Keeping your multi-generational workforce engaged and productive

Your workplace is its own unique culture. It is a community made up of people with many different backgrounds, perspectives, work styles and expectations. Each generation is valuable to your team for different reasons just as their values often differ from each other … or do they?

How many times have you heard – or maybe even thought to yourself – that the “younger generation just isn’t willing to work like you do” or the “older generation doesn’t understand how hard juggling life’s responsibilities is these days”?  Believe it or not, this sort of argument has been going on for many centuries based on a quote credited to the late great Greek philosopher, Socrates (469-399 BC). He is said to have stated, “The children now love luxury. They have bad manners and contempt for authority. They show disrespect for adults.” Socrates words, regardless of whether they are true or not, sound strangely familiar.

Regardless of this age-old human attitude, the reality is most successful large organizations need the hard and soft skills of all generations including its Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation Xers (1965-1980), Millennials (1981-2000) and Generation Z (2001-today). Their strengths compliment each other. Paying attention to the characteristics and needs of each is essential if keeping your entire workforce as engaged and productive as possible is important to you.

According to Pew Research Center, U.S. Labor Force by Generation statistics in 2015 calculated the number of Millennials surpassing older generation groups for the first time. They were reported at 53.5 million (35%) of the total number of workers. Three years later in 2018, the gap is widening at a rapid pace as Boomers continue to retire. Yet, many administrators, directors and managers are Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. Basing human resource and overall workplace culture-building decisions on personal preferences instead of considering the realities of other age groups may quickly turn the age gap into a cancerous divide.  

The following table outlines generational characteristics related to the workplace. Socrates’ words and similar feelings expressed in conversations across the world today, while not entirely accurate or fair, are understandable when considering this research. Click here for a PDF file of this table.

Image of Multi-Generational Workforce Research Table.png

Table based on research gathered September 2017, by JUPER Communications, LLC from:
Greg Hammill, (2005) “Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees,” Fairleigh Dickinson University
Wong, M., Gardine, E., Lang, W. and Coulon, L. (2008) “Generational difference in personality and motivation: do they exist and what are the implications for the workplace?” Journal of Managerial Psychology (JMP), Vol. 23, Issue. 8, pp. 878-890, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Australia.
Teresa Byington, Ph.D., (2017) “Millennials in the Workplace: Understanding Generational Differences,” University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Between the increasing interruptions of technology and a desire to be present and balanced at work and home, the largest percentage of today’s workforce needs more assistance than ever alleviating distractions. With “89% of employees spending 30 minutes to five hours per workday taking care of personal tasks and issues” (Forbes.com), finding a way to help all ages in the workplace effectively and efficiently juggle work and their personal lives can improve productivity.

Partnering with a concierge service that caters to the specific needs of employers and employees within various industries has answered the need for greater focus and increased bottom lines. Healthcare organizations in particular are finding both quantitative and qualitative value in offering concierge services as an employee benefit that conveniently caters to the unique characteristics of all age groups.

Nearly a decade of data collected through Balance Concierge backs up the cost value benefit of our approach to providing high-touch, high-tech concierge services within the workplace. A recent analysis of data collected over three years from a small sampling (4,800) of healthcare employees has revealed preferences of each generational group through the requests they have made of their concierge ambassadors. Below are the top ten most popular requests for each group. Notice how some benefits shift while others remain consistent as priorities.

BABY BOOMERS (1946-1964)

  1. Food & Beverage – Celebrations and convenient, healthy meals for busy employees
  2. Service – Assistance to make life easier
  3. Tickets & Events – To save money and enjoy downtime with family and friends
  4. Automotive – To save time and money
  5. Local Activity and Vendor Discounts – Affordable access to fun and conveniences
  6. Travel & Leisure – Planning and arrangements to save time and money
  7. Home/Garden/Pets – To ensure maintenance and care
  8. Research – Finding information to save time for busy employees
  9. Apparel – Arranging cleaning, care and purchases
  10. Health & Wellness – Making appointments and offering fun options for staying fit

GENERATION X (1965-1980)

  1. Food & Beverage – Celebrations and convenient, healthy meals for busy employees
  2. Local Activity and Vendor Discounts – Affordable access to fun and conveniences
  3. Tickets & Events – To save money and enjoy downtime with family and friends
  4. Service – Assistance to make life easier
  5. Automotive – To save time and money
  6. Travel & Leisure – Planning and arrangements to save time and money
  7. Home/Garden/Pets – To ensure maintenance and care
  8. Research – Finding information to save time for busy employees
  9. Computers & Electronics – Arranging purchases, maintenance and repairs
  10. Health & Wellness – Making appointments and offering fun options for staying fit

MILLENNIALS (1981-2000)

  1. Local Activity and Vendor Discounts – Affordable access to fun and conveniences
  2. Tickets & Events – To save money and enjoy downtime with family and friends
  3. Service – Assistance to make life easier
  4. Food & Beverage – Celebrations and convenient, healthy meals for busy employees
  5. Automotive – To save time and money
  6. Travel & Leisure – Planning and arrangements to save time and money
  7. Home/Garden/Pets – To ensure maintenance and care
  8. Research – Finding information to save time for busy employees
  9. Apparel – Arranging cleaning, care and purchases
  10. Computers & Electronics – Arranging purchases, maintenance and repairs

One service, in particular, moves up the list from #5 on Baby Boomers to #2 on Generation Xers to #1 on Millennials. Perhaps the rising rank of “Affordable access to fun and conveniences” has less to do with youth than it does with the significantly faster pace and the serious/crisis mode that is so prevalent today. Slowing down takes real effort. Finding opportunities for fun relief from unhealthy stress and technology tension is just one of the ways employees are using the concierge service provided to them by their employer through a partnership with Balance Concierge.

While the order of priorities in this analysis clearly echo the differing generational characteristics, the data also shows how much all ages have in common. Saving money and time is important to all. The daily challenge of balancing work responsibilities with personal life responsibilities and overall physical, mental, emotional well-being is similar for each generation.

Everyone values respect and appreciation. The concierge service itself serves as recognition by employers who understand their team members are people who have many responsibilities at work and home. With over 50,000 requests included in the data it is clear that these employees from the same sampling who accessed services via Balance’s customized engagement process enjoy their employer’s recognition.

The question for those organizations not yet investing in these practical work, life and well-being benefits is, “How are you reducing personal distractions to increase engagement, focus, safety, productivity and customer satisfaction within your workforce?”  If you’d like to discuss how cost-effective partnering with Balance Concierge can be for you and your team, contact us today!