A Guide for Human Resource Professionals | Page 27

A GUIDE FOR HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS | 2 7

FINDING COMMON GROUND
Workers Of All Ages Are More Similar Than Different
Rather than focus on age differences in your workforce, try finding common ground in
shared life experiences.
For example, employees from ages 20 to 45 (or even older) may be new parents, while
employees across all age brackets may be dealing with the realities of divorce. These
shared life experiences — whether positive or negative — create camaraderie amongst
employees and unify behaviour.
A
 2014 report by The Graham Lowe Group identified the most important job
characteristics. Workers ages 35 and younger and 55 and older shared the same values.
The most important job characteristics are:

1. Challenging work that gives you a sense of accomplishment.

2. Good pay and benefits.

3. A flexible schedule for good work and personal life balance.