The challenge of intergenerational management lies in encouraging and harnessing collaboration between different age groups within a company. Anina Hille, a lecturer at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and project leader of the "Generations Barometer," offers her insights.
Switzerland is undergoing significant demographic shifts that are reshaping the labor market. The retirement of the "baby boomer" generation has led to a growing shortage of skilled workers. To stay competitive, SMEs must anticipate this trend. Integrating intergenerational management into a company’s strategy not only fosters harmony among employees but also helps retain older workers longer and ensures the transfer of knowledge. Conducted by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), the "Generations Barometer" evaluates how Swiss companies are effectively leveraging generational diversity to address various workforce challenges. Anina Hille, a lecturer at HSLU and project leader of the study, highlights the importance of this management approach for SMEs.
What is intergenerational management?
Anina Hille: I prefer to use the term "integrated generational management," which means incorporating age-related considerations into the company’s management practices. The goal is to enhance collaboration between employees of different generations and to encourage mutual skill-sharing. Overall, it aims to improve well-being within the company by creating optimal working conditions for every employee.
What benefits can SMEs expect from this?
Hille: The most obvious benefit is knowledge transfer, which has a dual advantage: it helps reduce the loss of experience that comes with retirement and allows older employees to benefit from the skills of younger generations, especially in digital areas. Another key benefit is the ability to keep senior employees in the workforce longer by adapting tasks to suit their needs and offering a gradual, flexible retirement. In the medium term, this approach can help address the growing shortage of skilled labor in Switzerland. Despite the increasing importance of this issue, too few SMEs are seriously tackling it.
How can integrated generational management be implemented in an SME?
Hille: The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) offers free seminars and consultations to help companies learn about this topic. We also provide paid evaluation reports on the situation of companies that request them. These analyses and their conclusions help build a solid foundation for a management strategy.
To promote knowledge transfer, I recommend establishing a policy of systematically planning for succession. This involves closely monitoring the age distribution within the company and anticipating retirements. The goal is then to create intergenerational work pairs, encouraging employees to collaborate on the same project, for example.
It can also be beneficial to offer employees who are nearing retirement the option of gradually reducing their workload, even by shifting to part-time. Such measures make it possible to retain their expertise for as long as possible while giving them time to train their successors.
Instead of focusing on the specific traits of each age group, it is better to center the management strategy around values that are common across all generations: a culture of open communication, a relationship of trust with supervisors, and access to ongoing training.
Is it feasible on a small budget?
Hille: SMEs often assume they don’t have the resources or staff to implement an intergenerational approach. In reality, it doesn’t require much funding. Most intergenerational dialogue already occurs informally; integrated generational management simply creates a more supportive environment for it. Intergenerational work pairs, in particular, are an effective and low-cost way to facilitate knowledge sharing.
Can you give examples of companies that have successfully implemented an effective intergenerational management strategy?
Hille: In my research, I studied a hotel in the Engadine. This family-owned business, now run by the fifth generation of the founding family, offers senior employees ongoing training and personalized career transition programs. Some roles in the hospitality sector involve heavy lifting, which can be challenging for those over 40 or 50. By embracing active generational management, the hotel has been able to retain its staff for as long as possible.
How do you see intergenerational relationships within companies evolving in the future?
Hille: They will become increasingly important. As life expectancy rises, generations are spending more time together. Families today are far more diverse than they were a century ago, and this diversity is mirrored in the workplace, creating a need for greater flexibility, particularly in areas like maternity leave and medical support. With an aging population, it's also crucial to keep employees active and engaged for longer periods.
Biography
Anina Hille holds a doctorate from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Basel and is a lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), where she teaches economics. Her research focuses on contemporary economic issues, including intergenerational dynamics within companies. Since 2019, she has led the "Generations Barometer" at HSLU, which provides companies with analysis and benchmarking on their intergenerational management practices.
In discussion
Last modification 06.11.2024
