Managing and Training a Multigenerational Workforce

Overview: For the first time in history, four distinct generations — Silent, Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Generation Y — are working side by side. As many as three or four decades can separate your youngest employees from your oldest. Each generation brings its own values, goals, and communication approaches to the workplace. While necessary for a diverse and productive workplace, this mix may lead to generational conflict affecting morale, recruiting efforts, and retention rates — and costing billions of dollars in lost productivity.

The ability to recognize and bridge generation gaps can create a powerful competitive advantage. Organizations wishing to remain successful in the future must create a work environment that supports and includes the different styles of today’s workforce. If managed effectively, a multigenerational team can create synergy and add tremendous value to your business.

Providing training for the next generation of workers also will require considerable flexibility. All four generations still desire and need training, but each has its own focus, perspective, and expectations. It is critical to understand the mix of preferences that exist for acquiring, digesting, organizing, and distilling information and skills.

This seminar will help reduce workplace conflict and provide managers with strategies for managing, training, coaching, and retaining employees from all four generations.

Audience: This seminar is designed for business professionals at every level who manage or train those from each of the four generations in the workforce.

Objectives: Participants will be better able to:

• Identify the four generations in the workforce
• Understand those generations’ values, attitudes, and expectations
• Motivate, manage, and retain staff from each generation
• Develop and present training programs that will resonate with each generation
• Provide insights and strategies that will promote respect between the generations and strengthen collaboration
• Dispel biases and myths about the four generations in the workforce

Outcomes:

• Increased productivity
• A more cohesive workforce
• Increased retention of talented people of all ages
• Reduced interpersonal conflict
• Greater market share as your team reflects the multigenerational customer base

Format:

• Flexible timing – can range from 2-6 hours of instruction
• Classroom setting: lecture, discussion, exercise
• Informal, interactive approach
• Extensive handouts