Balance is essential in every area of life. Give a plant nutritious soil and regular watering, but limit access to sunlight, and it will grow weak and sickly. Expose it to the sun, but water it once a week and it will probably dry out. 

The same thing happens in software companies with a homogenous workforce. Oftentimes, the young, easy-going, technologically savvy Gen Z lacks the perseverance, stability, and logical thinking of Baby Boomers. And independent, leadership-minded Generation X can often learn cooperation skills from the Millennials. The absence of age-diversity in your staff often leads to the stagnation of a particular area of work and slow business development. 

A multigenerational workforce, on the other hand, has a wide spectrum of business traits needed for growth and thriving: a scoop of progress, a pinch of stability, a bunch of knowledge, experience, and motivation, etc. In fact, 89% of polled employees believe that generational diversity in the workplace is a net positive, according to a LiveCareer study. And 87% of respondents view it as a chance for different generations to learn from each other.

The question is: how can a SaaS leader attract talent from various generations? What are their main differences? What are their ideals and motivators to consider, and what should the employer avoid at all costs? In this blog post we’ll share the most effective tips to help our software community attract and retain multigenerational tech professionals.

Generational Theory

A generation is a group of people who were born in the same time period and grew up in similar conditions. People in these groups tend to share similar characteristics, preferences, and values with others in the same groups.

Generational Theory is a broad classification that shows where to start communicating and influencing people of different ages. There are great differences between generations, and to determine the candidate’s belonging to a particular group, it is important to know the years when each of them begins and ends.

Today’s workforce consists of 4 distinct generations:

1. Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. They are the oldest layer of the current workforce, between the ages of 58-77 years old, and nearing retirement.

2. Generation X were born between 1965 and 1980. Now they are between the ages of 42 and 58.

3.  Millennials (also known as Generation Y) were born between 1981 and 1996. They are between the ages of 26 and 42.

4. Generation Z were born between 1997 and 2012. The oldest workers are 25 years old at the moment.

Generations show similar characteristics such as communication style, shopping tastes, and motivational preferences as they were influenced by trends in roughly the same life stage and through similar channels (e.g., online, TV, mobile). Generational trends are most noticeable as people come of age. This means that members of a particular generation will share similar values, beliefs, and expectations.

It is important to remember that everyone is different on an individual level. But if  software leaders look at people through the prism of generations, they can get a useful sequence that will help them communicate, work, motivate and engage tech professionals of different ages.

Recruitment strategy for Baby Boomers

The Baby Boomer generation has been in the labor market for more than half of the century. Although 10,000 boomers reach retirement age every day, 65% of them plan to work past age 65, according to a Pew Research survey.

The Baby Boomer generation refers to a group of people born right after World War II and shaped by the Vietnam War, civil rights movement, and Watergate. The homecoming of soldiers, along with economic success in the late 40s-50s, resulted in a significant rise in births called “baby boom”.

Boomers entered the workforce at a time when there was more competition for employment than ever before due to the massive increase in the working-age population. The result was a workforce full of determined, competitive, and goal-oriented young adults who perceive their job as a source of personal pride. This group has commonly been labeled “workaholics” due to their steadfast devotion to their companies.

How to attract and retain Baby Boomers

• Don’t reject traditions

Boomers prefer the traditional hiring process, including formal resumes and in-person interviews. They use old but reliable ways to find a job, like word of mouth, recommendations, or ads. The software employer won’t go wrong if they choose conservative public ceremonies and awards as recognition methods for this generation.

• Maintain workplace visibility

Older workers are less inclined to take advantage of remote work opportunities. They want their boss to know that they are reliable professionals who put in long hours till the clock strikes five every day. Besides, baby boomers place a premium on how they look in the workplace. They may reject the absence of the dress code since they wore suits all their lives.

• Recognize their achievements

Baby boomers are the most loyal generation of all the current ones. They are willing to give their all to one company for years, going the extra mile out of a sense of duty, even if no one asked them to. Public recognition of accomplishments will increase your chances of keeping boomers on board.

• Develop a culture that welcomes aged workers

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act safeguards workers over the age of 40 against any kind of discrimination in the workplace, including subtle or overt ageism. Your tech personnel, regardless of age, need regular support and mentorship, opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge, and recognition for their efforts.

Recruitment strategy for Generation X 

In a world so preoccupied with millennials and baby boomers, Generation X can be assigned the forgotten “middle child” status. The original name for this generation was “Gen Bust” because the birth rate was very low during that time. The X-gen was formed under the influence of the AIDs epidemic, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dot-com boom, and constantly busy parents, which made them independent but with a hint of skepticism about their parents’ “over-commitment” to their jobs.

Most X-ers are in the mid-range right now and moving confidently toward top positions. They are proud of their individuality and entrepreneurial spirit, fully integrated into the labor market, pay their own taxes and work to build and improve their careers. According to the Deloitte survey, 55% of modern companies’ founders are members of Generation X.

