Diversity is a hot topic in business these days but while the major focuses seem to be on gender, ethnic and disability inclusion in the workplace, what of age-diversity?
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Ingredient
Find Your Dream Team
Question:
Why you should embrace age-diversity on your team?
Answer:
Inclusion and diversity are hot topics in business these days – and rightly so. But while the major focuses seem to be on gender, ethnic and disability inclusion in the workplace, what of age-diversity? The younger and older generations have a lot to teach each other and an age-diverse team can strengthen your business.
As organisations grapple with more complex decisions and an ever-increasing pace of change, the need for leaders to listen to diverse perspectives is essential.
If leaders want to think differently, it helps to spend time with people who see things differently. Consequently, there are significant benefits in building a team with different experiences, backgrounds and ages.
Diversity can play a crucial role in effective decision-making.
Homogeneity in teams can negatively impact how decisions are made. The more alike people are, the more likely they are to think along the same lines and therefore, there is less room for debate, discernment and disagreement.
Leaders need people around them who challenge how they think and can disrupt their default thinking patterns.
For example, young people are often not as burdened by convention and are more willing to ask the so-called (but often not) ‘dumb question’. They will raise issues that others may not see because they view the world through a different lens. At the same time, older people have grown up in a different context, can share insights into past experiences, and often see dependencies and connections.
Implications at work
The implications of this are not just about decision-making but about how leaders hire and recruit.
It is very easy for leaders to want to hire people who are like them. The similarity makes them feel comfortable because they can see aspects of themselves in the new team member.
However, when leaders hire in their own likeness, they fill the team with people with similar backgrounds, experiences and thought processes. Sadly, cognitive diversity will likely be missing.
Value the difference
Each person brings a different range of skills to the table, and it’s essential for leaders to appreciate and value that difference. However, what’s common, is that employees want to feel valued and respected and to have their work recognised and appreciated.
Be careful about making assumptions about someone’s age and what that means for how they want to work and what they need from the job. Instead, treat everyone as an individual and take the time to get to know them on an individual level. Seek to understand their career aspirations, life goals and what motivates them.
As the economist, John Maynard Keynes, once said: “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones”. It’s impossible to escape those old ideas if you constantly surround yourself with what’s known, familiar and comfortable. (Source: Koshies Business Builders – October 12, 2022: Michelle Gibbings author and leadership expert).
Method
Your staff can be your most expensive and your most valuable asset.
Finding the right staff is very important because they represent your business.
Good staff can help you to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
Poor staff can scare away your customers.
