5 ways to build an age-friendly workplace

By Steve Butler, who looks at age-friendly approaches to the work place

Over the past few decades, most companies have made enormous strides instilling a culture of gender and cultural diversity in their workplaces. I’m not saying that all the work is done far from it. But most companies have made a conscious effort to create workplaces in which women and minorities are celebrated and treated equally, and diversity is recognised as a net asset to the business. The result is a big cultural shift. Age diversity is rarely championed in the same way, but it could be.

5 ways to build an age-friendly workplace

Start with Recruitment

You need to look closely at your recruitment processes, to make sure that you are not overlooking unconventional, but otherwise good candidates for the job based on assumptions about their age or previous experience. The person you think would be too old to cope with a bustling workplace stuffed with younger people, might be the very person you need. Not just because they can do the same things as well as everyone else in the office, but because they can bring something else to the party.

The flip side is younger people going for a job where they have no relevant experience at all. For instance, a marketing role, where they’ve never worked in marketing, but they have set up a successful YouTube channel or built up 100,000 followers in Instagram.

Develop a management style for all generations

The current environment has created a generational divide which is complicated to manage and reflects the significant cultural and attitudinal differences between those who have having grown up in a digital environment and those who have been exposed to rapid digital change later in life.

These issues are clearly different in every organisation and there is no single solution, managers need to acknowledge these intergenerational tensions when they happen, and deal with them, and not allow conflict to fester, as it will affect the whole work environment and productivity.

Think agile as well as flexible

Agile working practices are about using technology to create new ways of working. It takes flexible working to a new level by making it your preferred business model, with more people regularly working from home and virtual teams handling projects. In theory, as well as creating a happier (and more motivated) workforce, you can radically reduce the cost of your business space.

If fewer people turn up on most days and hotdesking is the norm, you can trim the amount of space you rent and make your precious car-parking spaces go further. In some locations, these are sizeable business overheads. You can also serve your client base in ways that not only maintain your quality of service but also make it more responsive to their needs.

Cultivate knowledge transfer

Transferring knowledge from one generation to another is a key activity. Older workers look to younger workers to help them keep up-to-date with modern skills and technical knowledge. But by the same token, younger workers will look to older workers for their organisational memory. Having people around with longstanding client relationships, who can remember best practices developed over years and who can provide some continuity with the past, will help businesses function smoothly at a time of rapid change.

Celebrate Diversity

A fusion of different ways of thinking and varying life experiences enriches the workplace. Younger members of the team might have the edge with the latest technology, they may be more open to new ideas and ways of doing things, they may even bring more energy and enthusiasm.  But older heads bring something too, soft skills that have been years in the honing, a keen awareness of what will (or won’t) work built on experience and emotional intelligence and customer handling skills.  Diversity is a strength that should be celebrated.

Steve Butler is the author of new book The Midlife Review: A Guide to Work, Wealth and Wellbeing, published by ReThink Press and available in paperback and ebook from amazon.co.uk, priced at £12.99

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