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The CEO of our management board got here to a company event last yr and expressed surprise at the age range she saw in our team. She said there was nothing negative about it, but given the industry’s fame, she was shocked to see so many senior people at the tech company. Her own company was much younger and she wondered if our age diversity may very well be a factor in our success.
While many corporations are facing recession and attrition, our company is experiencing record worker retention, worker satisfaction and growth. Since 2018, we have had zero turnover throughout the company. Our shared cultural backgrounds around collaboration and teamwork make working together a pleasure, and age diversity is actually a part of that equation.
An organization consisting of 20-yr-olds runs the same risk as an organization consisting only of men or only women – everyone looks at the situation from the same perspective and is less more likely to see opportunities for innovation. CEOs struggling with worker retention should consider how to raised attract and manage age diversity.
Hire for balance
One of the reasons I conduct the first round of interviews is to pre-screen candidates for those that are qualified for the job and whose unique perspective will best complement the team and overall company dynamics. Instead of setting a series of cumbersome rules for my leadership teams, I approach each hire intentionally and consider how to interact as many people of various ages, genders, and other diverse characteristics inside and across teams as possible. Thanks to this, our team represents almost every variety of diversity.
But the secret is not diversity for diversity’s sake – it’s hiring to search out a culture fit. I might never hire an older one that thought young people were incompetent or a young one that thought older people were out of touch – each would struggle in an age-diverse team. Even when I attempt to hire candidates of various ages, they have to also display a willingness to cooperate and be a team player. As long as we have a common goal, purpose and common interests, diversity advantages everyone. Use a number of recruiting channels to draw candidates across a wide age range, and make sure hiring managers consider the existing makeup of the team and the degree of experience that may make them higher candidates.
Hire for relationships
Twenty years ago, at my first startup, I employed fewer 50-yr-olds than at my company today. At the time, my existing relationships were mostly with other 20- and 30-somethings, and I normally hired people I already knew. Even then, I understood the power of strong relationships in business. Researchers have found that prime-quality workplace relationships between leaders and their employees higher engagementand that leaders who prioritize worker relationships are more successful.
As we grew to a team of seven, everyone was in their 40s and 50s, so I became more conscious of encouraging younger employees to use to make sure a healthy balance. I normally hire people for whom culture is more vital than money, and they are also older and have more experience. Younger employees may bring a lot of energy and fill key entry-level roles, but their goals for higher pay and profession advancement may take precedence over building strong connections in the workplace. People with more experience working in many different places normally know what they like and what they do not like in the work environment. When employing individuals who value culture and relationships, we regularly find people with longer experience.
Hire for experience
When circumstances call for experience, hiring for experience matters. Early in my profession, I hired two junior developers, each at lower than half the cost of a senior developer, and I quickly learned this lesson. Although a junior developer can largely complement a senior developer, two junior developers are often no simpler than one experienced developer. Now I know higher and I hire people based on what value they’ll create, to not get monetary savings. Add to that the impact on culture and relationships, and if needed, the experience is normally value it.
Older, more experienced employees help mentor younger ones and develop a sustainable talent pipeline. Mentoring is the biggest advantage of age in the team. Few 20-somethings have enough experience to change into mentors, and a company filled with juniors has no one to learn from. When we hired my right-hand woman, Megan, we paired her with a big selection of mentors to support and develop her talent and energy. Now, 10 years later, she mentors latest hires in their 20s as they take on their original role. Age diversity creates a team dynamic in which older people help younger individuals who then develop their careers.
Adjust along the way
To attract and retain a multigenerational workforce, we should be willing to tailor activities, recognition, and advantages to satisfy their needs. Experienced employees could also be more concerned about medical insurance, while younger employees may prefer distant work options or flexibility. People with families may prefer more free time. My first company was mostly made up of individuals in their 20s and 30s, and few of them were parents, so they liked energizing events as a reward. I later learned that older employees desired to see more family-friendly activities.
However, individual participation in awards and distinctions does not at all times depend on age. Some people love giving and receiving public praise through our Hey Taco peer reward program, but others fear it. Participate in our social events – trip to Las Vegas, Mardi Gras mask making contest, hand turkeys; and game shows for newlywed-style co-employees – probably driven more by their personality than their age. As leaders, our greatest approach to engaging people of all ages is at all times to determine what they like and work to satisfy that unique set of needs.