How generational diversity affects emotional well-being at work
Organizations today are home to diverse generations . Significant differences exist among them, related to various factors such as their understanding of work, life circumstances, skills, concerns, learning styles, motivations, technology use, authority, physical and emotional health, and career expectations, among others (GT-European University Observatory, 2022). These challenges can pose a hurdle in managing generational diversity within companies, or they can be seen as an opportunity for growth if we are able to adapt to the realities, expectations, and potential of each generation. This can be achieved by viewing adversity as a potential for growth. Addressing these needs means creating a space for emotional well-being at work, with a focus on health, which each generation experiences differently.
Based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy Work Environment model, which promotes continuous improvement to protect and promote health, safety and well-being (WHO 2010), AENOR has created a healthy organization management model based on four pillars:
- Healthy living
- Emotional well-being
- Security
- Comfort
The goal of achieving emotional well-being at work is for professionals to feel motivated and to feel that they belong to an organization that respects them and cares about their health (INSST, 2023).
Generations with different priorities
Not all people are the same. Managing generational diversity and the health of the people who make up an organization should be done across the board, reaching the entire company structure, and considering this diversity as a determinant of health.
The following generations currently coexist in organizations:
- Silent Generation, people born before 1945.
- Baby boomer generation, 1945 to 1964.
- Generation X, 1965 to 1979.
- Generation Y ( millennials ), 1980 to 1994.
- Generation Z ( centennials ), 1995 to 2009.
- And then Generation Alpha arrived, starting in 2010
If we focus on the main differences between generations, we observe that:
| Baby boomers | Generation Z | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision of the work | As an end for which they have prepared for years. | As a means to live in the present. |
| Key values regarding the world of work | Loyalty and commitment to the company. | It is work that has to offer them things, like a place to have satisfying experiences. |
| Reality about work | Solid, but more resistant to change. Present-oriented culture. They feel they are not included in the most important challenges facing organizations. | Fluid, with a high capacity to adapt to changes at any given moment. Insecurity due to excessive parental protection that creates an imbalance in her personal interactions. |
| Physical health | Low level of self-care, without education in prevention. | High awareness of healthy habits. |
| Emotional health | Resilient and disciplined. They feel sadness when they don't receive enough recognition after much effort. Emotions are a work in progress. | Further weakened by: high dependence on social media, constant search for acceptance, impatience, frustration, high ego. |
| Professional future | Fear of the future. | Anxiety and discouragement due to a lack of opportunities. |
Each company can address generational diversity, also known as age management (Ministry of Labor, Migration and Social Security, 2019), in different ways. One initiative to add value to employees is generational mentoring . Mentoring is the process by which a more experienced and knowledgeable professional accompanies and guides a less experienced professional. In generational mentoring, the proposal is that both professionals act as mentors. It is a two-way mentoring process: from older to younger generations and vice versa (Confederation of European Business et al., 2017).
It involves pairing a person from one generation with a person from a different generation with the goal of mutual learning and growth.
For this to happen, the exchange and sharing of knowledge as a source of wealth must be normalized in the organization's culture. This exchange is an indicator of the organization's maturity.
Other strategies for implementing generational diversity management include:
- Establish induction plans with a generational perspective , adapted to the needs and characteristics of new professionals in order to facilitate adaptation to changes, thus reducing levels of anxiety, stress and uncertainty.
- Design age-sensitive training plans to address training needs with methodologies best suited to individual characteristics. It is sometimes considered unprofitable to train people beyond a certain age, given the cost of maintaining outdated personnel within an organization (Confederation of European Business et al., 2017).
- Return-to-work programs for health reasons with an age perspective. It is recommended that organizations implement return-to-work programs that address the individuality of each case and incorporate a generational perspective and the continuity of an active working life (INSSBT, 2018).
An organization that achieves this goal of recognition and integration, despite the difficulties it may encounter along the way, is able to project a real corporate image of well-being, generate a motivational attitude in its professionals, a sense of belonging, and offer society the result of that effort.
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