One of your co-workers grew up in a world without personal computers, let alone smartphones or tablets. The other has never known a life before screens. One of your employees is a big fan of avocado toast. The other owns a house.
You are part of a multigenerational team, employees who were born many years — and many experiences — apart. Some generational differences, particularly in regard to technology, are real. And some are stereotypes. (Millennials do not lack houses because they enjoy avocado toast, despite what you may have heard.) Whether you are a CEO, a manager, or a project leader, you need to cut through stereotypes, bridge the generation gap, and effectively work with people from different decades. It’s not as daunting as it sounds: The key to navigating the generation gap is understanding how to motivate employees of all ages.
There are now five generations in the workplace:
As with all forms of diversity, a diverse age group makes your team more effective. But it can also lead to generational differences, such as:
Whether all of these generational differences actually exist depends on the individuals in your workplace. Get to know each of your co-workers as people, not as statistics. What are their unique skills? What technology are they comfortable using? What challenges are they facing? And what drives them to succeed? To truly motivate someone, you need to understand them. That’s true regardless of what generation they hail from — and it prevents you from unintentionally stereotyping.
If you do find that generation gaps exist, you can bridge them by encouraging older and younger employees to mentor one another. For example, a millennial can share their technical knowledge, and a baby boomer can help their younger co-worker gain business intuition. Most importantly, encourage each member of your team to treat one another with respect.
Regardless of our generation, “we are so much more similar than we are different,” and we are motivated by the same core factors. Let’s take a look at how you can motivate employees of all ages.
The first step to incentivizing your team is a fair wage, ideally “above market rates.” Money is a crucial motivator for members of every generation, from young millennials burdened by student loans to baby boomers who are preparing for retirement.
Lift your employees’ financial burdens, and you’ll increase their loyalty to your company. “To retain exceptional talent over the long term, employers must offer a total job package that takes care of employees over their entire career and in different stages of their life,” recommends this Gallup article. That means your financial package should include benefits such as retirement plans.
Think back to the last time you were sick. Were you able to perform at a hundred percent? Of course not. Physical and mental distress sap productivity, no matter how motivated you are to succeed. That’s why it’s critical to help your team stay healthy.
Wellness programs can improve morale: Fifty percent of “employees would like to see a greater focus on well-being at their company,” according to a survey cited in this Forbes article. As you evaluate your wellness initiatives, make sure your programs go beyond offering healthy lunch options (although that’s great, too). Your organization should be committed to employee health on a foundational level:
Employees are galvanized by three main factors: autonomy, mastery, and a sense of purpose. We’ll get into all three of these later, but let’s start with autonomy, which is about allowing employees the freedom to be self-directed.
When you offer team members the time to pursue passion projects, they become intrinsically motivated to succeed. (A good example of this is 20 percent time, which gives employees “protected space in which to tinker.” It’s led to the creation of Gmail, among other things.)
Now let’s dive into mastery. This key motivator is why it’s important to offer professional development opportunities, which can increase motivation and retention. For example, USF’s Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education (CTPE) offers training that can be tailored to your team’s needs and delivered on-site or on campus.
When you clock into work each day, do you feel like you are part of something meaningful, or are you counting the minutes until 5 p.m.? The answer to that question will determine how motivated you are to get out of bed on Monday morning. The same is true of your employees.
“People who consider their work to be a calling … tend to be more satisfied than those who think of their work as ‘just’ a job,” according to this excerpt from the book How We Work: Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity, and Embrace the Daily Grind.
Help your employees understand why their work is important. To define your organization’s purpose, SHRM suggests you answer the following questions:
When your team members are burnt out, they aren’t motivated. And it’s pretty hard to inspire an employee who’s missing their child’s first piano recital. The good news is, you can improve your organization’s work-life balance through providing:
Whether you’re the CEO of a multimillion-dollar organization or the leader of a group project, you need to know how to communicate effectively with your team:
You can give your employees everything from financial incentives to creative autonomy, but if they don’t feel respected or safe, they obviously won’t be motivated. Take an honest look at how you can increase the inclusivity and diversity of your workplace:
When you understand and value each member of your team, you’ll create a workplace culture where employees of all ages thrive. We’re always happy to answer your questions about this program or our other professional development opportunities. Contact us through our website or give us a call at 813-974-0950.