Page 93 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

80B RE-ENGAGE

be acknowledged, understood, positively leveraged, and,
often, overcome.
Here are some of the most constructive ways that lead-
ers of premier employers are engaging and re-engaging
employees in all four generations:

: Seek first to understand the most common issues of differ-
ence between the generations.
: Commit to creating an engaging workplace culture that provides
for the universal needs of employees—as represented by
the six engagement drivers.
: Recognize that a shortage of talent that will recur as more
Boomers retire and the economy returns to respectable
growth rates. Encourage Traditionalists and Boomers to
stay on as consultants, offer flexible and part-time ar-
rangements as they approach retirement eligibility, put
them in mentoring roles, and capture their critical knowl-
edge before they leave. Remember: When a universally
mission-critical resource is scarce, the first to act gains a
dominating and irrevocable competitive advantage.
: Create continuous opportunities for employees in different gen-
erations to work together on projects, share work spaces,
mentor each other, provide training and opportunities for
open dialogue about generational differences, socialize
together, and seek to meet one another halfway with re-
gard to differing expectations.
: Identify emerging leaders, and provide them with the training and
development they need to stay engaged and be better pre-
pared to step into leadership positions as more-senior
leaders retire.
: Train managers in principles and techniques of effective
people management and employee engagement, and hold
them accountable for appropriate measurable outcomes.
: Emphasize the importance of collaboration and teamwork to all
staff regardless of their generation.