How do you engage employees of all ages and personalities?

There is a lot of talk about the differences between generations in the workplace but research on what each generation is looking for in a workplace has more similarities than differences. Employees, regardless of age, are likely to give extra on a job when their workplace culture is cooperative, friendly and caring. But everyone is different, and it can be nice to recognise that people have different lived experiences, influences and preferences. Encourage open communication through meetings, feedback sessions and surveys. Ask about preferred learning styles and work arrangements. Determine staff strengths, weaknesses and skill levels. With this information you can tailor your engagement strategy to meet staff needs better.

Start by fostering an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued, encouraging open dialogue and respecting differing perspectives. Offer flexible work arrangements to accommodate varying life stages and personality needs, such as remote work or flexible hours. Provide varied professional development opportunities—mentorship for those seeking guidance and leadership challenges for ambitious individuals. Organize diverse team-building activities that appeal to a range of interests. Promote cross-generational collaboration by creating mixed-age teams, leveraging the unique strengths of each group. Recognize and celebrate individual achievements, ensuring engagement across all demographics and personalities.

Engaging employees of all ages and personalities is indeed a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. The key is to ‘Know Your Audience’. As someone coming from a mental health background, I realize the importance of acknowledging and respecting individual differences and strengths. Understanding the unique strengths, motivations, and needs of each individual is crucial. This allows us to tailor our approach and communication style to resonate with each employee. By doing so, we can foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and engaged, regardless of their age or personality.

Start by understanding the diverse demographics, interests, and communication styles within your workforce. This knowledge allows you to tailor engagement strategies that resonate across different age groups and personality types. Recognizing this is crucial for crafting messages, benefits, and programs that feel relevant and appealing to everyone. By showing that you value and accommodate the unique needs and contributions of each employee, you foster a more inclusive, motivated, and cohesive workplace culture.

With four generations in the workplace, friction is bound to occur. From “Okay, Boomer” dismissals to gripes about entitled Millennials and tech-obsessed Gen Z, each generation has complaints about the others. Meanwhile, Gen Xers tend to be perpetually overlooked—which is hurtful in a different way. The one consistent theme through the generations is that at some point, they each declare the next generation as the demise of all time. Conflicts arise when generational cohorts view workplace norms differently and believe their view is the way it ‘ought’ to be. Remember that each team member is unique and that forging a productive cross-generational partnership requires empathy, understanding, curiosity, and compromise.

Effective engagement requires adapting your communication to suit diverse styles and preferences among employees of all ages and personalities. This means utilizing a mix of communication methods—emails, meetings, social media, and internal platforms—to ensure messages resonate with everyone. Using varied communication styles ensures that information is accessible and engaging for all, promoting inclusivity and understanding across the workforce. It's important because it demonstrates respect for individual preferences, enhances message clarity, and fosters a culture of openness and collaboration, crucial for maintaining a cohesive and motivated team.

Adapting your communication style is arguably the most crucial skill to develop as a leader, but it's equally important to not make assumptions about how each of your employees prefers to receive information. Have the courage and vulnerability to sit down with each of them and ASK them what style, tone, medium, etc they prefer. Not only will you get a clear answer, but you'll have already created a safe space by showing them that you take their preferences and needs into consideration.

Foster an inclusive culture where every employee feels valued, understood, and integral to the team. Implement initiatives like mentorship programs, diversity and inclusion training, and social events that cater to various interests and life stages. Recognizing achievements and contributions across the board also reinforces this sense of belonging. It's important because when employees feel a genuine connection to their workplace, they are more motivated, productive, and likely to stay with the company. This approach not only enhances individual well-being but also drives collective success by leveraging the unique strengths and perspectives of a diverse workforce.

What is the common thread(s) across your workforce? Where are the breakout groups, what do they do, what do they enjoy? Don't try to fit in with everything as a leader, but understand the variety and different activities people do together - although often silo'd - are signs that employees still have that sense of belonging. For example, if you have a 'run club' with 10 of your staff, and a 'chess club' with another 10 at the same time, each club will appreciate that other people are catered for (if they're not already in their club)

Another way to build belonging and inclusion is to bring teams together around activities and scenarios totally different to their day-to-day; I'm not talking about taking folks out of their comfort zones, but uniting them 'against' a common 'new' experience.

