Talent comes in many different areas and your older workers bring knowledge and professionalism that is important to the business. Yes, their life values may not be career focus because they are in a different passage of their lives. Yet, their ability to contribute is still prevalent to the success of a company. So do you maximize the value the older worker brings to the table? It’s knowing what is important to them and what they offer you as a manager.
In business today, you can have several different generations working side by side with different workplace values. It’s easy to be perplexed by the employee who was raised in a different generation, yet even with the different values, most employees want to perform. In managing employees, you need to balance the needs of the business and what motivates each person to perform at their best.
This article on the different generations in the workplace clearer explains what they call the “Great Divide.” They make clear that the various generations have a different work culture, similiar to diversity with different countries. Read “Managing Employees from Different Generations” on Aon.com and take away a greater understanding of the challenges that arise when managing your employees.
The work force has several different generations functioning side by side. Each generation has diverse needs which means you will have to manage them differently. So not only do you have individual styles to deal with, you also have the employee’s generation to include in motivating the employee.
Given the requirements for great talent and the limited talent pool, it’s likely you will have an “older worker” as part of your team. Retention of knowledgeable and productive employees, no matter what generation they reside in, is one of your primary functions within the company.
