A new study indicates generational differences in the workplace may provide a business performance and employee satisfaction boost.
McDonald’s UK, which employs more than 110,000 people, found its employees are up to 10 percent happier — and customer satisfaction is improved — when people work with a cross-section of ages.
A separate census of 5,000 non-employees found that adults of all ages want to be part of a multigenerational workforce.
Fifty-eight percent told the fast food chain the opportunity to work with people of different ages was their top priority; more than half of 16-year-old respondents and respondents who were born between 1900 and 1964 ranked it as an important concern.
Seventy percent of people across all generations said they expect to work with people with different life experiences and world views.
Employing a multigenerational workforce also appears to have a positive effect on customer service. Eighty-four percent of a sample of McDonald’s customers said they like to see a mix of ages in the restaurant team.