3 Ways Younger Workers Can Help Older Employees at the Office
In the New Year, it’s important that everyone on the team can collaborate with one another effectively. And that’s especially important for younger workers who want to better understand their older co-workers so that they can succeed at the office.
For employees who fall within the Millennial or Gen Z age ranges, there are tips to follow in order to better collaborate with older employees. “Crossing the generational divide can advance your career and make it easier to manage older teammates. Think of this as a mutually beneficial learning situation that will help bridge those relationships in a positive way,” according to Forbes.
Here are some of those tips that can help them connect on a cross-generational level:
First, younger employees can work with older employees more effectively by teaching them the importance of using new technologies, according to Forbes. This is an especially valuable way that the two generations can share knowledge. From being able to use new software for communication purposes to other online tools that may help enhance productivity, younger employees typically have a great grasp over the newest technologies. It may be helpful to set up one-on-one meetings with employees of older backgrounds to teach them how to use these products.
Another critical way that younger employees can better connect with and help older employees – helping them understand the importance and benefits of diversity. This is because younger generations of the workforce also happen to be the most diverse. As such, younger employees should aim to teach older generations about their experiences and backgrounds so that they can effectively network and learn from one another.
As the Harvard Business Review notes, for instance, more diverse teams are also more successful. “A 2015 McKinsey report on 366 public companies found that those in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their industry mean, and those in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to have returns above the industry mean,” according to the publication.
A final experience that younger workers can share with older ones in order to connect is to discuss the importance of change. This includes “how change is inevitable, why the skills of today may not be as valuable in the future and how to learn new skills,” according to Forbes.
And as noted by Fortune Magazine, being okay with change is critical to succeeding in the workplace: “Change is here to stay. We face it every day in the workplace. Whether it’s merging divisions, developing new products or exploring new initiatives, dealing with change is inevitable.”
In summary, there are numerous things young workers can offer their older counterparts at the office. From teaching them about technology to helping them embrace change, younger workers can connect with older workers on a number of helpful levels and boost productivity and success in the process.
