Generational tensions between Employees and Leadership are still widespread but Inclusive Work Practices increase productivity !

📣 25% of employees and especially younger generations self-report low productivity !

💡 Generational tensions between employees and leadership are still widespread and many companies are failing to realize the productivity benefits of intergenerational inclusive work practices.

⚠️ But even more worrying, 40% of employees don't view their company as having intergenerational inclusive work practices.

📉 In companies with intergenerational inclusive work practices, the proportion of employee who self-report low productive drops from 25% to 13%

🎯 Employees with larger age gaps with their managers report lower productivity. Those with managers more than 12 years their senior are nearly 1.5 times as likely to report low productivity.

🚩 Gen Z and Millennials are more than twice as likely to excel in their work quality at companies with intergenerational inclusive practices.

☑️ Developing employees without regard to age/generation and having a workplace culture that makes it easy for people from different generations to 'fit in' is important to productivity. Hiring and retaining employees as well as developing employees, without regard to age/generation is also important to self-reported job satisfaction, according to a new interesting research published by Protiviti in collaboration with The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) using data 📊 from 1,472 employees between 14th march 2023 and 24th April 2023.

✅Strong Intergenerational barriers between young employees and older leaders

• In productivity:

Researchers found that employees with managers more than 12 years their senior are nearly 1.5 times as likely to report low productivity and nearly 3 times as likely to report being extremely dissatisfied with their job.

✔️When employees view their leaders as fair and committed to inclusive work practices, regardless of age or generation, they overcome age barriers and enjoy greater productivity and job satisfaction.

✅Better Productivity, Job Satisfaction and Intention to stay with intergenerational inclusive work practices

Researchers found that 60% of employees that report intergenerational inclusive work practices at their company, the associated benefits to productivity, job satisfaction and intention to stay with the company are evident.

✔️87% of employees self-report high productivity compared to just 58% of employees from company without intergenerational inclusive work practices.

☝️ In addition of being more productive, researchers found that employees of all generations report being generally happier and more loyal in company with inclusive practices.

✅The four key components of Intergenerational inclusive work practices

Researchers defined intergenerational inclusive work practices with four key components:

1️⃣ The company makes it easy for people from different age groups to "Fit in" and be accepted.

2️⃣ Employees are developed and advanced regardless of age.

3️⃣ Leaders demonstrate commitment to hiring and retaining a generationally-diverse workforce

4️⃣ Leaders effectively manage people from diverse generational backgrounds in their teams

✅Top skills employees view as important to Productivity and career Advancement

Researchers also found the top skills employees across all generations that are important to Productivity and career Advancement:

1️⃣ Active Listening

2️⃣Time Management

3️⃣ Judgement

4️⃣ Decision Making

Researchers highlighted that while good judgement has long been seen as a core of quality of leadership, the emphasis on active listening and time management might speak to trends towards greater employee empowerment and the increasing challenges of balancing work performance while achieving work-life balance.

✅Top 3 intergenerational inclusive work practices associated with Productivity and Job Satisfaction

💥 Researchers discovered that for employees, the most important work practice for both productivity and job satisfaction is having a DIRECT MANAGER who does job of leading people from different generations.

🏆Top 3 intergenerational inclusive work practices associated with Productivity:

1. Effectively lead employees of diverse ages/generations
2. Develop employees without regard to age/generation
3. Make it easy for people of different generations to 'fit in'

🏆 Top 3 intergenerational inclusive work practices associated with Job Satisfaction:

1. Effectively lead employees of diverse ages/generations
2. Hire and retain employees without regard to age/generation
3. Develop employees without regard to age/generation

📌 Researchers conclude that this research is a call to action for leaders to prioritize intergenerational inclusion by making it central to DEI and talent strategies. It shows that, despite the clear potential for productivity gains through intergenerational-inclusive work practices, firms continue to miss out due to frictions between employees of different generations negatively impacting productivity.

☝️ 𝙈𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:

This outstanding research is a strong demonstration of the impact of DEI practices in organizations and having inclusive management practices by going beyond questions about age, has an increase in productivity as well as job satisfaction. The findings on which skills are important from the point of view of employees for the impact on productivity and career advancement are also very interesting.

Thank you 🙏 Protiviti and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) researchers team for these insightful findings: Dr Grace Lordan Matt Duncan Joseph Tarantino

Dave Ulrich George Kemish LLM MCMI MIC MIoL

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