For the first time in history, there’s a chance your organisation could be made up of five different generations in the workplace, each bringing unique perspectives, experiences, and values to the table.
With employees spanning from Gen Z to the Silent Generation, understanding the distinctive traits and motivators of each generation has never been more essential for creating a cohesive and collaborative environment.
In this article, we’ll explore the characteristics that define each of these generations in the workplace, share the 20 of the best generational questions you can ask to gain a deeper understanding of their needs, and provide actionable strategies to engage every employee, no matter their age.
Currently, there are five generations that make up the workforce – with millennials making up the largest percentage.
By 2025, millennials in the UK will make up 39% of the workforce, which could rise to 70% by the end of the decade as older generations retire.
Generation Alpha, born between 2010 – 2024, will be the next cohort to enter the workforce in coming years.
A multi-generational workplace simply describes a team of employees that span across different generations.
Age diversity is currently the widest it’s ever been, and people are living longer than ever before, as a result employees are rethinking their time in employment.
Many employees – by choice or necessity – are extending their working lives beyond the traditional retirement age which means an individual’s working years can span across six or more decades!
This means that your team may now comprise of five different generations, and finding out how they’re feeling and being able to engage them in the best way for them, is a challenge that many HR leaders and managers now need to think about.
Organisations should embrace generational diversity not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s the smart thing to do as well. Focusing on generational diversity in the workplace and engagement will benefit your team in many different ways.
With another generation entering the workforce, it has become increasingly important for managers to understand the needs of their diverse team.
Keep reading to understand the defining characteristics of each generation currently in the workforce, and 20 of the best generational questions to ask your employees that will help you understand more about their drivers of engagement.
Whilst most of the Silent Generation are retired, this generation still makes up 1% of today’s workforce.
Their name comes from the Great Depression and World War II era of their birth, where children were expected to be ‘seen and not heard’. They are also known as “Traditionalists”.
This generation have developed a strong work ethic that has allowed many large organisations to flourish and continue to grow to this day. While most of them have retired, some continue to participate as partners, board members, or in other advisory positions.
The Silent Generation look after those around them, they are loyal and good team players. They place great emphasis on rules and structured processes in the workplace. They are often on the lookout to upgrade their skill set as they enjoy playing a successful part in their organisation. To engage these employees, ensure they are able to take part in training and make sure to give them frequent recognition for their work.
What they look for in a workplace:
✅ Recognition
✅ Clear expectations and processes
✅ Development opportunities
(Using a scale of 1-10, Strongly Agree – Strongly Disagree)
This generation currently makes up 21% of the workforce. Similar to the Silent Generation, they bring a lot of experience to their organisation. They value hard work, and are self-assured, goal-focused, and disciplined.
According to Gallup, Baby Boomers are the most disengaged of any generation in the workforce. While other generations aren’t as motivated by salary, rewarding and recognising Baby Boomers for their work is a key way to keep them engaged.
Usually, this generation has a lot of personal life commitments such as family and older parents, so these employees appreciate flexible working policies to allow them to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
What they look for in a workplace:
✅ Work-life balance
✅ Rewards and recognition
✅ Clear objectives and values
(Using a scale of 1-10, Strongly Agree – Strongly Disagree)
Along with their tech-savvy skillset and openness to new ideas, Gen X workers bring to the table leadership skills for developing new employees.
They are often successful in collaborating with cross-generation teams making them versatile leaders. As much as this generation has leadership qualities, many are disengaged in their roles. Retain this experienced generation by engaging them in social activities and improving their working environment, since they highly value workplace culture.
Open communication is another important factor for Gen X. They appreciate feedback (both positive and negative), as well as clear communication about company news, company direction, and values.
Open-door policies and asking for feedback can enable you to connect with these workers, allowing you to make change that aligns to work with their strengths. It’s also worth keeping in mind that this generation can find it difficult to speak up about their mental health due to the culture they grew up with.
What they look for in a workplace:
✅ Good workplace culture
✅ Team bonding opportunities
✅ Open communication
✅ Feedback
(Using a scale of 1-10, Strongly Agree – Strongly Disagree)
Millennials – also known as Generation Y – are by far the largest generation in the workforce.
Millennials have grown up around both the internet and a whole host of technological devices, making them very tech-savvy. They are far more likely to be team players rather than acting for themselves. They value the sharing of ideas and feedback, especially when they can see the benefits of their colleagues’ input.
For Millennials, the quality of work is more significant than the volume of hours spent in the office. This is seen in a recent survey where 75% of millennials stated they would take a pay cut to work for a company more in alignment with their values (Fast Company).
Also, according to Delloitte’s research, 69% of Millennials who believe their senior management teams are diverse see their working environment as motivating and engaging – making diversity and inclusion even more of a priority for Millennial-heavy companies.
When looking for a job, Millennials are less likely to commit to a position without some degree of flexible remote working – even if it means missing out on a role with a higher wage. However, demanding job expectations, long hours, and reduced in-person interactions can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness which impacts their mental wellbeing.
What they look for in a workplace:
✅ Team work
✅ Flexible and remote working
✅ Diversity and inclusion
(Using a scale of 1-10, Strongly Agree – Strongly Disagree)
The majority of Generation Z are at the beginning of their careers. They’re even more tech-savvy than Millennials and use this skill set to enhance any project they work on.
Growing up in the age of social media leads them to compare their success to others making Gen Z’s highly competitive. Another strong trait of this generation is seeking job security. There is also less of a focus on further and higher education, with 75% willing to work their way up a company.
Psychological safety in the workplace is also desired by Gen Z – they’re statistically a very vocal generation, so want to be able to share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings without fear of judgement from their peers.
To engage this group give opportunities for them to get to know other employees through team building or mentorship. This generation are used to communicating digitally so they may prefer chatting with their colleagues using a digital platform like Slack or Teams. It’s a great idea to create channels for casual conversation on these platforms, so they can continue to develop relationships at work, which will also boost their engagement.
Keep in mind that they are more likely to compare their success to others, which means they are more likely to suffer burn out than other generations.
What they look for in a workplace:
✅ A psychologically safe environment
✅ Opportunities for team building and mentorship
✅ Digital communications
(Using a scale of 1-10, Strongly Agree – Strongly Disagree)
While there are many different ways you can manage multi-generational teams, employee voice and feedback channels are key to a successful strategy.
It’s important to keep in mind that to measure and monitor the feedback you get from your employees by generation you will need an employee voice and surveying tool that allows you to segment your data – like Stribe.
By adopting a software solution, you’ll be able to identify key data, proactively address challenges quickly, implement targeted programs and strategies, and ultimately keep up with trends that will help you develop a happier, healthier, and more engaged workforce.
See more from Stribe.
About the author
Lucy Harvey, COO at Stribe, has 11+ years’ experience in purpose-driven leadership roles across health, wellbeing, internal communications, employee engagement, and marketing. She is passionate about creating workplaces where people are happy, fulfilled, and feel comfortable and safe to talk.
