Managers today are leading up to five generations at the same time. And that brings with it a new challenge: Poorly managed generational differences between employees can be damaging, resulting in age bias, negative impact on job attitudes, dysfunctional team dynamics, and even lower levels of overall job performance. Well-managed generational diversity has the potential to bring substantial benefits, ranging from knowledge transfer and mentoring to innovation and reduced turnover. It creates opportunities to develop something even more invaluable: intergenerational workplace friendships. Here’s how managers can help nurture these relationships:

• Dismantle stereotypes. Initiate discussions that dismantle generational stereotypes and mitigate age-based biases. When you hear a biased remark, ask, “Is that necessarily true?” and encourage others to do the same.
• Help suspend judgment: Coworkers of different generations may have learned different norms and ways of thinking about issues like communication, technology, work priority, and success. Rather than jumping to judge a difference as incorrect because it doesn’t align with your own, managers should encourage their teams to instead show curiosity about why that difference exists or where it might come from.
• Spotlight reciprocal benefits: Demonstrate what’s possible with different generations’ combined experiences and expertise. During a regular team catch-up, proactively set the stage by asking older and younger colleagues alike to share areas where they are hoping to upskill and develop, as well as asking who (regardless of age) would be interested in stepping up to provide that learning.
• Mix it up: Whether your employees work in the office or remotely, assess the potential for friendly and informal interaction. Create comfortable, communal work and community spaces that encourage those who may not have previously had the chance to cross paths to connect over a coffee break or strike up a conversation about their current work (and life) challenges.
• Emphasize shared purpose: Remind employees that they contribute to something greater than any specific age or generational group. While individually they might appear to have disjointed perspectives, but managers should challenge them to come together and combine their experiences and ideas to help the organization tackle tough challenges in new ways.