Fostering an inclusive culture, where everyone feels able to speak up, be heard and be themselves is key to creating a sense of belonging. This should happen from both the top-down, and the bottom up in terms of the behaviours and values that leaders embody and display and then what people experience at a local level within their own team. Consistency is important and, given the influential role that leaders at all levels have on this, focusing on developing and reinforcing desirable behaviours and values (through training) is an effective way to achieve and sustain the culture you want.

Tailoring work arrangements, such as flexible hours, remote work options, and autonomy in project choices, accommodates individual lifestyles, work preferences, and responsibilities. This respect for personal needs and trust in employees' ability to manage their work fosters a positive, empowering workplace culture. It's important because it demonstrates recognition of employees as individuals with varying priorities and working styles. This approach leads to higher job satisfaction, increased productivity, and retention, as employees feel valued and supported in achieving a work-life balance that suits their unique circumstances.

There's no question that autonomy and ownership are the ultimate drivers of motivation for employees, especially in the digital age. As long as you understand what "flexibility and autonomy" means for each employee and you communicate expectations, each generation will deliver for you in their own way because you'll have given them the freedom to do so.

Engagement isn't a one-way street; if you engage your people in the process they are more likely to buy-in. Offering flexibility and autonomy is the ultimate engagement, as your teams (subject to a framework) can build their own processes.

Flexibility and autonomy are not a pass on productivity and performance. As long as you have triggers in place to keep people accountable, I see no issue with offering extremely flexible work conditions. Why? Do you realize how much time, energy, and money is wasted sitting in traffic on your way to and from work? You are literally wasting the precious time you have on this earth in a tin can.

To engage employees of all ages and personalities, I focus on creating inclusive and flexible communication channels that cater to diverse preferences. I prioritize clear, respectful dialogue and ensure that everyone has access to the information they need in a way that suits them. I also implement varied engagement strategies, like team-building activities, one-on-one meetings, and digital forums, to appeal to different interaction styles. Recognizing and celebrating the unique contributions of each individual, regardless of age or personality, fosters a culture of appreciation and respect. By listening to and incorporating feedback from our team, I continuously adapt our engagement approaches to meet everyone's needs.

Here is some practical ways to provide recognition and feedback, per generation: Spend time getting to know younger generations and what makes them tick. Yearly performance evaluations won’t cut it. Mentoring and feedback are part of your job as a leader, so have regular conversations. Gen X pushed the envelope when it came to valuing employees for the results they produce, not how early they arrive, how late they stay, their tenure, or their title. This cohort helped shift the focus in the workplace from effort to outcome—and they still value it when leaders notice their achievements and impact. Ask questions that are designed to make Boomers think. Make sure you’re approachable when they are ready to talk.

RECOGNISE what's going on in your organisation. APPRECIATE and demonstrate that employee engagement isn't reliant on HR or leadership, it can come from all areas of the business SPEAK with these different areas, UNDERSTAND what's important, and support the growth of organic engagement!

Millennials and Gen Zers were raised to expect greatness. Talk about why their work matters and how it can help them grow. Set clear targets for promotion and coach them on reaching those goals. If you ask a Gen X employee to make a change or try something new, make sure you have a good reason for doing so—and be ready to discuss it. Also, make sure you’re engaging these workers by asking them to share their ideas, feedback, and concerns. They want the opportunity to make their mark with their solutions. With empathy, you’ll need to coach Boomers as they learn new skills, better solutions, and change long-held mindsets. As you do so, remind yourself that older employees also have much to teach you.

Be the HR/People team that people can bring ideas to and help them realise them. Vice-versa, be the Employee who has unique expertise and can inspire leaders to make meaningful change - and bigger picture, rather than your own needs/wants!

By investing in our employees’ growth, we not only equip them with new skills but also show that we value their potential. This applies to all employees, regardless of their age or personality. Continuous learning fosters engagement, boosts morale, and leads to a more innovative and adaptable workforce. It also deepens the employees belief that the company is committed to their growth and is invested in them, which also fosters a more positive work ethos.

This is an opportunity for HR and L&E to get creative; the business-unit-softball-match or after-work-drinks team building 'strategy' no longer works (and may never have worked for a lot of us), but with the changes in workplace culture there's now huge scope for innovation in employee engagement, whether it be tools or processes.