Get past age discrimination via these cool employee engagement activities
In next 5 years , India would see a cohort of 2 generations dominating the workforce with almost two-third of Millennials and the rest contributed by Gen Z.
Today India is one of the youngest countries in the world with more than 900 million people in the working age group (15-59 years). With in this we would predominantly find 3 generations working together :
- Gen X (born in mid 60s till end of 70s)
- Gen Y or Millennials (born in early 80s till mid 90s)
- Gen Z ( born mid 90s onwards)
Each generation has its own unique behaviours , characteristics , beliefs which are built on social & cultural dynamics of respective times. Each of these generations would have a different approach towards work and also different expectations from organisations.
So it is important for HR to strike a balance among all generations while putting together employee engagement plans for the organisation. The balance could be ideally maintained by taking care of interests of different generations through a variety of employee engagement activities. Here’s some insights on type of employee engagement activities which will help HR professionals to make their engagement calendar cover all generations :-
Tech Integrated Activities
Millennials are born with technology at their disposal. They are very much comfortable with tech based systems, can adapt easily and also get excited with innovative concepts. This characteristic also resonates with Gen Z. This makes some of new age concepts in virtual employee engagement like ESCAPE ROOM/ or platform driven game shows like Inside Out, One Vision, Geoquest, Guesstimate a very engaging proposition for them. Exciting storylines like CEO’s Abduction, National Treasure Recovery, The Last Cup, New Year’s Eve, The Last Piece give different theme options and competitive levels to engage both Gen Y and Gen Z working population. Also physical engagement activities with integration of tech systems also see good participation from folks of both these generations. Activities like Virtual Reality games , Murder Mystery, Augmented Reality Phot booths are some examples of popular employee engagement activities.
Competitive Activities
Since childhood millennials have been exposed to a competitive ecosystem where they have to rise above the ranks to achieve anything. So there is always a fondness for competitive activities or a much larger participation. Some of the new age concepts like Laser Tag , Paintball , Office roadies ,or tech enabled activities like Geohunt etc are very popular among Gen Y. Because of their fast paced and competitive nature , these kinds of activities are also liked and much participated by Gen Z also.
Live Entertainment
Gen Z is growing in the age where content consumption is much easier and people have access to different types of interesting content. This Gen has fondness for content driven engagement and is much appreciated. So live entertainment options like Stand Up Comedians are very popular among this generation. Alongside other performers like Illusionist , Reality show finalists , You tube performers , hip hop dance performers etc. are also liked by this generation. For Millennials, stand up comedy is popular , but they also have a liking towards Live Band Performances / Concerts by celebrity singers / Live acts by theatre artists / magicians or Bollywood dance troups.
Family Connect
This has been the pillar of strength for Gen X. They have grown up with families and strongly believe in family to be an extended part of the Organization. There need for occasions like Family day / kids@work at least once a year is very much important and keeps the connection with all members. This generation also likes to give it back to society and can be found more involved in Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. So including CSR programs like Bicycle making / Shoe Painting / Wheel chair making as part of your engagement calendar could be a good tick box to do.
Motivational Speakers
No doubt , motivational speaker is a great way to do meaningful employee engagement and especially in the post covid world it’s importance has further amplified. Because of different characteristics each generation has its own pattern towards type of speakers preferences. While Gen X prefer Industry experts , Specialized trainers etc, millennials have a liking towards experts from different fields like sports / war veterans / diversity champions / shark tank judges / Bollywood etc. Gen Z is a one step further with preferences for experts like social media influencers or internet celebrities and like to hear from them.
Office Fun
While millennials like an inclusive workplace, focus on diversity, fun @ work etc so their preference is generally for Cafeteria based employee engagement activities like Funtastic Friday, In-office Fiesta, Drum Jam, etc. Gen Z has a liking for Work life balance and preferably quick employee engagement activities which can be done on floors. So Gen Z prefers activities like Minute to Win it / Gully cricket / Floor games or even activities like Office DJ party is also very popular.
Wellness / Sports
One common touch point across all generations is increased attention towards Wellness. Wellness driven activities as part of employee engagement calendar would see participation from all generations. Be it sessions on mental health , yoga , aerobics , ergonomics etc it is liked and participated by employees across all generations.
Above are some top of the line suggestions to strike the balance across all generations. This composition also depends on % distribution across all generations, average age in the organisation, culture etc. so if you are looking to develop an employee engagement calendar for a diverse workforce, do visit engage4more.com to access the widest collection of employee engagement activities and book it with a single click.
