A unique dynamic is emerging across workplaces across the U.S. For the first time ever, many businesses now include a mix of employees that span four distinct generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y (or Millennials) and most recently, Generation Z. Depending on your business, this means Gen Z workers in their early 20s may be crossing career paths with Baby Boomers in their 60s and 70s.

How does this impact your business? Quite a bit! There are legal considerations, as well as specific management challenges. To support a multigenerational workforce, you must first follow sound, non-discriminatory hiring practices. Then, you should adopt a flexible management approach that honors each worker’s unique perspectives and life experiences.

Avoid Age Discrimination When Hiring (and Beyond)

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects applicants and employees 40 and older from discrimination in the workplace. Protecting your business from a potential age discrimination lawsuit starts with sound hiring. Follow these important steps:

• Write a thorough job description

  A detailed, well-written job description is an important document in any defense against possible discrimination complaints. It serves to objectively outline the duties and responsibilities of the position — and can guide you in conducting fair assessments of job applicants.

• Use a legally sound job application

  An attorney-approved job application allows you to pose standard questions to all candidates without violating their privacy and employment rights. You may not see the harm in asking what year a candidate graduated from high school, but this could be viewed as an indirect way of finding out a person’s age.

• Ask consistent interview questions based on the job description

  You can conduct solid interviews by asking each candidate the same questions — and ensuring that these questions are job-related. Straying from the job description and subjecting just one candidate to a line of questioning that is different from the others can invite unwanted legal issues.

• Minimize small talk during interviews

  Polite and friendly conversation during interviews on topics unrelated to the job can lead to unintentional discrimination. Once you go off course, the conversation or questions could slip into inappropriate areas such as family life, ethnicity or religion. It’s best to keep the small talk to an absolute minimum.

  Beyond the hiring process, keep in mind that age discrimination can result from other actions and attitudes in the workplace. For example:

  • A supervisor making encouraging comments about retirement
  • Moving an older employee into a smaller office after a company restructuring
  • Passing over an older employee for a promotion in favor of a younger individual
  • Reassigning an older employee to a job with fewer responsibilities
  • No longer sending an older employee on business trips or offering job-related training or courses

In addition to casting a wide net when recruiting and hiring employees, strive for diversity and avoid any age-related missteps with transfers and promotions, work assignments, training and apprenticeship programs, performance measurements, and wages and benefits.

Building a Cohesive Multigenerational Workforce

Do you understand what drives the four different generations? Although every individual is unique, of course, certain behaviors and tendencies have been observed amonng the generations. For example:

• Baby Boomers (born 1946-early 1960s) — Work-centric, independent, may challenge rules, reserved communication style.
• Gen X (born between mid-1960s and 1970s) — Grew up in boomers’ shadows, slightly cynical, individualistic, adaptable to change.
• Gen Y, or Millennials (born between 1980s and mid-1990s) — Heavily influenced by internet technology, prioritize family and friends, value teamwork.
• Gen Z (born 1996-now) — Tech savvy, constant communicators, desire stability due to seeing family weather the Great Recession.

While it’s easy to focus on stereotypes and bemoan the challenges of a multigenerational workforce, a smarter approach is to drop the labels and strive for common ground. It’s entirely possible to bridge the gap between a 20-something, entry-level employee and a tenured, 70-year-old nearing retirement. As it is, melding a multigenerational staff with a broad range of experiences and insights can lead to a more vibrant and robust workplace.

To help support this dynamic, you should:

• Pull together mixed-age teams

  Whenever possible, build teams that incorporate a range of ages. Collaboration and connection is the key to building trust across generations. Plus, each generation can contribute a valuable skill set to a project – from an older employee with a keen understanding of company operations to a Millennial who’s comfortable with the latest technology.

• Develop a formal mentoring program

  We tend to think older employees possess all the knowledge to impart on younger employers. But have you heard of reverse or reciprocal mentoring? The objective is to pair younger workers with senior-level staff to share their expertise and insights. By doing so, you promote the message that every generation has something to offer, regardless of age.

• Step up recognition

  Employees want to be recognized and appreciated for their efforts, no matter the age or generation. Look for more ways to recognize your valued employees — from praising contributions and honoring birthdays and anniversaries to establishing an employee of the month program and rewarding specific achievements.

• Create a culture of camaraderie

  Bring employees together in non-work settings to build camaraderie and friendships. Whether it’s a department lunch, end-of-the-year holiday party or weekly bowling league, activities away from work can create connections that cross over into daily workplace interactions.

Get the Most Out of Your Multigenerational Staff

Although a multigenerational workforce presents special challenges for employers, it also provides new opportunities. Bridging the differences and embracing each other’s strengths can help you build a business that keeps pace with today’s societal and technological changes.

Take advantage of the latest online tools to support a fair and effective hiring process. You can reach more qualified candidates, avoid job application oversights and streamline your hiring efforts with the Job Application app and Applicant Tracking app from HRdirect Smart Apps.