Training Resources

1. 9 February 2016
Multi-Generational
Engagement
Angela Wilke
Executive General Manager
Operations & Change
28 February 2017

2. Engaging the multi-generational workforce
• Which HR strategies drive productivity and culture whilst addressing
differences in career needs, values and expectations?
• What style of leadership is required to support the growth and
development of different workforce segments?
• How can you motivate and reward with discretion, despite operating
within a consistent performance review framework?

3. Common threads
Yes, each generation is different, but ... regardless of age, we all want
the same things:
• Good relationship with line manager
• Personal growth, professional development
• Work-life balance
• Yes, I’m making a difference
• Meaningful work
• Training and skills development

4. Benefits of all-generation engagement
Heightened inclusiveness, respect, and productivity resulting in:
• Increased performance
• Less age-based discrimination
• Less “brain drain”
• Better recruitment practices
• Retention of critical talent

5. Why engagement is important
Engagement – measure of corporate health, key window into potential
for future issues and employees’ support for change.
Engagement is essential because:-
• Intense competition for talented Millennials
• Organisations’ need for technological and other specialised skills
• Candidates now more ‘brand aware’ – they know and care if an
organisation is a great place to work

6. Engagement is more than job satisfaction
Contentment is fine, but can lead to complacency.
High engagement looks like:
• innovation and creativity
• personal responsibility
• authentic desire for company and team to succeed
• an emotional bond to organisation
• high impact, go-to people, willing to go extra mile.

7. Over the next 10 years, the QLD public sector will see disruptive changes in
relation to:
Environment
People
Customers
QLD Treasury - a changing employment context

8. Workforce generation categories – quick recap
• Matures – 72 and older, born pre-1946
• Baby Boomer – 53 to 71 years old, born 1946 to 1964
• Gen X – 37 to 52 years old, born 1965 to 1980
• Millennial/Gen Y – 17 to 37, born 1981 to 2000

9. What does QLD Treasury look like?
29.4%
46.0%
24.5%
Generational Distribution (n=1928)
Millennials
Gen X
Baby Boomers
Matures
Matures represent only
0.16% of workforce

10. What does QLD Treasury look like?
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
0-4 Yrs 5-9 Yrs 10-14 Yrs 15-19 Yrs 20-24 Yrs 25-29 Yrs 30-39 Yrs 40+ Yrs
Generations by public service tenure
Millennials
Gen X
Baby Boomers
Matures

11. What does QLD Treasury look like?
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
F M
Generations by gender
Millennials
Gen X
Baby Boomers
Matures

12. What does QLD Treasury look like?
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Generations by classification
Millennials
Gen X
Baby Boomers
Matures

13. Different views of the world

14. Work culture preferences

15. The new ways of working will almost certainly demand and involve new skills,
knowledge and attributes.
• Questions for leaders:
̶ How are you embracing change and leading others?
̶ What investment are you making in reskilling yourself for this changing
way of working?
̶ Are your priorities and actions future-focussed?
Leading in the new world of work

16. Leading an age-diverse workforce
• Intentional approach = productivity, results.
• Tailor rewards, then empower managers.
• Flexible work arrangements.
• Intergenerational teaming and learning.
• Succession planning.

17. QLD Treasury’s generational challenges
• Managing talent pipeline – ‘shifting and gifting’ at senior levels to create
space.
̶ Promote ‘high potentials’ quicker through non-linear opportunities.
• Managing knowledge - capture boomers’ knowledge better
̶ Constantly fighting the ‘tyranny of the expert’.
• Collaborative culture which recognises and values learning – reward and
recognise behaviours which strengthen collective responsibility
̶ Information readily shared, data more widely available

18. Impacts on talent pipelines
Millennials ready to lead, but many boomers have delayed retirement.
• Gen Xers and Millennials stuck in pipeline.
As more boomers start to retire, not enough Gen Xers to take over
• Millennials filling high-level roles quicker than expected.
Need to put more intent into developing millennials for leadership.
• Give them breadth and depth of experience.
More engagement? Leverage, not segment, the multi-gen workforce.
• One of the best ways is through formal mentoring.

19. Better talent management required
Much more than ready and available talent:
• Need strong, long-term succession management, shared openly
with employees.
• Old way – hierarchy of jobs, linear career progression.
• New way – non-linear. Focus on talent assessment: “Who is most
ready for the job?”
• Emphasise behaviour in line with cultural pillars, as much as
deliverables.

