“This year’s Olympics are a powerful demonstration of the advantages that having a diverse, multi-skilled team can bring. Competitors at Rio span more than 50 years of age; the oldest is Julie Brougham, competing for New Zealand in dressage at the age of 62, while the youngest is 13 year old Gaurika Singh, a Nepalese swimmer. Each of these very different athletes has found their top strengths and the sports that best suit them. This varied mixture of athletes reflects the diversity of the modern workplace, where now it is common to see teams spanning four generations or more.
“Like athletes competing in a vast array of sports, having a diverse workforce ensures that a business contains a good mixture of skills and strengths. But like the best coaches, it’s vital that managers treat each employee as an individual, understanding what motivates them and how they can be best incentivised. Rather than generalising about people based on age, businesses must use tools that allow them to create highly individualised incentive schemes, based on objective data about how each worker is best motivated. That way, businesses can ensure that they get the best performance from everyone in the team.”
