For the first time, we have five different generations of workers at once. As life expectancy increases and costs follow, more workers are delaying retirement as the newest crop—Generation Z—enters the workforce. This has presented new challenges when it comes to intergenerational collaboration and interpersonal relationships in the workplace.

This week, we shine a light on workplace challenges in the “Valley Spotlight: Multigenerational Workforce.”

On Monday, I took more philosophical approach to changes in our feelings about the place of work in our lives. Today, we’re taking a broad look at how each generation is showing up in the workplace and the issues local business leaders are trying to solve.

Full conversation

ATHENA ANKRAH: In the workplace, different age groups have always bumped into each other. As one generation exits the workforce to enjoy retirement, another group of young newcomers are launching careers. But lately, we’ve seen a lot more variation in our workplaces—and the differences have become apparent, especially in our communication styles and expectations.

These generational milestones are not an exact science. Statements about the behavior and styles of a particular generation are, for the most part, sweeping generalizations. However, there are important conclusions.

So who’s here? The oldest are the baby boomers and even some members of the Silent Generation before them. Conformable per the Pew Research Center, the number of adults 65 and older still working today is nearly double what it was 35 years ago. There are several explanations.

Jen Ward teaches human resources and employment law at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

JEN WARD: Especially in the baby boomer generation, they really developed a very strong focus on capitalism and success. And it was kind of the Wall Street mentality of the ’80s. And I think many people have a strong connection between their identity and their workplace. And so it’s hard for them to think about retirement because they don’t know what else to do.

They did not spend time cultivating other interests. They may have lost touch with family because they focused so much on their jobs during their working years. So now that they’ve reached their retirement years, they’re not ready to give up. They see that work is tied to their identity and they just want to keep doing it.

ANKRAH: Gen Xers tend to be more informal, growing up as latchkey kids, becoming independent self-starters.

Millennials are our children of the 90s. Having entered the job market just as the 2008 recession hit, research shows that millennials are less loyal to their employers than previous generations, but have inherited their parents’ anxiety about work, reflecting directly on their worth.

Finally, there’s Generation Z. The most racially and ethnically diverse group of workers and the first generation of so-called digital natives, many just starting their careers. They entered the workforce around the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with a desire for purpose-driven work that meets them as people with lives outside of work.

And now, members of all these generations are working together. Age divisions are becoming clearer as Gen Z enters the workforce, sparking negotiations we didn’t even have to consider before.

In addition to teaching at ASU, Jen Ward also runs a consulting firm that advises employers. And she says there’s one particular debate that’s come up a lot since the pandemic: remote work.

WARD: Before the pandemic, there was huge resistance to it. At least that’s what I’ve experienced at work. There were certain technology companies and things like that where it made sense and they did it, but sort of as an everyday company, it just wasn’t something that people were really excited to adopt.

ANKRAH: It’s just one of the many conversations that come up in the workplace these days. And she says that when it comes to different ideas about working from home, the biggest gaps fall along generational lines.

WARD: Baby boomers have largely held leadership positions and are the biggest proponents of this face-to-face interaction. Baby boomers tend to lean toward what I call command and control leadership, where, you know, I’ll manage you by seeing you, I want to see your body in the chair, and that’s how I know that you. you do what you have to do.

And then COVID hit and almost everyone immediately went remote and it was a struggle.

ANKRAH: Vanessa Boettcher is an executive at an international company based in Scottsdale that analyzes employee behavior and productivity for other businesses. She says she’s seen the problem of telecommuting firsthand at her workplace.

Boettcher is in a unique position. She is responsible for promoting collaboration between employees and managers of different age groups.

VANESSA BOETTCHER: Hybrid work has certainly been a hot topic for us. Today we had a very solid conversation about this, where all these angles play an important role. Some people were sad and said, “no, we have to go back because it’s important and it gives us that personal contact and interaction that we need.” And then, of course, other people would say, “Well, yeah, but, some people don’t need that, and some people are very productive self-employed.”

ANKRAH: Ward says the crux of the debate about working from home comes down to differences in our ideas about work ethics. If you work remotely, for example, how are employers sure everyone is as engaged as they are in the office?

WARD: The technology was there, but the culture was what needed to catch up and that management style. So figuring out “how do I make sure people’s work gets done and how can I trust my employees to work and not shop, sleep, watch TV,” whatever these worries managers tend to have have the remote control work.

ANKRAH: Remote or in person, the question remains: When is it acceptable for workers to sacrifice personal and family time for the good of their employer, and at what point is the job asking too much? Boettcher says most of her older colleagues saw things like working overtime as necessary parts of the job, but even having the flexibility of hybrid schedules as a possibility during the pandemic changed the way they thought about it.

BOETTCHER: Everyone in the last four years has also learned that the benefit of working from home also allows you to meet some of your personal needs. So if you have a family, you can go pick up your kids from school or you can go to doctor appointments or things like that which is the flexibility of being able to work remotely. It was really interesting to see how minds started to change as they were able to hear from each other.”

Another key differentiator in the workplace, particularly in white-collar settings, is technology. Here’s Jen Ward again.

WARD: It can be more challenging, especially for older people who may not have the experience or comfort level with technology. and it can be hard for young people to deal with that as well, to feel like they have to show someone who’s significantly older than them how to do something when it’s a technology thing.”

ANKRAH: But Boettcher says it’s not just older generations who have to keep up with young people and new technologies; and young people have room to grow. And it starts with knowing when to pick up the phone — or put technology aside when a face-to-face conversation is more appropriate.

Boettcher: Embedded in older cultures, they know that they have no problem saying, “OK, now it’s time to talk because this isn’t going anywhere.” Where young people aren’t necessarily as savvy when it comes to “OK, I should probably make a phone call now because two emails later, we’re still not getting clarity.”

ANKRAH: She says today’s business leaders need to take different perspectives, keeping what works and letting go.

Boettcher: That flexible mindset is your winner because we all need to understand that none of us has the absolute truth or the absolute answer, and listening and learning from others is key. We all have something to contribute, but it sure gets a lot richer when you hear what others have to say.

ANKRAH: Success in today’s diverse workplace requires a personalized management approach where the leader and team adapt to each other’s needs. But to develop flexibility, you need mutual respect and understanding. Then, says Ward, this new multigenerational workforce should be an asset, not a problem.