3 Reasons Why You Don't Have to Mind A Franchise Generational Gap

In Canada today, it's a unique time for the workplace. According to Canadian Business, there are three generations at one time in the workforce, with Millennials now the largest group (http://www.canadianbusiness.com/innovation/the-millennial-majority-workforce/). That means you have three generations who grew up with different tools to get their work done approaching the business side of things with different mindsets and working with customers in different ways. 

While you may see this as a challenge when you're hiring staff for your franchise location, having different generations across your workforce can actually be to your benefit. Here are a few reasons why.

 

You can innovate your customer service approach

Each generation brings its own sets of strengths, and you can use that to your advantage. Millennials, for example, are often connected because they grew up with the Internet. They can be helpful when it comes to adapting new tech to connect with your customers. Nevertheless, people still want prompt, professional and polite service with a personal touch, and that's where Baby Boomers can really teach everyone a thing or two because they and your Gen-Xers can remember life - and customer service - before that days of online chats and email replies.

 

You can make a team with a mix of skill sets

Education and the work experience have changed over the years, and the focus in the classrooms of colleges and universities has shifted, too. This means workers across all three generations learned different things and various approaches in school and at other jobs. Tap into everyone's knowledge so you have a staff that is ready and able to handle problems and improve all areas of your franchise from different angles.

 

You get to combine all their interests in a game plan

Millennials are well-known for their rejection of the status quo. They tend to go toward startups and the world of entrepreneurship because thinking outside of the box is what sparks their interest. However, in a franchise, the set standards are there for a good reason: they're the proven path to success and they ensure quality across the entire system so that all locations can be on the same page. When you combine this out-of-the-box thinking with the foundation of Baby Boomers and the curiosity of Gen Xers, you'll get an approach that allows you to follow your franchise's standards while still innovating and creating within your business.