Grooming future leaders

Research from human resources consulting firm DBM shows that companies should do more to groom younger workers for senior leadership roles.

DBM, which is now part of The Thomson Corp., questioned about 200 human resource professionals throughout the country.  The survey found that 94% of those polled feel their organizations have not adequately prepared younger generations to step into senior leadership positions.

A full 40% of HR pros said their companies were unsuccessful in encouraging the collaboration of younger and older generations in the workplace. Big companies of more than 5,000 employees were more likely than midsize firms or small companies of less than 500 employees to encourage collaboration of multi-generation workers.

Organizations need to act now to prepare for the roughly 60 million Baby Boomers who will be retiring over the next 15 years. “Fostering interaction between the younger and older workforces within a company is a necessary step in preparing younger workers for senior leadership roles while preserving valuable institutional memory,” DBM President Tom Silveri says.

Some of the strategies these companies should consider include:

* Educate employees of different age groups on what each contributes to the work environment and corporate goals.

* Let workers of all ages recognize their transferable skills and seek opportunities within the company before taking their knowledge and experience elsewhere.

* Implement a mentoring program.

* Encourage employees of all ages to network across generations and form internal and external connections.

For more information about DBM, go to www.dbm.com