93% require new skills that their employees do not have and 77% do not find it easy to find these profiles outside

MADRID, 27 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

55% of Spanish companies perceive generational coexistence problems in their workforces, mainly due to the existing digital divide between young employees and older ones, according to the report 'The challenge of generational diversity in companies', prepared by auditing and consulting firm Grant Thornton.

Among the businessmen who detect intergenerational problems, 56% relate them to the digital divide, while 42% have identified some minor problem directly linked to generational diversity and only 2% claim to have seen serious problems in this regard. .

Nearly seven in ten managers are quite concerned about these issues and 14% are very concerned, with more than half (56%) believing that getting younger and older employees to work together is essential to success. company development.

41% consider it decisive for the strength of the workforce and 6% think that it affects the work environment.

The report, based on studies from different foundations and academic institutions, data and reports from public sources and a survey of CEOs, general managers and Human Resources directors throughout Spain, highlights the complexity of managing generational diversity in workforces.

Above all, at a time when the representation of senior profiles is increasingly broad and there is a lack of young talent to fill certain positions linked to digitization.

In addition, in Spain, with 19% of the population over 65 years of age, there is a demographic aging that affects the labor market.

The president of Grant Thornton, Ramón Galcerán, explained that "the coexistence of four different generations in the same space requires generational diversity management that companies and managers already identify as determining factors in the immediate future".

"Working for the sake of promoting diversity in all the workforces increases the performance of the teams and ends up having a positive impact on the business," he added.

84% of managers and talent experts say they have implemented measures to address the challenge of generational diversity, and 76% of those who have not yet done so say they will do so in the future.

These measures include the creation of environments that promote intergenerational relationships (38%), mentoring and coaching programs (38%), the execution of a generational diversity plan (35%), the improvement of training and the professional recycling ('upskilling' and 'reskilling') (33%), reconciliation policies (28%), variable remuneration for generational diversity objectives (25%), salary evolution policies (24%) and the study of the four-day shift (17%).

When asked what is the biggest challenge they are facing, 23% of managers answered that it is breaking the digital divide and creating synergies between generations.

For 19%, the main challenge is to continuously motivate all generations of the workforce; for 17%, integration and coexistence between generations; for 14%, the management of young talent; and for 13%, the need to have continuous support and listening to detect different sensitivities among the groups (13%).

On the other hand, Grant Thornton's study analyzes the search for talent. 93% of those consulted consider that their business requires new skills that they cannot find among their employees, and 77% see it as difficult or very difficult to find the professional profiles they need in the market.

According to the report, this occurs due to a lack of coordination between the corporate sphere and higher education, which generates an increase in competition between companies when it comes to attracting and retaining talent.

Among the tools to correctly manage generational diversity and retain talent, the managing partner of Labor at Grant Thornton, Aurora Sanz, mentions the construction of a positive employer brand that is consistent with the labor reality, the inclusion of leadership at all levels in the commitment to generational diversity or specialized training for each of the four generations.

According to the experts consulted, the younger generations no longer give so much importance to stability, but instead consider professional careers in a more short-term way.

Companies, for their part, have to attract young talent with other elements apart from remuneration and incorporate issues such as labor flexibility, which "goes far beyond teleworking."

When hiring new profiles, human resources experts especially value worker flexibility (38%), adaptation to change (36%), creativity (35%), empathy and leadership (31%), digital skills and competencies (30%), proactivity (28%), the ability to manage teams with generational diversity (24%), global vision (22%), adaptation of communication (22%) and sense of smell to identify the intrinsic motivations of each person (11%).

To combine this need for profiles of new skills with proper management of generational diversity in the workforce, the experts are committed to 'upskilling' and 'reskilling' programmes, mainly aimed at senior talent, and with special focus on the skills that the precise company and not easily found in the market, such as digital and 'soft skills' or soft skills, as well as mentoring and 'coaching' programs.

Given the shortage of young talent, 38% of companies claim to be promoting training for their employees, and 30% say they are hiring new profiles.

They also resort to promoting well-being environments for the workforce (27%), talent retention and commitment (27%) and internal coaching and mentoring programs.

Likewise, they try to reinforce an inclusive culture (23%), generate a more attractive employer brand (22%), create careers and a professional progression adapted to personal motivations (18%), improve relations with conflict resolution policies ( 17%) and guarantee the psychological safety of the teams (13%).