Nearly three-quarters of senior business leaders in Great Britain (73%) have multiple generations in their workforce today as populations age and working lives extend, a new report finds.

Analysis by the Work Foundation at Lancaster University in collaboration with the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) found that for the first time in history, there are four generations in the workplace, with workers born in the 1950s and 1960s now working alongside people born in the 2000s.

Researchers say this presents new opportunities for both employers and workers.

In a new survey of more than 1,000 senior British business leaders undertaken by Survation in May 2024, over half of employers (51%) report they have more than one generation in their organisation and seven in ten senior business leaders in Britain agree their organisation benefits from the diverse perspectives brought by a multigenerational workforce, with those with a multigenerational workforce most likely to agree that there are benefits (83% vs 62%).

Millennials (aged late 20s to mid-40s) are the most dominant generation in workplaces today.

Three in five employers (61%) agree there are significant differences in work culture preferences among employees from different generations. Over a third (39%) reported that having a multigenerational workforce leads to difficulties in communication and collaboration.

However, there is a growing consensus that this can be overstated, and the focus should be on the threads that unite different generations and its benefits.

Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University said: “For the first time in history there are now four generations in the workplace together – with those born in the 1960s and 70s working alongside those born in the 2000s.

“Our study shows that employers recognise the benefits of this increasingly multigenerational workforce, but many are not putting in place age-friendly policies and support mechanisms to support an inclusive and productive workplace culture.

“In particular, relatively few have put policies in place on issues like menopause support or guidance on alcohol and socialising. Employers need to respond to new expectations that prioritise health and wellbeing by introducing longer term workforce planning and implementing age inclusive policies within their organisation.”

The new research also points to an employer ‘say-do-gap’ in terms of age inclusive policies in the workplace.

A third of senior business leaders (31%) agree emphasising diversity and inclusion is important in creating a positive work culture for a multi-gen workforce, however only 18% include age in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies; only 16% have a menopause support policy, and just 13% have age champion schemes.

To navigate the multigenerational workforce, almost half of business leaders agree (49%) flexibility in work hours and location is important for a positive work culture. However, only 32% of SMEs (less than 250 employees) offer training for remote/hybrid working (44% for large organisations).

Just under half of leaders (45%) agree clear communication and transparency from leadership is important, but only 21% have line management training specifically for multigenerational workplaces in place.

With hybrid working gaining prevalence, the research finds 34% of leaders agree opportunities for socialising in person are important, but 81% do not have guidance on inclusive social events and just 21% have a workplace alcohol policy on responsible consumption in place.

Amongst the report recommendations, the Work Foundation calls on employers to:

• Develop proactive and long-term policy planning to support line managers and workers
• Implement age-inclusive policies to unlock the benefits of a multigenerational workforce
• Develop lifelong learning opportunities for all staff to support their career growth
• Embrace flexible working arrangements
• Develop policies and procedures that promote inclusion, diversity, and choice.

‘Working Together: Maximising the opportunities of a multigenerational workforce’ is published in full on the Work Foundation’s website and is available here:

https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundation/publications/working-together