The Institute Of Work - Six Generations

The countdown is on. In just three years, Generation Alpha will begin entering the workforce. Raised in a digital world shaped by AI, augmented reality, machine learning, and big data, they're hyper-informed and constantly connected.

So what? The other generations haven't gone anywhere. The Silent Generation, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z will all still be in the workplace. This has never happened before.


What are the consequences?
How will this impact you and your business?
So how can you accommodate them all? Should you?
 
According to their ability: “There are tremendous benefits which can come from well managed multigenerational teams,” says Camilla Cavendish, Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice - contributing editor and columnist at the Financial Times and senior fellow at Harvard University. “Researchers from the German Centre of Gerontology have shown that older workers are more emotionally stable than their younger counterparts, and often better at handling tense situations. When young and old work together in a team, errors often decrease, and overall productivity rises.”



According to their need: “The challenge for leaders and managers, managing teams, workplaces and workforces, is that there is no one size fits all anymore,” Julia Hobsbawm, who heads the corporate consultancy network Workathon, explains. A graduate who began their career during the pandemic may favour flexible hours and digital communication. In contrast, research from Robert Half's 2025 Salary Guide shows that Gen X and boomers tend to value job security, routine, and a predictable schedule.

By changing assumptions: “Ideas of seniority don't always serve us well: if you're over 60 in the workplace, sometimes it's best not to hog the corner office and insist that your salary keeps rising - or you risk pricing yourself out of a job,” Cavendish adds. “In some organisations there can be disapproval of, for example, an older person leading an IT project or conversely a younger person being rapidly promoted to a managerial post.”

By focusing on the amazing: “I call it the amazing age because it's actually three generations that are going to dominate - the alphas, the millennials and the Zs,” says Hobsbawm. It is very, very clear that the young expect to work differently, because old institutions no longer quite work. There's definitely a strong argument that young people need 'place'. Nevertheless, they don't need it in the same way their elders did. They need it some of the time - and intensely when they do.”



Your entire workforce could be amazing: A 2017 study from the NIH found that employees threatened by age-based stereotypes are less able to commit to their current job and less oriented toward long-term professional goals. “Young people need to learn, and they need to be around mentors,” according to Hobsbawm. “Create mini-immersive burst programs so younger people can learn stability and older people can be more innovative and imaginative.”
 
Think about your bricks: “The flexible workspace catering for the 'always on', 'always in start-up' market will do well,” Hobsbawm argues. “Other companies are still struggling with the politics of RTO and WFH. There is no doubt that the genie has not gone back in the bottle. The shift work of being in the office in bursts or immersive periods of time - which young people seem to prefer - is very similar to how blue-collar workers have operated for years. This pattern is now reaching the white-collar world.”


Written by The Office Group / Fora (Created 06/06/25)