“When generational divides show up in the workplace it really fuels ageist stereotypes against both old and young. It damages productivity and it creates a missed opportunity to bring more diversity of perspectives and ideas to the table,” says Eunice Lin Nichols, co-CEO of CoGenerate, a social impact organization that supports programs focused on bridging the divide between generations.
Nichols says that while the importance of making sure we have all kinds of diversity at the table, age diversity is often the forgotten aspect of diversity and inclusion. “In my experience, recruiting age diverse teams brings infinitely more thought diversity to our work. It produces better approaches and better outcomes,” explains Nichols.
A survey done by CoGenerate and the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center finds a majority of both younger and older individuals express interest in working across generational divides to solve pressing issues. Nichols says one solution to bridge the generation gap in the workplace is a two-way mentoring program.
“Younger and older generations really do bring unique skills and perspectives to the table. They use technology differently. They build networks differently. They have different touch points with what’s resonating out in the world. They have so much to teach each other, but too often our programs are really set up for one directional interactions,” she explains.
Nichols finds staffing a new project or initiative with an intergenerational team can be effective but stresses it’s key to first finding out personal preferences on how to communicate.
“I think you’ll find sometimes that younger people might prefer texting, whereas somebody who’s in the older generation might want email or an actual phone call. Don’t assume that you know how to communicate across the generational divides just ask,” she stresses.
Eunice Lin Nichols spoke with me on the subject of bridging the divide between generations in the workplace as part of the Age in America series, a collaboration between WorkingNation and Scripps News Network which began in June.
Watch a clip from our interview below.
Get more of our WorkingNation Age in America articles, videos, and podcasts here.
Get more of Scripps News’ Age in America coverage here.
