Multi-generational workforce in action…

Last week, I had multiple generations of the Miller family working from my home office.

My youngest, Gilbert, joined me for work experience. I still cannot believe he is 17 and doing his A-levels. I worried about it beforehand. Will he enjoy it? Will he engage with it? What will he think of what I do? Will I be able to get him up before midday?!

I didn’t need to worry, it was great and he did some fantastic work. I found out we have pretty similar workstyles and were very compatible office buddies!

I asked him to summarise his experience so in Gilbert’s words…

“Throughout the week I worked on many different areas, experiencing various jobs inside of The Talent Labs. Starting the week, I researched Human Resources and what The Talent Labs did as a company - looking at Talent Management and Learning and Development specifically which are the areas my dad works on.

Then I took on various tasks through the week:

• I reviewed some of the learning content modules available to members on the website, giving feedback on what I found good and what could be improved. The courses I specifically looked at were; ‘How to be a Model Mentee’, which was very informative and felt smooth and easy to go through; Handling Difficult Reactions to Feedback, this course had great detail and good interactive sections which kept it interesting throughout; ‘Reviewing Your Talent Potential’, this was the last course I reviewed, it had clean easy to read information that kept the users attention but didn't feel like an overwhelming amount of information.
• I worked on content branding, putting The Talent Labs logos and signature colours on material to be used in online workshops.
• I created a summary pack of the associate pool who support training and consultancy delivery, putting the various associate's experience and delivery capability into PowerPoint for employees of The Talent Labs to read and learn about them.
• I did some content research on the ethical issues of using psychometrics in Learning and Development. This nicely tied into my Psychology A-level and targeted areas that I already had knowledge in but developed my ability to apply this previous knowledge to work and essay related situations.
• I worked on creating questions for a research survey based on the use of AI in Learning and Development, making multiple choice questions aimed at different groups who would be answering the survey, these groups were learners, people who create content for teaching, and people who lead training functions.
• I also looked at sales and marketing, researching competitor companies and potential supplier partners in the L&D and Talent space.
• I joined lots of calls and interacted with different people who work for The Talent Labs and outside associates who came in to teach masterclasses.

Overall, I interacted with lots of people inside TTL and the various areas of work that goes on. It was very enjoyable and interesting, especially to finally understand what my dad actually does for work and see what he does on a day-to day basis.”

It won’t be long before Gil is entering the workplace—I might even offer him a job with us permanently! Particularly as he was a very able IT assistant to me, alongside everything else he did. Employers must adopt different approaches to engage with current (like Gil's) and future generations. Additionally, employers need to consider how to educate these employees about workplace norms they may not be familiar with.

Not too long ago, I interviewed Tammy Palmer , Head of People at Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) . We discussed a range of subjects which included multigenerational workforces, diversity of talent and how you adapt your talent approach when skills are scarce in the market. The interview is available for our members to watch here .

Upcoming events in Talent Management:

We have a couple of masterclasses coming up that are relevant here too:

Jen Tait (CeMAP, CIPD) is sharing a framework to Setting Up New Starters for Success on 9th July, 12-1pm. It's crucial to consider the diverse needs of your new starters as they settle into your company.

Also, James Hartley - Interim CPO and Transformation Leader will be looking at a methodology for Strategic People Planning , on the 16th July at 12-1pm, to help you develop that longer plan for your talent.

The office feels a bit quieter this week and I am missing the next generation of Miller family talent!

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Ted