02.12.2024 Christin Müller 4260

IKEA: "Generation management is basic knowledge"

Sybille Räther is HR Manager at IKEA in Walldorf. At the beginning of the year, she completed training to become a generation manager at pme Familienservice. In this interview, the HR expert explains how she benefited from the training and why she considers generation management to be part of basic HR knowledge.

Ms Räther, you completed further training to become a generation manager with the pme Familienservice . What was the impetus for this?

Sybille Räther: I looked at our company's KPIs and worked out how many people we employ in which age segments. We actually map everything - with different weightings, of course. And then I kept coming across the same questions: Why are there sometimes conflicts between people who work here? Why are the expectations different?

I questioned whether this has something to do with cultural or social backgrounds - but perhaps also with the values that people in their generation grew up with. Many baby boomers who are now retiring, for example, have worked with completely different values in the world of work and sometimes expect this from much younger people. In extreme cases, there is a lot of potential for friction.

But we're not just talking about baby boomers and Gen Z, but about the many people in between. That's why I found it very interesting when pme Familienservice offered the Generation Manager training course last year alongside lectures on the topic.

What did you like most about the Generation Manager training course?

What I find exciting about this format is that you can think outside the box, as you work in a small group with other people from other companies and get to know different perspectives and ideas. The mix of different companies is also great. There are not only people from large companies, but also from small businesses. This means that the employers have very different perspectives in the background.

Are there problematic situations between younger and older colleagues in your company or are you more personally interested in the topic of generations?

It's both - although generation management has now also become an area of interest for me. I am interested in the following questions: How do you lead people? What background knowledge do our managers need? What expectations does someone who is 50 years old have of their manager? And what are the expectations of someone who is 18 and perhaps starting an apprenticeship with us? And finally: How do we manage to position ourselves as an employer on the labor market? IKEA is a very modern, open company. But we also have to keep looking at how we can remain attractive.

From the job advertisement and the recruitment process to the onboarding process - the findings from generation management also help us with all of this.

What did the training do for you personally?

I took away the realization that every generation brings something positive with it on the one hand, but also demands and expectations on the other. And, of course, answers to the question of how we can meet everyone's needs in a large company despite these different demands.

Above all, however, it has also given me insights into how the different qualities that each generation segment brings with it can be used to make everyday life a little better for everyone.
Baby boomers have a lot of enthusiasm for work. They are very performance-oriented and prefer to work more hours, but then they also know that the work is done!

At the other extreme is Gen Z, who are not prepared to work 70 hours a week because leisure time is very important to them. They still enjoy working well, but they contribute in a different way. They may be ahead of the game when it comes to digitalization and can make an important contribution by supporting older or less digitally savvy people so that they can make better use of digitalization in their workplace.

Has the topic of generation management already gained a foothold at IKEA?

This year, we deliberately focused on how we can be more attractive to young people on the job market, including trainees. In addition to an apprentice employer branding campaign by IKEA National, we looked at how applicants experience the people they come into contact with at IKEA.

We have brought our two youngest managers, who are more in line with the age group of junior staff, into conversation with the trainees - as real models of success, so to speak. The younger managers have a different demeanor and sometimes a different language. With their help, we can authentically show that it is also possible for others to take on such a role shortly after their training.

Do you also have programs for older colleagues?

This financial year, we are also focusing on the topic of digitalization - for everyone. This is not just a baby boomer issue; digitalization is an important customer requirement. Today's customers want to make their shopping process much more digital. It starts at home with the IKEA app. They might fill out a wish list, then come to our store and want to continue to edit this wish list digitally during the shopping process and pay via the app at the end.

To achieve this, we need to train our employees' digital skills so that they can use our digital tools in-house and also support customers in the purchasing process.

When different generations come together, this poses a number of challenges for HR

Are there also employees who refuse to embrace digitalization?

There are people who have a great deal of respect for digital tools and inhibitions from the outset because they think they are too slow. That's why we have buddies in every department: The more digitally savvy team members show their less experienced colleagues the little tricks of the trade and at the same time give them the feeling that they can do it together.

But the buddies are not always mixed-age?

Yes, exactly, in generation management we usually talk about statistical types. But there are certainly also 65-year-olds who are digitally savvy and 30-year-olds who are not so keen on technology. That's why we simply look to see who would like to support a buddy in the area of digitalization.

Is there something that connects the generations in the company?

One of the biggest lessons learned from generation management training is the expectations that employees have of leadership. This applies to all generations. Everyone is individual and has different experiences.

But in principle, communication and appreciation are important across all generations. Every employee wants to receive recognition from their manager for good performance.

Do you offer the opportunity to work beyond retirement?

Yes, they do exist. If someone has the desire, we have a need and the employee is physically and mentally able to do the job, why not? For example, we have just taken on a pensioner to advise customers and it's going really well.

Depending on what job or activity people did before they retired, it may not be possible for everyone to continue working during retirement. Some are very happy that it's over then. In retail, 90 percent of our work is physical labor. The limit is often reached at retirement age or even before, when employees are no longer physically able to continue. Anyone who has ever shopped at IKEA on a Saturday can perhaps imagine that this can also be a mental strain for some employees.

Would you say that it is worthwhile dealing with the topic of generations in HR work?

100 percent. For me, generation management is now part of my basic knowledge. I wasn't so aware of that before my training. There were many aha moments during my training. There is a lot of expertise behind it, and I also thought it was very good how the training was prepared by pme. For example, a lot of scientific research results were included and we learned that many occupational psychologists and doctors, among others, deal with the topic. I found that very interesting.