How to attract and retain X-ers

• Do not push with reports and restrictions

Generation X is known for their organizational skills. They know how to handle stress and get the job done on time. Managers who require constant reporting can demotivate their X-employees. Of course, there are some activities that require constant monitoring, but this is an exception. Not the rule. Remember, Generation X members are independent and autonomous.

• Give them challenges

X-ers are highly adaptable. This allows its members to work even in very technology-dependent environments. They love challenges. Their work ethic allows them to perform well in difficult situations. They can start a new project in an unexplored field from scratch and bring it to the end in ease, so feel free to challenge them with more complicated tasks.

• Flexible schedule

Generation X strives for a good work-life balance. Remember that X-ers grew up watching their parents constantly work to move up the corporate ladder. The ability to balance work and personal life without sacrificing the second one is a vital point to keep in mind when it comes to employee engagement and retention.

• Career opportunities

X-ers are more likely to leave the company if they don’t see room for growth. Gen-X members have a unique set of entrepreneurs and management skills that you can use for your software business, from project management to building companies. Note that the older members of the generation will still work for about 10+ years, and the younger ones for 30+. This means that your X-employees will be of great importance to the IT organization for quite some time, and you should do all you can to keep them within the company

Recruitment strategy for Millennials

Starting from 2018, millennials became the largest generation in the U.S. workforce; 75% of the U.S. workforce will be millennials by 2025. Shaped by the Columbine shooting, 9/11 and technology, millennials grew up in a rapidly changing and highly competitive world.

Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are diverse and highly educated. They are fast learners, technically savvy, seek for new knowledge and constantly receive a large amount of information. Aside from diversity, Gallup’s State of the American Workplace Report found 87% of millennials rated professional career growth as important at their job. Unlike X-ers, millennials are not willing to wait for years for promotion – they want to achieve success as quickly as possible.

How to attract and retain Millennials

• Pay attention to teamwork

One of the changes in education during the time millennials were going to school was an increased emphasis on teamwork and group projects. From elementary to high school, it was common for people of this generation to perform tasks in a team. A software employer should create friendly, collaborative teams in which interrelated tasks are distributed. It will help unlock the potential of millennials and make them feel more comfortable.

• Build a strong company culture

Corporate culture and workplace ethics are essential to this age group. Millennials prefer to work in reliable, diverse organizations with great reputation. They thrive on social interaction and a robust internal culture. Team building events will play into your hands in retention of millennial tech talent.

• Provide modern benefits

High payment rate and interesting perks are not a secondary point for Y-employees. They are not fond of strict rules and working 9-to-5 “banker’s” hours. This generation is drawn to flexible schedules, WFM opportunities, gym memberships, free meals, healthcare insurance, on-site daycare, as well as flexible PTO and monetary gifts. 

• Don’t let them grow bored

We hear about workspace improvements and new bonuses and perks all the time, but Millennials also need a purpose. If you really want your gen-Y tech professionals to achieve and thrive, let them improve their skills. Don’t limit yourself to a set of tasks – instead, set new challenges, give them unique work experiences, making sure to note why it matters to the SaaS company and how their success will impact the big picture.

Recruitment strategy for Generation Z

Generation Z prefers to “google” rather than memorize – they are the most progressive, knowledgeable, and versatile personalities. Members of this generation have created so many new professions over the past 20 years, the essence of which can hardly be understood by representatives of older age-groups: bloggers, Tik-Tokers, SMM managers, story managers, unique programming language developers, personal growth coaches and many others.

Also known as Centennials, many of them are fluent in 2-3 languages. They are horrified by the phrase “I do not know a foreign language and do not think that I may ever need it.” Z-ers believe that discrimination should be taboo in both the working environment and media. They are quite optimistic and very concerned about their personal ambitions.

How to attract and retain Generation Z

• Give them freedom

Generation Z is looking for more freedom to create and inspire. It is more interested in creating its own unique content and will work for startups that give them the opportunity to innovate. Moreover, offering classical 9-to-5 terms will likely scare away prospective gen-Z tech professionals. They just can’t understand the need to spend the whole day in the office when there is an opportunity to work remotely and always stay in touch.

• Social media is a key

According to a Goldman Sachs report, Generation Z spends about 10 hours online each day and loves to stay connected. They need to feel connected not only with their friends and colleagues but also with the rest of the world. Companies that hope to attract the best talent from Gen-Z must find a way to use social networks for this purpose while improving the software company website, online-branding and social media activity.

• Let them change the world

Employees in Generation Z tend to show a strong interest in climate change, global humanitarian problems, charity and are more likely to agree to work in companies that share the ideas of caring for nature and people in need. Unlike millennials, they strive to reduce the consumption process and create hundreds of projects every day that are beneficial and have a social mission. SaaS and AI employers can use this hint to kill two birds with one stone: strengthen company reputation and attract zoomers.

Even an ideal recruitment strategy for one generation may be completely ineffective for another. If you’d like to fine-tune your recruitment strategy based on the values, needs and management style of the candidate’s age group, feel free to contact me or my team at Snap Talent International. We’re here to help your software company hire your perfect matches across all the diverse generational candidate pools.