Generation Alpha Omega
When you spend your life looking for ways to help unite the personality of organisations – their vision, purpose, values – with the people that work there and the physical place, you become fascinated by what you see and uncover.
Over the last couple of years we have identified that there are more generations at work than ever before. Better health and life expectancy all over the world is improving. The population of the world has grown significantly from the 1950s to today. What happens now is going to have a dramatic effect on the workplace towards 2050. How will different generations be encouraged and facilitated in working together?
We use a process to help leaders understand where we are today, it shows the enormity of the cultures at work together in 2020. But time is ever moving on. Everyone understands Gen Y, X and Z but these highlight differences creating divisions. We need unity, togetherness, boundaries not barriers. Business leaders will steal a greater advantage if they embrace all generations, a beginning to end Alpha Omega thinking.
Pyramid to house effect
Let's show you some statistics to help get our heads around what’s going to happen over the next 20-30 years.
Look at these three age profiling charts for the whole world. The left hand chart looks like a pyramid, but look how it changes and fills out becoming more of a house. From 1950 to 2050 the amount of people alive increases dramatically.
This supports the theory that generations at work are radically growing and having an impact on the workplace. At present we are seeing the need for greater working together between the generations. This does not feature on the radar of many companies at present. As we move towards 2050 the broader Generation Alpha Omega at work will quickly become the norm. This is something workplace owners, creators and managers need to wrestle with today if they are going to successfully build for the future.
Grandmother as CEO
Now look at the same charts below but this time for Europe and two things stick out even more. Look to the last chart on the right and on the female side. There’s a dramatic increase in older women, hence your boss is likely to be an older woman. These are statistics from the United Nations profiling of ageing from 2019. They give us a valuable insight in what we need to do today to remain successful in the future.
If your business is to remain full of life, excitement, productivity, vision and profit then these enlightenments are valuable. What can we do differently today to engage the generations, to embrace diversity, to create unity?
It’s easy to respond to todays needs, financial pressures, public and cultural norms. We do need to step forwards from where we are. But if we are to future proof large investments, building for the future needs to consider the seismic step our world is about to take.
Not as isolated as you think
One more thing. We are constantly told – that we are living in isolating times. Technology has released us, but also put us on our now individual islands, we are more connected but live behind closed doors. Well here’s another statistic that says the opposite and supports a more positive outlook of Generation Alpha and Omega.
Across the 28 countries in the EU the share of young people aged 16-29 living with their parents in 2017 was 68.2 %
In the UK in 2018 a quarter of those between the ages of 20 and 34 were still living in the family home, this figure increased by a 1 million from 2.4 million in 2003 to 3.4 million in 2018
Now these figures are affected by things like house prices but they may also be a sign of families finding new ways to embrace life. Whatever the reason generations are finding themselves together again and that points towards greater opportunities being established as families and extended families embracing life together.
Alpha Omega are the first and last letters in the greek alphabet. Instead of creating differences between generations there may lie an opportunity in the workplace of the future to include everyone – from the youngest to the oldest.
Generation Alpha Omega.
To find out more ask a RAW Brothers
Source: United Nations
