Gen Z and baby boomers: a dream team?

"O.k., boomers!" is often heard derisively from Generation Z and the millennials. That sounds more like a conflict than a dream team. So how and where do the young and the old fit together? Where many people don't expect it: At work. We explain why, and what this means for companies.

It is well known that baby boomers are gradually retiring. But what is new is that more and more of them want to continue working. Why? There are many reasons, but the main one is: Staying professionally active, passing on knowledge, having a purpose, feeling needed, earning something extra.

But hardly any of the older people who are willing to work are looking for a new full-time job. Why should they? Enjoying a bit of retirement, spending time with friends, doing sports, traveling - that's what it's all about. And thanks to the (still) generous Swiss pension, most senior citizens are more concerned with the cause than the money when looking for a job.

So it should be a part-time position. The spectrum is wide, ranging from 10 percent to 80 percent, from regularly every week or as a full-time project for three months. An ad interim management position or a stand-in position if required. A few hours to prepare the annual accounts for an SME or on a commission basis in telesales. On site or from home, preferably with free time management so that the work does not clash with leisure plans. And in such a way that you can have an exchange with nice colleagues in the office as well as the peace and quiet of your own desk in the home office.

If you take a closer look at the desired job models, there are surprisingly many similarities with what Gen Z also wants: work from anywhere, at self-determined times, and please not full-time. In other words, a maximally flexible, hybrid and modular working model, as demanded by the advocates of "New Work". Generation Z has better things to do than subordinate their lives entirely to the dictates of work. It's about work-life balance and the fight against climate change, about purpose and personal freedom.

Companies need to adapt

The tried-and-tested, outdated full-time model that the majority of companies live by and propagate is therefore being nibbled at from two sides: from below by the younger generation and from above by the older generation. It is probably only a matter of time before the world of work has to change and declare the modular working models of New Work the new standard. A brave new world of work in which everyone can arrange their own times, workloads and locations to suit them best.

Companies are under pressure to act. There is already a shortage of staff everywhere, fueled by the demographic change of an ageing society and the current post-pandemic economic frenzy around the world. The labor market in Switzerland and abroad is virtually empty, in almost all sectors and at all levels. There is hardly a recruiter who is not complaining about simply not being able to find suitable employees. In such a situation, it seems only logical to adapt to the changing needs of regular employees and to work with other groups (retirees).

Intergenerational teams

One full-time position becomes three part-time positions - in job sharing models or simply with different tasks. This will become just as important in the future as outsourcing work to freelancers (keyword: gig economy) and short-term assignments for substitutes and temporary workers. Employees who are not "stuck" in a 100% full-time position and are only available with a long lead time are particularly valuable here. It is quite clear that all of this is a challenge for the organization of work in companies. But "business as usual" simply won't work.

But such a reorganization has even more advantages for companies. It has been scientifically proven that when young and old move closer together and cross-generational teams become the norm, the output of the teams also improves. The more diverse the teams, the better the results. And in times when D&I initiatives are becoming increasingly important, excluding the elderly is definitely "out".