Reinventing Age: How to Create Thriving Cross-Generational Workplaces

Unprecedented Age Diversity in U.S. Workplaces

The demographic landscape of U.S. workplaces has never been more diverse. With life spans increasing, careers are extending by necessity and choice, demanding a shift in traditional employment models. Yet most organizations in the United States are lagging as they struggle to adapt to this evolving reality. As employment rates among those age 50+ has soared, older employees are still the most likely of any age group to feel undervalued and misunderstood within their workplaces.

Empress’ most recent mixed-methods study encompasses the perspectives of more than 1,500 individuals across America, with a sampling emphasis on those age 50 and older. Through a combination of survey and in-depth virtual focus groups, we’ve curated a set of actionable insights about what it takes to create thriving cross-generational workplaces.

Ageism: The Invisible Barrier

Employees report ageism as a primary barrier to inclusive and diverse work cultures with incidents of age-related discrimination eclipsing those based on gender, race, and religion (OECD, Promoting an Age-Inclusive Workforce. Living, Learning and Earning Longer, 2020). Ageism establishes a troubling workplace standard where older workers frequently face biases that undermine their contributions and erode their sense of belonging. The pervasiveness of ageism hampers individual careers and the potential of intergenerational collaboration responsible for feeding innovation and empathy.

Despite a near-universal recognition among employers of the importance of age-inclusive practices, a staggering 95% lack concrete strategies to realize this vision (AARP, The Economic Impact of Age Discrimination, 2020). There is a stark disconnect between employer self-perceptions and the lived experiences of older employees when it comes to age inclusivity. While 83% of employers claim their workplaces are age-friendly, only 67% of employees agree (Transamerica Institute, Stepping Into the Future: Employers, Workers, and the Multigenerational Workforce, 2023). This discrepancy points to a blind spot within organizational leadership and a failure to translate well-meaning intentions into tangible actions. Older employees often feel undervalued and underrepresented, indicating that organizations might be overlooking the subtle dynamics of ageism that can permeate workplace cultures, policies, and practices.

The Psychological Safety Gap Between Young and Old Workers

Older employees find themselves on shaky ground in terms of psychological safety and acceptance in the workplace. Our research indicates they’re more likely to feel misunderstood by colleagues and perceive a lack of respect for their contributions compared to younger workers. As much as they value their accrued wisdom and experience, the organizational failure to recognize and leverage these assets feeds into the cycle of ageism, leaving valuable institutional knowledge and expertise on the sidelines. Addressing these challenges is not just about fairness or compliance, but about embracing a strategy that celebrates a full spectrum of worker diversity, including age.

Empress findings validate that actual differences between generations are not as great as stereotypes suggest, leaving organizations scratching their heads about the best path forward as they grapple with questions like, “How much or little does age matter? How do employees want to be treated as they age, what are the common desires across generational groups? What does employee wellbeing look like as employees age?” Employers can make small yet meaningful changes as they imagine new ways to retain highly knowledgeable and skilled older workers in an increasingly competitive employment environment.

A Model to Help Employers

Employees want to work in age-diverse workplaces and employers want to create them, so what’s standing in the way? One culprit is the general lack of roles intentionally designed for workers at different life stages. A roadmap for navigating how our intellectual strengths evolve as we age is illustrated in the social science concept of Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence (Cattell, 1971).

• Fluid Intelligence: the ability to solve abstract problems. This is the intelligence relied on in our 20s, 30s, and into our 40s.
• Crystallized Intelligence: knowledge gained during a lifetime of learning. This is highly valuable intelligence developed in our late 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s.

Employers should design roles and responsibilities that evolve as workers do by embracing both modes of intelligence: those that hinge on innovation (Fluid) and others engineered around mentoring, teaching, and instruction (Crystallized). A massive opportunity exists to reimagine how roles are designed, helping organizations absorb the wisdom of older employees before they eventually transition out of the workforce. Beyond their practical value, roles that are engineered to evolve are a key way to address issues of performance ageism. By helping employees do what they do best, employers begin to disprove harmful stereotypes related to competence and ability across the age spectrum.

From reimagining compensation and benefits to fostering work environments that celebrate flexibility and collaboration, the roadmap to inclusivity is clear. By recognizing the unique value of all life stages and implementing strategic measures to support an aging workforce, we can achieve a future where every employee, regardless of age, feels respected, valued, and understood.

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