They say that to age is grace, but some still deem the topic debatable in the workplace. On one side of the court, age comes in handy with loyalty and experience, while on the other, they claim that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. 

Since the start of the pandemic, the employment market has been tightening. Yet many small businesses across industries claim that they can’t fill jobs, and many workers who are over age 40, and especially past 50, lament that finding a job remains difficult.

Are companies missing an opportunity to get great hires because of age bias?

A quick-thinking small business owner in addressing these employee age differences is vital to guarantee the workplace bridges the generational gaps with efficient and cohesive measures. Thankfully, modern POS with an Employee Management software is a great tool small business owners can use to  make smart decisions as they manage their employees, and ensure a harmonious and efficient workplace.

Today we find the modern workplace at the peak of age diversity. Today, companies have at least three generations working together in one office setup: Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), and Millennials (1981-1996). Each age group has distinctive characteristics, needs, priorities, and varying work ethics. These differences can often lead to divisive behavior among employees. This eventually leads to a slump in their efficiency and work performance and lowers your company’s overall productivity. 

Age Discrimination

Age discrimination occurs when employees are treated differently regarding hiring, promotion, responsibilities, and career opportunities. Although it takes many forms and cases, excluding older workers from certain work activities can lead to under-socialization, isolation, and feeling undervalued. The younger workforce can also feel excluded when questioned about their abilities and skills due to their young age.

Ultimately, age discrimination compromises productivity in your business and can lead to adverse effects such as low morale and resignation.

Adapting to the Changes in the Workforce

Age diversity in a workplace is becoming a more prevalent trend, and it’s about time we accept and adapt to these shifts in the workforce. On the bright side, when addressed the right way, it creates an exciting opportunity to assess your team members and use each generation’s strengths to your business’ advantage.

All generations deserve to be respected, and respect springs from a good awareness and clear understanding of the different generations and their work ethics.

POS Employee Management

A modern POS that has an in-house Employee Management Software can help you make balanced business decisions for your employees based on data and analytics of their work performance. This solution helps you track productivity and working hours of your employees so you don’t make the mistake of rewarding based on age or tenure. Having this tracker and monitoring system can improve the efficiency of employees in the workplace.

Through this, you can also protect your business by granting proper permissions for each employee group and control over cash inaccuracy in every shift.

With an Employee Management, you can give employees access to the POS app by PIN or password and easily track each employee’s sales performance and make informed business decisions.

Determine employee’s efficiency based on their performance not their age.

The Employee Management solution of a POS can give you information on the workload per hour and allows for efficient management of your staff.

Total hours are automatically calculated based on clock in and clock out time, the owner can correct the timecard or create a new one at the back office. At the back office the owner can see the total hours worked summary report of each employee in the chosen period.

Here are some doable tips from recruitment agencies to prevent ageism in your multi generational workplace:

• Start from the hiring process

Nip it in the bud by tackling the problem of ageism as early as in the hiring process of your shop’s staff. You can do this by emphasizing the work ethic and passion you’re looking for in an employee rather than identifying them based on age and experience. During interviews, make sure you ask appropriate questions and avoid age-specific conversations. Applicants must be evaluated and considered based on their qualifications rather than assumptions. 

There is only so much that you can know about a person through interviews and resumes. Therefore, a great way to approach the hiring process is to offer a probationary period to further assess whether a potential employee is a good fit for your business. Having a probationary period is a great chance for you to instill with them your company values of harmonious working, and also gives them a chance to evaluate themselves if they are suitable for the working environment that you have.

• Don’t reward based on tenure.

A prevalent practice in most workplaces is to promote seasoned employees regardless of their merit to the business. This practice could significantly affect the morale of the younger ones and more deserving employees. 

To drive healthy competition and more growth, your company must appreciate your employees’ commitment to development and hard work more than anything else. Therefore, you can achieve this by giving out well-earned incentives such as a raise or promotions to the best performing one, regardless of age.

• Have a mentorship program

A mentorship program is a great way to bridge age-related gaps and connect the generations by highlighting valuable expertise, insights, and knowledge from older employees. Reverse mentorship can also occur where the older ones can learn from the younger employees. 

Upskilling and reskilling aren’t only learned through formal training. It can happen through knowledge sharing across generations and peer mentoring. This will foster respect and promote empathetic perspectives, it will also close gaps by leveraging unfamiliar aspects like technologies, ethics, etc.  

• Have clear policies

Make it clear in your company policy that age discrimination of any form is not to be tolerated within the workplace. Clearly define what is considered an offense and the consequences for those who do not observe.

It’s good to emphasize your criteria to all your employees during the onboarding process and company training.

• Accommodate diverse working styles and needs

There is no one-size-fits-all way to address how workers of any generation can perform at their best. Your company should be able to adjust to their employees’ needs with flexible hours, varied schedules, part-time opportunities, and varying approaches to retirement. These are great ways to welcome various talent pools of differing ages.

Age is Just a Number

Use intergenerational relationships in your company to your full advantage as it provides excellent growth and learning opportunities in your workforce. It expands people’s way of thinking, broadens perspectives, and offers more chances to become an overall efficient team. The goal is to encompass the difference where everyone values harmony and cooperation.

The tips above will push your business to move forward and significantly increase its productivity while observing inclusivity and respect in the workplace.