test their skills in as many areas as possible, and to be recognized for their efforts through regular and constructive feedback.

For more mature employees, security is an increasingly important issue. They want the confidence that they are playing for a winner that comes with a clear and compelling organizational direction. And, confident in what they are able to deliver, they are focused on pay and performance management systems that ensure an appropriate balance between what they put into their work and what they get back.

So, what can we take from that?

Well it’s clear that businesses will need to understand, lead, manage and motivate teams made up of all age groups, from school leavers to octogenarians, with very different outlooks and values.

Here are a few things that companies can start doing now to prepare for the future:

Understand the implications. Audit what a more age diverse workforce will mean for you in terms of:

  • How to get the best from each age group’s skills, knowledge and experience
  • The learning and development needs of different groups of employees
  • The career paths and HR policies required to meet the needs of each age group
  • How you might need to tailor reward packages (compensation, benefits, well-being programs and so on) accordingly.

Then:

Adapt policies to suit the needs of different age groups.

  • Create flexible working structures. Younger staff are likely to appreciate being able to work flexibly and remotely, instead of being tied to the workplace or to set working hours. Older employees may want to have looser relationships, perhaps working part-time, inputting on specific projects or acting as an expert consultant.
  • Consider the unique career aspirations of different generations and develop multiple career paths to reflect different opportunities.
  • Offer flexible reward packages that can help meet the needs of different generations

Tailor training and encourage inter-generational learning:

  • Assess opportunities to establish age-diverse workgroups or project teams to enable mutual, intergenerational knowledge sharing. Younger staff can help older colleagues understand new technologies, while older staff can give Gen-Y’ers the benefit of the experience, knowledge and skills they’ve built up over many years. Such teams also help different groups to understand each other and build trust which is key to successfully working together and getting things done.
  • Create processes that help managers to lead junior team members differently, including providing more direction, support and continuous feedback. Train leaders on generational management including performance management, coaching and developmental planning.

So, where does that leave Harrison Ford? Well, out of hospital hopefully and on the mend. When he returns to the Star Wars set I’m sure he will also look to share his vast knowledge and experience with younger members of the cast and crew through new patterns of inter-generational learning. However, he shouldn’t start to believe he has all the answers. We can all still learn something by listening to the wise words of the, older still, Master Yoda “Be ready for the coming diversity of the aging workforce, you must”.

What are you doing to engage an increasingly age diverse workforce? Tweet me @SDawsonHayGroup

 

Sam is an Associate Director of Hay Group Insight and has some 15+ years experience in the field of employee engagement research and consulting. Sam works with his clients to facilitate real organisational improvements from their engagement programs. He has recently returned to Europe as head of Insight UK, having started and headed up Hay Group Insight in the Pacific region. Sam works across major sectors globally on many employee engagement survey progams. This has included work for National Australia Bank, BHP Billiton, Serco, Nestle, Compass Group, McDonald’s & Nissan.