Age Diversity
Do you think increasing age diversity will create new challenges for managers? What type of challenges do you expect will be most profound?
Managers will face new challenges due to an increase in age diversity due to the potential generation gap between younger managers and older employees. Managing a team with an age difference may be challenging because different age groups have different opinions and perception of what is fair treatment and different methods of handling critical situations. Supervising a team with a significant age difference among employees for a young manager will be the most intense challenge. Not only the manager will need to address his or her older workers in the most respectful ways, but also he or she will need to learn to do so in an assertive manner. An aging population will require changes in the organization, including such components as job design, working hours, and leadership styles. One significant challenge is managing the work life balance of a multi-generation workforce. With each of these generations it means something different when it refers to work life balance. That’s one thing that I appreciated about the QVC difference, they were all about the work life balance. Management’s job is to make sure the balance is broad enough to cover all generations. One way to promote this is to create social and recreational events outside the office. This can help build rapport and bring employees closer together. Companies can also provide some type of flexibility when it comes to work schedules. The nine to five work days is becoming a thing of the past. Older employees with certain health issues will appreciate flexibility when it comes to workplace stress. Employees with young families will appreciate the opportunities to spend quality time with their loved ones and not miss important milestones. Younger achievers will appreciate the change to work a longer day to finish a project without being confined to a nine to five workday.
Managers will face new challenges due to an increase in age diversity due to the potential generation gap between younger managers and older employees. Managing a team with an age difference may be challenging because different age groups have different opinions and perception of what is fair treatment and different methods of handling critical situations. Supervising a team with a significant age difference among employees for a young manager will be the most intense challenge. Not only the manager will need to address his or her older workers in the most respectful ways, but also he or she will need to learn to do so in an assertive manner. An aging population will require changes in the organization, including such components as job design, working hours, and leadership styles. One significant challenge is managing the work life balance of a multi-generation workforce. With each of these generations it means something different when it refers to work life balance. That’s one thing that I appreciated about the QVC difference, they were all about the work life balance. Management’s job is to make sure the balance is broad enough to cover all generations. One way to promote this is to create social and recreational events outside the office. This can help build rapport and bring employees closer together. Companies can also provide some type of flexibility when it comes to work schedules. The nine to five work days is becoming a thing of the past. Older employees with certain health issues will appreciate flexibility when it comes to workplace stress. Employees with young families will appreciate the opportunities to spend quality time with their loved ones and not miss important milestones. Younger achievers will appreciate the change to work a longer day to finish a project without being confined to a nine to five workday.