Employees who are much younger than their managers report lower productivity than those closer in age due to a lack of collaboration between employees of different generations.
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That is according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in collaboration with global consulting firm, Protiviti.
An external survey conducted by LSE of 1,450 employees in the finance, technology and professional services industries in the UK and USA, found that friction between different generations was driving down productivity and that firms need to develop intergenerationally inclusive work practices.
These include making it easier for each generation to 'fit in', developing and advancing people based on merit rather than age, and committing to a generationally diverse workforce.
Key findings were:
25% of employees surveyed self-reported low productivity.
Across generations, low levels of productivity are reported by 37% of Gen Z, 30% of Millennials, 22% of Gen X, and 14% of Baby Boomers.
Employees with larger age gaps with their managers report lower productivity. Those with managers more than 12 years their senior are nearly 1.5 times as likely to report low productivity.
Generations agree on the skills that are most important to productivity and career advancement. The top 3 sk
In firms that use intergenerationally inclusive work practices, productivity was higher in younger generations, researchers found.
These practices include enabling colleagues of every generation to have similar levels of voice when collaborating and advancing employees based on merit regardless of their age.
The proportion of Gen Z employees reporting low productivity drops from 37% to 18%, and from 30% to 13% for Millennials. Across the board, 87% of employees reported high productivity levels in firms with intergenerationally-inclusive work practices, compared to just 58% of employees from firms without these practices.
In addition, employees working at intergenerationally inclusive workplaces are twice as likely to be satisfied with their jobs and are less likely to look for a new role. ■