Bridging The Age Gap in The Workforce for Printing Businesses

By Adriane Harrison

The following article was originally published by Wide-format Impressions. To read more of their content, subscribe to their newsletter, Wide-Format Impressions.

Companies are facing the continuing challenge of integrating a multi-generational workforce and learning how to create a work environment that appeals to the youngest workers: Generation Z. Born between 1996 and 2012, Gen Z are the next wave of employees who will help our businesses thrive. These younger workers may be vastly different from the generations already in a company’s workforce, and adapting business and culture to successfully incorporate them into our companies is critical to success.

Currently, workplaces generally have employees that span four generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. Developing policies and creating meaningful connections between people born from 1946-2012 is complicated because of the tremendous differences in life experiences that shape how to communicate, what benefits are of greatest value, and perspectives about how and when work is performed.

Right now, Millennials comprise the largest segment of the United States workforce. When adding Gen Z, these two generations make up nearly half of all workers. While it seems that Millennials and Gen Z are so similar that not much would need to change, that is not an accurate assumption. A lot of world changes have happened between the two generations and those have influenced the outlook and perspective between them. Depending on what strategies employers have already implemented, companies may need to further adapt to attract and retain Gen Z workers.

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Adriane Harrison Author's page

Adriane Harrison is Vice President, Human Relations Consulting at PRINTING United Alliance. Adriane assists members with a wide variety of HR matters involving statutes, regulations, policies, procedures, culture, and staffing, as well as the gamut of day-to-day HR issues. In addition, she supports professional development by conducting webinars, participating in panel discussions, and speaking at industry events on human resources issues. Currently, Adriane is the Chairperson of the Graphic Communications Workforce Coalition, a member of the Women in Print Alliance, and a founder of the Women’s Print Mentoring Network.

Adriane received a journalism degree from the University of Illinois and a law degree from DePaul University in Chicago. As an attorney, Adriane practiced in both the public and private sectors. Her work was in the areas of Constitutional, commercial, securities, and criminal law. Adriane and her family live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.