20. Clash points
Performance management and feedback
• Matures: No news is good news
• Boomer: Feedback once a year, with lots of documentation
• Gen X: Sorry to interrupt, but how am I doing?
• Millennials: Feedback whenever I want at the push of a button

21. Clash points
Career perspective
• Matures: Build a legacy
• Boomer: Build a stellar career
• Gen X: Build a portable career
• Millennials: Build parallel careers
Work life balance
• Matures: Support me in shifting the balance
• Boomer: Help me balance everyone else and find meaning myself
• Gen X: Give me balance now, not when I’m 65
• Millennials: Give me flexibility to balance all my activities

22. • How do we attract quickly and retain top talent?
• How do we provide alternative working solutions to meet
diverse needs?
• How do we engage and motivate people to give their best
every day?
It’s time to design a better employee experience

23. Strategic Response 1 – flexible work options
• Career breaks, job sharing, leave (special, emergent/compassionate, carers,
parental, long service), accrued days off, part-time, purchased leave,
telecommuting, phased retirement, spread of hours.
• Committed to flexible environment, fair, reasonable, eliminating discrimination
based on family responsibilities
• Employees still have same career opportunities, training,
information, dissemination, consultative opportunities.
Individuals’ circumstances are all different, and
these change over time.
Trust and accountability are key to success.

24. Motivating the generations
Generation X
• Lots of projects and challenges
• Independent work, creative thinking
• Frequent constructive feedback
• Time for other interests
• Reward on results/merit, not on status/longevity
• Invest in current technologies

25. Strategic Response 2 – physical environment
Variety of age-related challenges
• Move to 1 William Street building
• Extensive consideration of technology, access, ergonomics
• Physical inclusions to best accommodate anticipated increase in age-
related challenges – mobility, visual, hearing impairments.

26. Strategic Response 3 – health & wellbeing
• Annual calendar of events promoting an inclusive and diverse
workforce
• Health checks – blood pressure, cholesterol, eye and skin – all ages.
• Corporate health insurance – employees and families.
• Free flu jabs
• Employee assistance program
Financial health
• Monthly seminars - topics for different generations: superannuation,
income insurance, transition to retirement, investment plans.

27. Strategic Response 4 – learning & development
Opportunities for all generations
• GRADStart – entry-level graduates and students
̶ internships, work placements
̶ close connections with Queensland universities.
• Scholarships – financial assistance, plus paid 12 week work placement
̶ focussing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation.
• People Matters Program – current and aspiring team leaders
̶ build people management capability
• Great Leaders Program – tailored, purpose-built leadership development
– growing talent from within, across all generations

28. Learning across the generations
Become a Learning Organisation:
• skilled at creating, acquiring, interpreting, transferring,
retaining knowledge, then modifying behaviour to reflect
new knowledge
• establish multi-generational project teams
Which is better: train the employee and have them leave, or have an
untrained employee?
• better to have employees trained, with supervisors and mentors
dedicated to talking to employees about their performance

29. Motivating the generations
Millennials
• Know their personal goals & align them with work goals
• Mentor programs — they expect “adults” to take interest in them
• Venues for personal and professional development
• Let them work with bright, creative people
• Opportunities to “sit at the table”
• Recognise that community service is important

30. Strategic Response 5 – achievement & development
plans
• Articulating what great performance looks like, and why.
• Ensure project work is aligned to Agency Excellence reform agenda.
• Less about retrospective assessment, more about increasing
performance and engagement year on year.
• Focus on aspirational development – building the capability we need
for the future.
• Great People capability system – self-assess across 9 capabilities,
take action to grow our skills.

31. Motivating the generations
Mature workers
• Personal touch: handwritten notes, face to face, etc.
• Time to socialise between tasks
• Symbolic and “official” artefacts of achievement
Boomers
• Public recognition, professional accolades
• Ask for input, get their consensus
• Reward work ethic and long hours
• Show them they’re valued and needed!

32. Strategic Response 6 - internal communication
• To meet needs of the multi-gen workforce, be aware of communication preferences
and use of technology. Ensure a variety of channels are used.
• Use the changing workforce to drive collaboration – technology can give all employees
a voice and a virtual space to interact.
• Use mobile platforms to easily share information across all generations.

33.  Visible leadership, values champions
 Leaders who adapt to a changing environment
 Integrated people analytics and metrics
 Build the right capability to drive performance into the future
 Keep the focus on strategic investment in human capital
 Active learning and knowledge sharing
What role will you play to create the future?
Final thoughts - leading and engaging through
transformation

34. • What questions or comments do you have?
• Enjoy the remainder of the conference and safe travels!
Thank you for the opportunity to share our journey