How to manage an organization of different generations? | Simin Askari | Senior Vice President – HR and Business Excellence | DS Group

Within today’s rapidly changing work environment, employing a workforce of various generations, from seasoned Baby Boomers to technology-savvy Gen Z, is one of the biggest challenges facing contemporary corporations. With different values, communication methods, and motivators, generational diversity forces firms to adjust considerately and strategically. One of the most important ways of remaining relevant in a changing environment is to cultivate a culture of ongoing innovation, one that is produced through the synergy of divergent views. This is not simply a matter of embracing new technology; it’s about specifically designing an environment in which the wisdom of experience and the energy of new thinking come together, and where cross-generational collaboration is the very driver of relevance.

Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group), the reputed FMCG conglomerate and a multi-business corporation, knows well to adopt change and has been evolving over the past 96 years. It has remained relevant and in the midst of its consumers’ lives for almost a century by believing and practicing this very ideology. Each generation carries distinct expectations, varying motivators, modes of communication, and ways of working and it begins with our people. It takes more than just keeping peace to manage such a diverse employee base; it takes real synergy, a conscious attempt to blend these various strengths into a force for forward momentum.

DS Group has been evolving and adapting for almost a century, but with its multi-generational workforce today, there are special aspects to managing them. Whereas the senior staff members contribute priceless institutional awareness, experience and wisdom, the junior staff members contribute new ideas, creativity and digital dexterity.

Filling the gap between these generations is tapping the potential of both. Different generations perceive the workplace differently. My responsibility as an HR practitioner is to make our differences our strength. It is nice to see DS Group being recently recognized amongst India’s Best Workplaces by the ABECA 2025 – AmbitionBox Employee Choice Awards, an outcome of such thoughtful practices.

The Personalized Learning and Development.

DS Group employs sophisticated AI-driven Learning Management Systems (LMS) in order to bring down customized training experiences. Young employees generally prefer bite-sized modules on digital content with gamification in it. Older workers, on the other hand, are more receptive to thorough articles, long courses and face-to-face communication. We employ focused approach that makes all generations feel respected, included and empowered to do their best. The personalization has increased worker satisfaction and overall output. Even in leadership development, we’ve noticed that leadership aspirations differ across generations. Older leaders tend to favour experiential, face-to-face workshops whereas younger leaders are fond of a hybrid approach to digital modules and dynamic sessions. For an integrated but diverse leadership culture, the art of carefully balancing these options is the solution.

Flexible Recognition and Rewards

A crucial component in managing diverse generational needs is the approach to recognition and rewards. We understand that younger employees often seek immediate acknowledgment through spontaneous, informal feedback. On-the-spot recognition systems have thus become integral to our HR practices.

For older staff members, though, public recognition is more valuable. Repeated town halls, quarterly recognitions and official acknowledgement ceremonies serve to meet this requirement. We are also building a dynamic rewards platform, allowing employees to select experiences or presents depending on personal interest, which further drives satisfaction factor across generations.

We understand that workplace motivation tends to parallel life stages. Young parents are rewarded with flexible work schedules, mid-career workers are provided with high-profile training to drive career development and those approaching retirement are treated with specialized wellness sessions. We also provide specific financial wellbeing workshops catering to each generation’s disparate requirements. We secure greater employee commitment and allegiance by compassionately attending to these diverse needs.

We also specifically promote cross-generational teamwork. Our ACE program puts young, analytically talented employees together with senior professionals on key projects. These team formations automatically lend themselves to ‘reverse mentoring,’ whereby junior employees expose senior counterparts to modern analytical techniques and new technologies, thereby establishing a win-win learning culture. Initiatives like these not only close generational gaps but also promote a learning culture of respect and continuous development.

Effective communication differs widely across generations. We have embraced quick and casual communication channels such as WhatsApp groups for our junior staff, especially those in field staff positions, while keeping formal email communications for the senior team. Awareness of these sensitivities guarantees efficient information sharing and minimizes potential resistance.

In accommodating the diverse expectations of multiple generations, we are still dedicated to keeping our core values and organizational identity intact. HR practices are crafted to blend the diverse generational views without undermining the company’s age-old mission and culture. This balanced practice allows the organization to innovate while firmly holding onto its historical roots.

DS Group’s solution for its multi-generational workforce offers a working model for contemporary organizations. It’s not a matter of using one method or another; it’s a matter of crafting systems that are adaptive enough to accommodate many. When we begin not to view generational diversity as a challenge and instead treat it as an asset, we not only retain talent but also build dynamic and adaptable workplaces.