A Multigenerational and Age Community is bridging generational divides and promoting age inclusivity in the workplace, explains Kate Newport from Novuna.

Our Multigenerational and Age Community is under the leadership of Andy Dodd who, as part of a diversity leadership council member role, will ensure that we bring our entry-level talent (16–24-year-olds) in line with UK working population demographics.

Based on UK demographics, around 11% of your workforce should be 16–24-year-old. At Novuna we are currently at 9% and on our way to build up that extra 2%.

Our community acknowledges that age diversity is often overlooked, even though modern workforces may encompass up to five generations simultaneously.

Each generation brings unique perspectives, aspirations, skills, and experiences. The Age Community aims to leverage these differences to drive innovation and cross-generational collaboration.

The Multigenerational and Age Community

In the beginning stages of formation, our community has focused its efforts on relationship building across generations and electing an age-related charity partner.

Members have also begun developing strategies to raise awareness of age-related biases and challenges. For example, the community plans to conduct an anonymous survey to the business on attitudes toward age. This survey will be conducted by gathering questions as a community and sending out the survey to the wider business. The analysis will then be based off the responses we receive; looking into where we can make a difference at Novuna.

The community also plans to explore reverse mentoring programmes to foster intergenerational learning to complement the already in place mentoring programmes at Novuna.

Reverse mentoring allows individuals of different ages come to together to collaborate and mentor each other. For example, a younger person teaching someone of an older generation how to use social media.

The community meets once a month on an hour-long video call to discuss current affairs and progress on the community plans as discussed above. The meeting is recorded for those unable to attend on that week, plus a community member will take meeting notes so a summary can be sent out following the meeting. This benefits the community by allowing them to see the progress on community plans and goals.

Additional to the monthly meeting, Teams is used for communication and updates on progress throughout the month. For example, I posted the draft copy of this blog post to get feedback from the whole community.

Community success

Early feedback on the community has been overwhelmingly positive. Participation in launch events was high, reflecting strong engagement across generations.

Members have started defining an agenda focused on continued community growth, education, and accountability in age-inclusive practices.

Moving forward, the Age Community will partner with Re-engage, a charity reducing loneliness among older adults through intergenerational friendship and shared experiences. This aligns with the community’s goals of bridging generational divides.

In time, the Age Community strives to represent a proactive investment in age diversity, equity, and inclusion. Its success will depend on sustained commitment from leadership to help drive forward the community’s strategy.

A genuinely inclusive culture that taps into the strengths of all generations is imperative for innovation and will determine whether Novuna can attract and retain top talent across the age spectrum.

This community is laying the foundation for Novuna to lead in embracing age diversity which is not only a goal but a commitment to a more inclusive workplace.

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