The global population is ageing, bringing fewer young people into the workforce. A survey has found this imbalance can result in reduced productivity. In this article, we discuss how generational tensions may be impacting your company’s productivity.
A recent study from the London School of Economics and Political Science, working with the government consulting group Protiviti, has found a disparity in productivity based on age. This was due to poor collaborative efforts between those of different age groups. The survey found that 25% of those surveyed reported low productivity from themselves. This was broken down into 37% of Gen Z, 30% of Millennials, 22% of Gen X, and 14% of Baby Boomers.
Improving Personal Productivity
All generations agreed that active listening, decision-making, and time management were the most productive skills. However, those who had a workforce with larger age gaps reported some of the lowest levels of productivity. Those who had a manager who was more than 12 years old and their senior reported low productivity the most, at almost 1.5 times more likely than others.
There are several ways workers can improve their own productivity, be it when they are in the office or working remotely. The first is to limit the time spent on their mobile devices. The average hybrid worker spends 12 hours a day looking at a screen, of which four and a half hours are spent on mobile phones. The desire to message and check social media are all barriers to productivity.
Taking the phone away is not always an option, as it can be integral to work. In this case, the best choice is to limit what can and can’t be accessed during working hours. For example, you can block apps on Safari to increase productivity with the use of BlockSite. This will prevent access to things that would distract you, increasing time management and your own level of productivity. They have handy scheduling features, which means you can limit apps during work hours and then have them automatically unlock at the end of the day when you are free to use your phone for leisure purposes.
Another tactic is to be realistic about your to-do list. Make sure you set out a daily task list that is achievable and not one that is cramming 24 hours of work into an 8-hour day. This is setting yourself up to fail and can have a damaging effect on your mental state for the rest of the week.
Tackling the Office Age Gap
In the report, it was noted that companies that had intergenerational working practices had much higher productivity than those of younger generations. One tactic these organizations tended to employ was to ensure each colleague had an equal voice, regardless of age or experience. This also applied to the advancement of workers, taking them on merit as opposed to years of service. This caused a drop from 37% to 18% of those reporting low productivity in some cases.
When this works, it does work well. Companies that had a mixed generational cohort and employed the above tactic had much higher rates of job satisfaction. They were less likely to look for positions elsewhere, increasing staff retention. Around 87% of employees noted high productivity levels, compared to 58% in companies without.
What Does a Productive Office Culture Look Like?
A productive office culture is easy to overlook, and though it may seem like you have one, under the surface, that may not be the case.
One sign, as evidenced in the above report, is that clear communication is key. This can include transparent decision processes, regular meetings, and providing employees with actionable outcomes. Hand in hand with this is collaboration. This is one area that takes a lot of work, with no one-size-fits-all solution.
Work-life balance is also a key factor in fostering a productive office culture. If your employees are happy at home and in their personal lives, this will reflect in the workplace. Make sure you are providing plenty of time off and not encroaching into people’s time away from work with emails and requests. Allowing remote working can also be a huge upside to this.
Finally, foster a mindset that provides a can-do attitude. You want your employees to grow and blossom into new roles. This can include promoting from within and providing plenty of educational opportunities for your staff, including the ability to learn new software packages.
Increasing productivity is not just something people can turn on and off. It needs a holistic approach, particularly if you have multiple generations in the same company or department. Building a culture of open communication and a generally positive working environment can help this. However, any company and its values are only as good as those at the top. As a manager or CEO, these must be values you embody and demonstrate every day.
