Ever noticed that your friendship group tends to be made up of people who are a lot like you? Your mates are around the same age, have the same political affiliations, might even look alike… It’s nothing ill-intentioned. Humans tend to favour the familiar. We’re drawn towards people that remind us of ourselves. 

That, of course, extends to the world of work, and especially so when it comes to age. Take a look around your office and you’ll likely notice certain generations flocking together. You’re not imagining it: new research from LinkedIn suggests that we’re falling into generational echo chambers at work, with one in five Gen Z workers reporting that they haven’t had a single direct conversation with someone over 50 in their workplace in the last year. 

As we say, there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with hanging out with people in your age group, but when we slip into these echo chambers there’s a real risk of missing out on the wealth of knowledge, experience and perspective that coworkers in different age groups can offer. The research found that this issue goes both ways, with 40% of those over 55 saying they hadn’t spoken to a Gen Z colleague in the past year, despite 74% of all professionals agreeing they could learn a lot from other generations. 

It’s clear we’re feeling this lack of inter-generational chat, but that we aren’t entirely sure how to make it happen. The research found that 64% of Gen Z want companies to do more to encourage and foster intergenerational workforces, and 17% of workers say they don’t know how to approach colleagues of other age groups. 

How do we navigate this? How do we start to best use the viewpoints of different generations in the world of work? LinkedIn’s career expert Charlotte Davies has some tips:

Seek opportunities to communicate with other generations

“Leave your preconceptions at the door and encourage yourself to engage with other generations in the workplace,” advises Davies. “Actively listening to colleagues outside of your cohort can help to avoid assumptions about different generations and their attitudes to work, build trust and rapport and allow you to learn from each other’s experiences.”

Find a mentor

Davies suggests: “Consider asking your manager for a mentor from an older generation. A good mentor can further your professional growth by helping you develop specific skills, set career goals and connect you to people and opportunities. Mentoring can help bridge generational differences in the workplace and help generations who are decades apart better understand each other. More experienced professionals should also consider reverse mentoring to connect with younger generations. Take a look at Reverse Mentorship Essentials for helpful tips.”

Lean into your online professional network for support

Don’t stress if your office doesn’t offer many opportunities to talk to people older and younger than you. Online, your network can be much broader. “Tap into your LinkedIn community for career know-how and advice on growing your career by building connections and following people you want to learn from,” suggests Davies.  

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Images: Getty