You could take any workplace based within office space in London, or anywhere else in the UK, and you would be able to see the impact of a cross-generational workforce.
Many older workers see that they have a vital place in a company, which they have worked to achieve for many years. Younger employees may see it that the more mature staff are blocking the best roles, and preventing them from progressing in the workplace. This could cause tension and a loss of productivity.
With the removal of the default retirement age, more and more companies have to accommodate older and younger workers, and changes may be needed to do that, according to one entrepreneur.
Simon North, co-founder of consultancy Position Ignition, told HR Magazine: “It would serve HR well to take a longer term view and show the organisation the bigger picture relating to cross-generational issues. By sharing the information, both the older workers and younger workers will understand what structural aspects the company will need to manage in the coming years.”
He suggested that re-shaping the roles that older people hold in a company would be a good way of solving the problem.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the number of people over the age of 65 who are in employment is rising.
