Closing the Workplace Generation Gap: Mentoring Benefits Both Young and Old

I just returned from Aging In America 2008, the annual conference of both the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging. In addition to presenting a workshop, I had the opportunity to attend a number of presentations on workforce issues that pertained not only to older workers but to employees of all ages.

With four generations sharing the workplace, conflicts arise regarding the ability of members of different generations to effectively work together. Traditionalists (Born before 1946), Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964), Generation X (1965 to 1983) and Millennials (Born after 1983) bring a variety of life experiences, work perspectives and communication styles to organizations. A number of issues and ideas around communications were presented at the conference.

Mentoring is an excellent tool for fostering greater understanding among the generations as well as one solution to the “Brain Drain” that companies are facing as more Boomers reach retirement age. One panel presentation at the Aging In America 2008 conference stressed the need for organizations to adapt a culture of mentoring on a continuous basis that is an integral part of training and development.

Rather than have an experienced employee who is leaving the company try to cram a transfer of knowledge about their job to their replacement in a 2 to 4 week period just before their departure, companies are wise to develop an on-going mentor program that allows for this knowledge transfer and that also encourages novice and veteran employees the opportunity to understand each other’s perspective and discuss better ways to work productively.

One presentation highlighted Prime Time Partners Network, an initiative established at Glaxo Smith Kline Pharmaceuticals, a great example of engaging people to improve their day to day work environment and effectively develop themselves by taking part in a number of networking opportunities in the company.

A key resource for this is leveraging knowledge and experience through mentoring, not just by oldsters toward youngsters but also visa versa. This knowledge sharing increases the understanding of where the generations are coming from in their approach to work, how best to communicate with them and how to take advantage of generational differences and strengths to develop effective teams.

Mentoring is a management tool that can add to the overall productivity of a company and improve the recruitment and retention of quality employees. Food for thought as companies battle it out in the War for Talent.