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Multi-generational workforce is creating headaches for business

HR firm Chandler Macleod has found a disconnect between what employers and workers believe are best strategies for each generation.

Cameron Judson from Chandler Macleod, in Melbourne.
Cameron Judson from Chandler Macleod, in Melbourne.

Generation change

HUMAN resources firm Chandler Macleod has found the multi-generational workforce is creating headaches for business.

The firm surveyed 233 senior managers, leaders and specialists and 287 employees across Australia and New Zealand, and found failure to implement generation-specific talent management strategy is the biggest mistake businesses make in managing a multi-generational workforce.

The survey found a significant disconnect between what employers believed were the best strategies for each generation and what millennials, gen X and baby boomers wanted.

Chief executive Cameron Judson says employers fail to understand the needs of a multi-generational workforce.

“Our research found although 17 per cent of employers believe social media is an effective strategy to manage millenials, only 1 per cent of millenials saw this as effective in practice,” Judson says.

He says flexible work arrangements should be a key consideration for employers looking to engage staff.

More than three-quarters of employers agreed flexible working arrangements provided a positive return on investment, but questioned the impact on productivity.

Social media

ONLINE jobs agency OneShift says the lines are becoming increasingly blurred between workplace relationships and friendships, as social media pervades people’s lives.

A OneShift survey found 79 per cent of respondents thought Facebook and Instagram relationships with co-workers were appropriate, and 63 per cent said it did not affect what they posted.

The survey found 64 per cent socialised with colleagues outside work, and 40 per cent admitted to dating a workmate.

Chief executive Gen George says strong relationships are inevitable in a culture that no longer recognises the separation of work from private life, and it should not be viewed negatively.

“We see it more with gen Y workers, but in general we’re seeing a very obvious blending of professional and private life, colleagues and friends, the office and the home. Technology plays a big role in this,” George says.

Future leadership

AUSTRALASIAN companies exceed most of their global counterparts in developing future leaders, international consulting company Hay Group says, but they still have ground to make up against the world’s best.

The Hay Group study of 420 professionals in Australia and New Zealand examined how businesses accelerated leadership development.

The study found Australasian companies were significantly stronger in employee retention programs such as working from home, where up to 49 per cent allowed staff to do so compared with a 30 per cent global average, and 52 per cent achieved a gender balance compared with a 41 per cent international average.

Hay Group head of leadership and talent practice Wendy Montague says Australasian companies are weaker in cross-organisational collaboration and tolerating mistakes. “Locally, ANZ companies demonstrate a more egalitarian approach, favouring programs that benefit the broader workforce, whereas globally more emphasis was placed on programs that supported high-performing employees and developing future leaders,” Montague says.

MBA gender help

THE Macquarie Graduate School of Management has launched an $8 million program to overcome the global gender imbalance in MBA programs. The investment will directly eliminate or reduce the fee women pay.

MGSM dean Alex Frino says there are 13,500 men but only 6500 women enrolled in MBA programs.

The first program initiative will provide scholarships to financially support women, funded by the university with their employer or sponsor providing a matching percentage contribution. The employer or sponsor must also provide a mentor throughout the MBA.

Volunteer now

RANDSTAD employment analyst Steve Shepherd says those who undertake volunteer work over the Christmas period will be in a better position to find a job in the new year.

He says Deloitte research has found 81 per cent of human resources managers take a job applicant’s volunteering into account when making decisions, and 76 per cent consider those applicants more desirable.

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/careers/multigenerational-workforce-is-creating-headaches-for-business/news-story/897cbbe72f9eff2eee2f80ee3b7199cc