Today’s workforce is more multi-generational than ever before. For the first time in modern history, there are currently four (sometimes five) generations in the workforce simultaneously: Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers, and the Silent Generation (some members are still working in their late 70s/early 80s).
This is more than a first in modern history. A generationally diverse workforce means that the range of unique preferences, habits, and behaviors is wider than ever. Team members span the full range of life experiences, with each generation bringing different motivations, work habits, and technical abilities to the mix.
A multigenerational workforce needs something more than a “one-size-fits-all” approach to training and management. Fortunately, catering to different learning styles and skill sets with eLearning is less challenging than it seems.
Acknowledge and Celebrate the Generational Differences
It is important to avoid making sweeping generalizations about your coworkers solely based on generational differences. Many generalizations about each generation are negative:
- The Silent Generation are “cautious conformists” who respect authority and don’t make waves.
- Baby boomers are out of touch and stuck in their ways.
- Generation X are lazy slackers with a bleak outlook on life.
- Millennials (or Generation Y) are driven, but also selfish and entitled.
- Generation Z are media-obsessed and can’t handle face-to-face interactions.
These stereotypes have been repeated by various clickbait articles so often that it’s easy to assume they’re true. It’s also easy to assume that the same generalizations apply to their motivations and preferences in a work environment.
We’ve all heard that baby boomers and millennials need a different approach to work-life balance, mental health, new technology, and more. These assumptions and others can make different generations feel siloed and judged based on demographics outside their control.
Research shows, however, that the differences between older and younger employees are smaller than you’d assume. A baby boomer may be completely comfortable with the hyper-connected world of tweeting and managing social media, and a millennial may excel in decision-making scenarios and prefer to work on collaborative projects in person. This unique blend makes for a dynamic and diverse workforce made up of different age groups.
Leverage Institutional Knowledge
Nothing is more boring than having to sit through training when you already know the material. Be deliberate in developing courses to address current knowledge gaps. For instance, high-level employees are typically more concerned with keeping their skills current rather than traditional training based on career growth.
These individuals are excellent resources for training and mentoring other team members. Mentorship is an especially effective learning tool that protects institutional knowledge (the collective understanding and capability of the workforce).
When we talk about institutional knowledge, many people picture the loss of knowledge due to older generations leaving the workforce. This is part of it, as thousands of baby boomers reach retirement age every day.
However, knowledge is also lost when employees of any age leave the team. A recent study found that around 42% of company knowledge is unique to individual team members. The best way to ensure knowledge retention is to work with these individuals to create a training initiative that helps them transfer and disperse important information to coworkers.
Focus on Growth and Advancement
The “why” is just as important as the “what” when designing training courses for a multigenerational workforce. Different age groups will have different goals and training needs, so eLearning development needs to accommodate various career-growth life stages.
The model of hiring younger employees into entry-level roles and watching them climb the corporate ladder over time no longer exists. Unlike previous generations, upward progression is less common, leading to the decline of a single, steady career at one organization. Instead, career paths are winding, often jumping across industries, roles, and opportunities.
It’s not to say that today’s workforce doesn’t have a strong work ethic. Organizations can drive employee retention and job security by providing opportunities for meaningful work, reskilling, and professional development. For instance:
- Create self-assessment tools to help individuals identify new opportunities within the company.
- Include soft skills in training initiatives, such as problem-solving, communication, and design thinking.
- Provide interesting case studies and stories that illustrate the training topic.
- Pull learners in by demonstrating outcomes that will move the trainee, their coworkers, and the company toward tangible goals.
- Include scenarios that are relevant to their everyday work styles and life experiences, so they can see how their learning will be put into action.
Create a Flexible Learning Environment
Not every training topic needs a full-length eLearning course. Consider offering micro-learning opportunities as well, which lets people focus on small nuggets of content at their own pace. People appreciate a flexible learning environment just as much as they do a flexible work arrangement.
Quick job aids, collaboration tools, and mentorship programs all enhance professional development. Mentoring doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out ordeal; even quick chats with a team member can be beneficial.
For training to be effective, employers must move past the ideas of generational segmentation. Instead, eLearning needs to be flexible enough to accommodate all types of learners. For instance:
- On average, our short-term memory holds five to seven items, tops. Shorter learning modules help lessen information loss. They also make it easier for users to go over the material again if needed.
- Microlearning segments also perform better on mobile devices, which is especially beneficial with remote work.
- Active recall through interactive learning components increases long-term knowledge retention and makes the information more adaptable to different scenarios.
- The amount of information needed varies among coworkers. A diverse library of micro-modules, document links, videos, and other relevant items helps meet a variety of learning and work styles.
- Make links to downloadable reference materials readily available for those who prefer to read and review. And provide a collaborative group or mentor for those who enjoy discussing scenarios and solutions.
- Gamification is key to learning engagement. Gamified training modules aren’t just for younger employees. All team members can benefit from this engaged learning style and high rates of information transfer.
- Remember, no one wants to sit through a course on what they already know. Allow participants to “test out” of such sections or segments. This will give them greater flexibility and control over their training.
- Courses that don’t require a time limit will empower those who like to learn at a slower pace.
Reward and Reinforce
Recognition always has a positive impact, promoting a sense of wellness and worth. Find unique ways to promote a sense of accomplishment and teamwork and show respect for team member’s learning efforts.
There are several ways to reward and reinforce meaningful work. It could be as simple as a “Congratulations! Great job!” at the end of a training module, or letting their supervisor know about their positive performance in the course. Some companies issue digital badges or declare a team member’s formal admittance into an “honors circle” of trained employees.
Measure, Adjust, and Measure Again
The ultimate goal of eLearning should be to deliver personalized training experiences. However, this doesn’t mean that learning paths need to be tailored to individual employees. Instead, the content must be diverse enough and presented in a variety of ways that it feels personalized to the user. In other words, design learning modules to be highly relevant and useful to different work and communication styles.
Assessment is more than standard testing to determine if the learning objectives have been achieved. You should also gather feedback from the audience regarding their learning experience.
- Was the training relevant and realistic to their work environment?
- What was their favorite part of the training?
- Were the links and reference documents helpful?
- Did they have difficulties with any aspect of the eLearning module?
- Where can the delivery methods be improved to reach different demographics?
Continue to refine your training approach based on the results.
Develop Digital Literacy
A multi-generational workforce presents unique opportunities for your organization. While most assumptions about generational differences are mostly false, digital literacy is one area where younger generations tend to come out on top.
Younger employees are more comfortable with online tools, but that’s not to say that other age groups can’t or won’t benefit from eLearning. Creating a collaborative and all-inclusive approach to learning will ensure that your entire employee population — from the Silent Generation to Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Zers gain the important skills, professional development, and expertise necessary for organizational success.
ProEdit can help you analyze your workforce learning needs and customize a training approach that is flexible and dynamic. Contact us today!