Managing an age-diverse team

People live longer than previous generations and are often in better health. Many want or need to work later in life. This means many small business owners are likely to lead and manage young workers, mature workers, and those in between.

It makes good business sense to employ people of various ages - to reflect your customer base, learn from each other, and retain valued skills and knowledge of your business needs.

See the person, not their age

There are as many differences within generations as across generations. Think instead about a person's potential and what they have to offer. People of all ages might:

• be keen to learn and develop new skills
• want to contribute to the workplace in different ways
• look for a new job, including after a break from employment
• look after others, eg young children or elderly whānau
• want time out for work/ life balance.

Think about each person's personality, skillset, and how they communicate with others. Reflect on your own personality, skills, and communication style, and how these affect what you see (or don't see) in others.

All employees benefit from continuing to learn. Talk with each person about how they prefer to learn new tasks or information. Do they prefer to learn by reading, or by trying something out? Watch a co-worker in action, or work on a stretch project with others? This is called their preferred learning style.

It's also a good idea to ask about their aspirations. What do they want from work?

All ages value:

• meaningful work
• flexible working arrangements
• learning opportunities to keep skills up to date
• fair treatment.

Workers of all ages feel more motivated and engaged if you ask for — and listen to — their ideas and opinions. This is especially important if something changes, and they are directly affected. Explain the reason for any changes, whether it’s a new IT system, health and safety toolbox talk, or a restructure. If it’s an urgent change, explain the reason for the change and why it needs to change now.

Challenge stereotypes

Sometimes we know we stereotype certain types of people. Sometimes we don’t realise we’re doing it — this is called unconscious bias. Both can affect our behaviour and decisions.

You might catch yourself thinking older people aren’t tech savvy or assuming younger people know how to promote your business on social media. Look at the person and their skills, not stereotypes about their age group.

Your team might also be affected by stereotypes and unconscious biases — including about their generation. For example, anyone learning a new IT system will likely make a few mistakes at first. Worrying about stereotypes could stop them from asking for help or admitting to mistakes. A mature worker might worry people will think “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. A younger worker might worry people will laugh at a “digital native” struggling with technology.

Help your team bust any age-related myths. Personality and preferred learning style play a bigger part than age. Young or older, some people embrace new challenges and others don’t.

For more resources, visit the Mature workers toolkit: https://www.business.govt.nz/mature-workers-toolkit/