Written by Mairead Simons

Now more than ever, we are seeing multiple generations working within the same team across plenty of sectors in the UK. This is partly due to the number of workers over 50 increasing by nearly two-thirds in the last 20 years. As with all teams, this does occasionally have its difficulties but there are many benefits that come with hiring a multi-generational team.

1. Driving innovation amongst the team. Younger team members will stereotypically be more technologically minded, with greater exposure to the digital world. Whereas the older generation may have acquired more knowledge on certain topics. So working together, with these two things in mind, may help with developing more innovative ideas.
2. Multiple perspectives – job responsibilities are often viewed differently throughout various generations. Sharing perspectives is useful for broadening knowledge within a team.
3. Learning / mentoring opportunities. The more generations and perspectives within a team there are the more opportunities to learn from others' insights. Cross-generational mentoring is a mutually beneficial practice. Those with more years of experience can advise younger employees on career development. What’s more, the recent trend of reverse/cross-generational mentoring allows more junior employees to educate mature workers with their familiarity with current trends and technology.
4. Knowledge transfer opportunities. The idea within most companies is to transfer knowledge and skills down a pipeline of internal talent, so as to keep talent within the company and preserve this for the future of the business. Transferring skills down to the younger generation within the business will help instil company values for future Directors.
5. Unique Relationships and Team Building. Job satisfaction is often at least partly due to the environment and people your workaround. A range of age groups within a team can mirror a family structure which makes employees feel comfortable and creates opportunities to gain meaningful relationships with those of different generations.