The Age of the Intergenerational Workforce is (Already) Upon Us – Here Are Three Companies That Get It

The phrase “age diversity and the intergenerational workforce” sounds like the title of a conference session you might be tempted to skip. But if you did, you’d be missing out.

Here’s why: the intergenerational workforce — that is, the incidence of multiple generations working together in the workplace — is real, and it’s expanding, and it has a lot of interesting implications for all of us.

With that in mind, The AARP Public Policy Institute (PPI) decided to take a look at a set of employers to see how they’re approaching the issue of age diversity in the workplace. Most significantly what they found is that moves by businesses to embrace and engage with the intergenerational workforce are not merely an exercise in good civics, they’re smart business.

Studies have shown that the productivity of both older and younger workers is higher in companies that have mixed-age work teams than in companies that do not and that age diversity within a team heightens performance in groups that must undertake complex decision-making tasks – but what’s most interesting is that these things are already happening out there in the real world. 

Let’s take a very brief look at set of companies that are putting theory into practice:

Huntington Ingalls Industries: Welcoming Apprentices of All Ages

Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) employs 36,000 people and is the largest military shipbuilding company in the United States and provides engineering, manufacturing, and management services to the nuclear energy and oil and gas markets.

Given its need for highly skilled workers, HII is taking steps today to ensure it has a highly skilled workforce – of all ages – tomorrow. One way the company does that is through its two apprentice schools, which provide on-the-job training in the highly technical work in which HII specializes.

Sixty years ago, you wouldn’t have found a single apprentice over the age of 21. Today, you’re as likely to bump into a millennial apprentice as you are a Gen X one as you are a baby boomer.

Centrica PLC: Bringing Experienced Talent Back to Work

Centrica PLC, the parent company of British Gas, is an energy and services company and the largest employer of engineers in the United Kingdom, employing 36,000 people worldwide. 

Sometimes people’s lives take a turn that take them away from their career, and possibly out of the workforce altogether. Solid people can just sort of fall off the map, careerwise. In light of this, Centrica is piloting a new program called HitReturn that targets men and women who want to return to the workforce after an extended break. Centrica provides 12-week paid “returnships” that come with coaching and mentorship support and assist participants to network across the company.

PNC Financial Services Group: Leveraging Generational Perspectives and Experience

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PNC Financial Services Group (PNC) is one of the largest diversified financial services companies in the U.S. and employs 52,000 people worldwide.

PNC sponsors 10 Employee Business Resource Groups (EBRGs) that go beyond the typical functions of affinity groups to ensure that the operating plan for each group incorporates a business component. PNC’s newest EBRG, called IGen, focuses on intergenerational issues and provides a great opportunity to transfer knowledge across generations. IGen is partnering with PNC’s talent development team to share best practices and enhance employee retention.

Key Takeaways

While each of these companies is unique – as are the other companies included in the PPI report – there are some notable common threads that can be found from their experiences in fostering an intergenerational workforce. 

Among the key takeaways:

·        Having a diverse and experienced workforce typically requires a talent recruitment strategy that is focused on that specific goal.

·        Apprentice programs open to people of all ages helps recruit and retain talent.

·        Special programs designed to help people reenter the workforce following an extended absence provide new opportunities for developing an age-diverse workforce.

·        Cross-generational mentoring programs help facilitate knowledge transfer, in all directions—a critical need for many companies.

·        Employee resource groups increase employee engagement and often house mentoring programs that can evolve in ways that help solve business problems. Additionally, some companies use employee groups as a path for leadership development.

In Closing

Ultimately, the specific strategies or tactics an organization uses to foster an age-diverse intergenerational workforce are probably less significant that the overall trend itself: society is changing and, no surprise, the workplace is changing with it.

While the companies cited here are by no means(!) the only companies who are focused on the role and value of an intergenerational workforce, they form an interesting snapshot of what’s happening out there.

Is your organization fostering an intergenerational workforce?

Jo Ann Jenkins is CEO of AARP. She is the author Disrupt Aging.