Bridge the Generation Gap at Work: Mentoring Boosts Productivity & Reduces Turnover

The benefits of mentoring are clear, so why leave these relationships to chance? Organizations with structured, intentional mentoring programs create better workplaces and happier employees. Plus, businesses benefit when experienced workers pass on their institutional knowledge to junior staff.

Among the best places for professional mentoring are multigenerational workplaces, which might include baby boomers, Gen Xers, millennials, and folks from Gen Z. Business leaders can promote the cross-generational transfer of knowledge and skills through intentional and structured mentoring programs, and by implementing best practices for inclusion, like employee resource groups

Mentoring improves employee morale, boosts workplace retention, and creates a leadership pipeline. Younger staff need the guidance and training that older colleagues can provide, while mentoring also helps senior workers gain new insights and improve their communication skills.

But without an established framework, employees might be reluctant to put in the time and effort needed for effective cross-generational learning and professional development. This highly valuable exchange of knowledge can also be derailed by communication differences, staff turnover, and busy schedules. However, by making mentorship a priority and integrating it in the flow of work, it is possible to encourage older or more experienced workers to pass on their knowledge to younger or newer employees.