It’s possible to have five generations in the workplace right now, and it’s an opportunity for companies able to elicit the best from each generation’s skills.When Brian Rosen looks at the roughly 2,800 employees he oversees at Colliers Canada, he sees a work force that reflects a unique moment in modern history: five generations working together, for the first time, in the same place.
“But the challenge is figuring out how we can maximize the skill sets of the different generations we have on our teams while managing the differences in order to achieve better performance and collaboration,” says Gisele Kovary, head of learning and development at Toronto-based management consulting firm Optimus SBR.
Among Gen X, a common attribute is an eagerness to learn. This makes them highly adaptive and nimble, adds Ms. Kovary. Millennials, on the other hand, place a great focus on diversity and inclusion. Many among this generation have succeeded in flattening hierarchies in their workplace. Hosting educational sessions to make employees more aware of how each generation prefers to work and communicate can help. Or employers can encourage their workers to agree on certain communication protocols.