Employee age gaps threaten teamwork and productivity

With four generations actively participating in the workforce, there's a lot employees can learn from each other. Instead, these age gaps may be getting in the way of progress — and productivity. 

In organizations where there is more than a 12-year age gap between employees and their managers, employees were 1.5 times more likely to report low productivity, according to recent research published by the London School of Economics and Protiviti. The same employees were also three times more likely to be unsatisfied with their jobs. 

"What used to change in [a workforce's] culture, tools and values over the course of a century is now happening in five or 10 years," says Jordan Zaslav, chief operating officer at Axios HQ, an AI-powered internal communications platform. "So it's not that older managers are bad to their mentees or direct reports — they just don't understand them." 

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Technology is driving much of that disconnect, and is forcing employers to keep up with the demands of their younger demographics. Recent data from software company Riverbed revealed that 91% of decision makers say they need to provide more advanced digital experiences to meet the needs of millennials and Gen Z employees. Without them, 63% believe it could impact a company's productivity or its reputation. 

While embracing technology is a good thing overall, older generations increasingly feel out of touch with their younger workers because the pace of technological change has increased. Older employees will need to challenge themselves to change their own approach to leadership and work expectations, Zaslav says.  

"The younger generations learn differently, think differently and value different things," he says. "That means that the old education system of memorizing what managers do and then reproducing it doesn't work anymore." 

Young employees are not only the most diverse workforce in terms of demographic, but they also differ greatly from their older cohorts in what they want from their jobs, whether it's more community or more compensation. It's important for employers to revisit their communication strategies so everyone has a voice.  

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"[Young talent] wants you to respect their time and be super efficient in your communications and in your actions with them," Zaslav says. "They want you to help them understand the 'why' and provide context. It all comes down to getting really sharp and clear and helping each person get the context that they need to feel excited and motivated." 

Gen Z and millennials combined already make up roughly half of the workforce, according to Riverbed. As they outnumber their older counterparts, it's in managers' best interest to be proactive about how they want to engage and train young employees so that they're equipped to eventually ascend into leadership roles. 

"The world has left a fingerprint on each generation in a different way and we have to embrace that," Zaslav says. "We have to find how to build on that connection and use it as a starting point, instead of trying to make young talent fit in this system we already have."