100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS • 157Understanding the traits and desires of the different age groups
present in the workplace will allow you to provide them with the
incentives and motivation they truly value, improving overall
corporate performance and morale.
The idea
Tesco, one of Britain’s most successful retailers, employs people of
different age groups so that their workforce is more representative
of society as a whole. This enables Tesco to relate well to all its
customers, who have a wide range of ages.
The contemporary workplace contains four age groups:
- Silent veterans over 64 years old
- Baby boomers aged 45–63
- Generation Xers aged 30–44.
- Generation Y aged 29 years and under.
Age-sensitive management suggests that these different groups have
different expectations, and therefore require different management
techniques and performance-based incentives.
Although it is not foolproof, it can provide a general guide to possible
differences in the expectations of young and old employees. With an
aging workforce and shifting demographics, the manager who can
motivate regardless of age has a signifi cant advantage.