How should younger managers communicate with older employees?

With an increasingly ageing workforce and many of us expecting to retire later, our workplaces are set to become even more of a melting pot of different generations. A recent global study from Bain & Company predicted that around 150 million jobs will shift to workers aged 55 and up by 2031 – this is over a quarter of the workforce in high-income countries. 

In our workplaces, it’s likely to become increasingly common, therefore, for younger managers to manage older team members. Effective intergenerational communication will be an essential skill. 

So, how can younger managers ensure that employees older than them feel heard, included and motivated?

Mind the (communication) gap

Steve Butler CMgr CCMI, managing director of Pension Potential, says a difference in communication styles is “at the heart of” possible conflicts between generations in the workplace. With 20 years of experience running his own businesses, and as the author of several books on the topic, Steve is no stranger to the complexities of intergenerational working. Tasked with managing his first team at the age of 28, he recalls how those team members were, in fact, all older than him. 

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Sean Kelly, meanwhile, is a Chartered Management Degree Apprentice at Amazon. He is also seeing more examples of older teams being led by younger managers. To “bridge the gap” between generations in the workplace, he agrees that the key is to mind how you communicate. 

Here are Sean’s and Steve’s top five tips for better communication between generations.

1. Encourage openness… even if that means leaving your comfort zone 

Reflecting on his own organisation, Steve highlights how his introduction of a “sign in” system at the start of meetings – where employees are asked to score their business and personal lives and wellbeing out of ten – met different responses. While younger employees were open to sharing personal details, older employees struggled at first.

As time went on, however, this system helped to foster a spirit of openness and empathy, bringing different generations closer together, Steve says. 

Also a strong advocate for the power of displaying vulnerability at work, Sean argues that younger managers need to practise this themselves. Though admitting you don’t have all the answers can be challenging for managers, “humility and a willingness to learn” are key for bridging any communication gaps, he says. 

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Create a psychologically safe environment where your employees can bring their whole selves to work – and ensure you role model this yourself.