As Washington DC nonprofit advisors, we work with many nonprofit organizations to address questions, concerns, and issues. One issue we’re seeing frequently is diversity in the workplace.
Now, you may think that you know what diversity means. It means ensuring equal opportunity in the employment to men and women, people of different races, religions, and nationalities, and treating people with different sexual preferences equally. But there’s one area of equality that many people forget to mention when speaking with Washington DC nonprofit advisors about workforce issues: age diversity.
A Workforce Like No Other in History
Only a few times has the United States and indeed the world has seen such an interesting shift in age-related demographics. The famous Baby Boom post-World War II led to a surge in population that was unmatched until recent years with the Millennials. Currently, Millennials, or those who came of age around the turn of the millennium, are the largest demographic in the history of the workforce.
By 2020, nearly all Baby Boomer-generation workers at your nonprofit will have retired. Following in their footsteps are many Generation X employees, those who are entering their 50s, who have the seniority, experience, and institutional history to do a good job leading the organization.
Millennials make up the majority of the current workforce and are likely the new, upcoming people in your company. Much has been written about managing Millennials; some if it makes them sound like an exotic species rather than simply a demographic with a unique shared set of values and ideals.
Understanding how each generation interacts with the workplace, their approach to work, and their values as leaders and coworkers can help you ensure that age diversity works for, rather than against, your nonprofit. Age diversity can help you:
- Understand, respect, and address the different needs of your constituents.
- Discover creative solutions.
- Reach new demographics through renewed efforts.
- Develop additional donor and member cohorts.
- Build a stronger, more stable nonprofit organization.
Different generations view and interact with the world differently. Each brings with it their own strengths and weaknesses. Understanding this and parlaying it into an effective workforce development strategy is challenging but part of running an effective nonprofit in the 21st century.
Reject Biases
Just as you know that you should reject biases around certain attributes such as nationality, skin color, or religious affiliation, so too must you reject age-based biases. It’s one thing to be aware of what a certain age-related demographic values in the workplace; it’s quite another to be biased against it, eschewing hiring people from a certain demographic because of fears they won’t perform as well as others.
The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 prohibits discrimination based on age to all organizations receiving federal aid. Nonprofit organizations would be well advised to enact policies and mindsets to prevent age discrimination in the workforce.
As Washington DC nonprofit advisors, we caution all against anything that smacks of discrimination. However, there is a place for managing around age-related expectations and norms so that your nonprofit flourishes. Finding that happy medium is tricky but worthwhile. A diverse workforce, including age diversity, builds stronger nonprofits.
Beck & Company
At Beck & Company, we work with many nonprofits to help them improve their operations, accounting, and overall management. We are Washington DC nonprofit advisors with a tradition of creative thinking, technical expertise, and a collaborative spirit that can help your nonprofit achieve its goals. Whether you want to increase donor confidence and support through transparent accounting practices or find a partner for your annual audit, we can help. Contact us today or call 703-834-0776.