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Webinar tip · 22 October 2026

40% of over-55s didn’t talk to a Gen Z colleague all year

LinkedIn research found 40% of employees aged 55 and over had not spoken to a Gen Z colleague in a year. Managers can close that gap.

Jennifer RobinsonOrganisational Development Manager, Canopius

Jennifer Robinson, Organisational Development Manager at Canopius, shared a statistic that stopped her in her tracks: 40% of employees aged 55 and over had not talked to a Gen Z colleague in the past year (LinkedIn research, UK, 2024).

Why it matters for managers

With several generations working side by side, that gap in understanding and connection can keep widening. Robinson's challenge to managers is to bring teams together around a shared purpose, because connection is what builds trust.

In the same webinar, Alex Clinton of Thomas suggested reverse mentoring: younger staff help experienced colleagues with new technology and ways of working, while their experience is respected.

What to do this week

  • Look at who actually works together on your team, across age groups.
  • Pair people from different generations on one piece of work or a short reverse-mentoring conversation.
  • Give the team a shared goal that needs both perspectives.
Read the clip transcript

But this was staggering to me, is that employees aged 55 and over have not talked to a Gen Z employee. 40% of them have not talked to a Gen Z employee in the last year. And for me, that was staggering. So that understanding between the two generations and building those connections, it's getting, I guess, extending and extending. So how can we bring teams together and create purpose to create that connection between the teams? I think that's really important so that we can build that trust.

From the webinar · Sep 2024

The Manager Impact: How to Build Effective Teams

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