Five generations now work side by side, creating both opportunity and tension. Drawing on insights from Oxford Elevate and Q5 workshops, this article explores how organisations can understand their culture, lead inclusively, and connect people through shared purpose to unlock collaboration, improve wellbeing, and enable the next generation to contribute and thrive.
Reading time: 5 minutes
Each year, Oxford Elevate hosts a one-day forum exploring key workplace topics – historically focused on Diversity & Inclusion. This year, the spotlight was on Gen Z and intergenerational dynamics.
The event brought together senior leaders, researchers, and practitioners for a day of evidence-led insights into the realities of today’s multigenerational workforce. As co-sponsors, Q5 designed and facilitated two interactive workshops, building on the lecture content and creating space for participants to share perspectives and practical insights.
In this article, we reflect on the day, the workshops we ran, and the key takeaways for organisations navigating an increasingly multigenerational workforce.
It was a pleasure to attend Oxford Elevate’s “Gen Z and Intergenerational Dynamics” event at the University of Oxford. The day featured a series of thought-provoking perspectives, including lectures by:
The day also featured a panel discussion exploring how organisations can navigate multigenerational dynamics in practice. The panel included Professor Banu Demir (University of Oxford), Mike Robinson (P&G), Charlotte Cutter (Arup), Rebecca Robins, Author of “Five Generations at Work: How We Win Together for Good”, and Q5’s Emilia Persson.
You can watch the full panel discussion below:
For the first time, five generations are working side by side. This presents a significant opportunity: organisations can tap into a rich diversity of perspectives, skills, knowledge, and experience.
However, it also brings real challenges. Three common tensions include:
Organisations must actively navigate these dynamics to unlock the benefits that a multigenerational workforce presents.
Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) is the most educated generation to date – yet UK youth employment is at a 10-year low. Mental health is now the leading cause of long-term absence, with increasing disengagement from work among younger employees.
This has wide-reaching implications – not just for individuals, but for organisations and society as a whole.
Our two workshops were designed to build on the themes from the lectures and encourage participants to reflect on what these insights mean for their own organisations.
We explored questions such as:
Through facilitated discussion and targeted prompts, participants were encouraged to shift between perspectives and translate insight into practical action for their own contexts.
Drawing on the discussions from the day – as well as our experience supporting organisations over the past decade – we’ve captured three key considerations for those looking to make the most of a multigenerational workforce.
There is no “one size fits all”. Healthy organisations have cultures that are distinctive, reflecting their history, strategy, and context. Ergo, to design interventions that support a healthy organisational culture, organisations must first understand their current reality.
This requires a holistic and inclusive approach, considering both the “hard” and “soft” elements of culture, and actively listening to lived experiences across different age groups and roles.
In the context of a multigenerational workforce, this means exploring questions such as:
Inclusive leadership is foundational to building a culture that fully harnesses the benefits of diversity. Leaders shape the environment through what they do, say, prioritise, reward, and what they choose to ignore.
These signals directly influence whether people feel psychologically safe: able to speak up, contribute ideas, challenge constructively, and learn from mistakes.
When this is in place, it drives stronger engagement and collaboration, and enables organisations to tap into the full value of a diverse, multigenerational workforce.
This starts with self-awareness. Leaders should ask themselves:
A strong sense of shared purpose, values, and identity helps bridge generational differences and foster a culture of mutual respect. When people feel connected to something bigger than themselves, they are more motivated, collaborative, and engaged.
Importantly, this also fosters a sense of belonging and identity, which plays a key role in supporting mental health and well-being.
To enable this, organisations need to:
As organisations navigate an increasingly complex and multigenerational workforce, the opportunity is clear, but so is the challenge. Unlocking the benefits of diversity is not automatic; it requires deliberate effort.
What stood out from the day is that success does not come from quick fixes or one-size-fits-all solutions. It comes from understanding your culture, leading with intention, and creating the conditions for people to contribute, collaborate, and thrive.
If any of these themes resonate or present a challenge in your organisation, we would welcome a conversation. Get in touch with Stefania below to explore how we can help you navigate and unlock the potential of a multigenerational workforce.
Stefania Katafygioti
Senior Consultant | Multigenerational Workforce
by 