No two generations in history have ever been the same, andconsidering the fact that each generation is shaped by the eventsof their time, it's likely they never will. Each has distinctcharacteristics and traits, as well as different communication styles.

Imagine the challenges of a multi-generational workforce, wherea kaleidoscopic array of employees — all with different values,goals, and points of view — comprise the company workforce.

Up until now, employers never really had to contemplate thisscenario, because it wasn't the norm. In fact, it rarely happenedat all. Today, particularly with people working well into their 70sand even 80s, more companies are experiencing not just one or twogeneration gaps among a workforce, but as many as five.

With a potential 50-year span between the oldest and youngestemployees, who may be working together on the same project orreporting to the same manager, it's inevitable for those distinctcharacteristics and traits to come into play and create newchallenges for the HR professionals charged with providingincentives, rewards, and enticing benefits packages to both attractand retain valued employees.

Cam Marston, a leading expert on the effects of generationalchange and its impact on the marketplace, has a clear understandingof how generational demographics are changing the landscape ofbusiness.

In his book,“Generational Selling Tactics That Work,” heanalyzes the major generations of our time — matures (born before1946), baby boomers (born 1946-64), Generation X (born 1965-79),and millennials (born 1980-2000) — and demonstrates howunderstanding generational differences, such as the benefits theyvalue most and the ways in which they want to be engaged, will havea positive impact not only on sales and marketing, but alsomanagement, motivation, and perhaps more importantly, recruitingand retention.

The real value of tailored benefitspackages

Marston is not alone. Barclays recently commissioned a studythat delved into the financial goals, concerns, and priorities oftoday's workforce in order to provide HR professionals with newinformation and tools to help them rethink the employee benefitsstructure.

The study reports that 6 out of 10 employees rate acomprehensive benefits package at the top of their list whenlooking for a new job, yet 85 percent felt that their currentemployee benefits packages failed to provide the support andflexibility required to meet present and future financialneeds.

One thing is certain: Generational considerations plays a vitalrole in how today's organizations are strategizing employeeengagement and restructuring benefits programs in order to achievebusiness goals.

Financial wellness is a particularlyhot topic for post-recession employers in the U.S. More companiesare realizing that greater expertise from HR professionals isrequired in order to navigate today's complex benefits environment,where new health care regulations imposed by the Patient Protectionand Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and rising costs of coveragefurther complicate the question of how to spend valuable benefitsdollars.

In a new 2015 Workplace Benefits Report from Bank ofAmerica Merrill Lynch, which focuses on trends and perceptionsamong larger firms, findings indicate that human resourcesprofessionals are spending more time on health care issues thanever before, with 74 percent feeling under-qualified when it comesto issues regarding employee health care and retirement benefitsbecause each generation values benefits differently.

Among the HR professionals surveyed, 68 percent believe thatbaby boomers value financial wellness more than any othergeneration, yet only 1 in 5 large firms indicated they utilizetargeted communication for specific generations.

Closing the generation gaps

Amanda Emery, a marketing expert with Trustmark VoluntaryBenefit Solutions, understands how critical it is for employers toidentify what is important to each generation in order to meettheir needs.

However, just because people fall into a certain generation doesnot mean they like to learn in the same way as others within theirgeneration. It's vitally important to understand how people wouldlike to be communicated with prior to an enrollment.

Surveys, she says, are one of the best ways to close the gapsand glean more information about how individuals prefer to beengaged. They also provide a roadmap for tailoring targetedmessages, whether addressing employees face-to-face, or via emailand text. Above all, it is most valuable to use a multi-channeledapproach to stay accessible to all employees.

Millennials, in particular, generally don't think about the bigpicture when it comes to retirement and benefits, nor do theytypically have savings stored up like many of the older members ofthe workforce. Boomers and matures, on the otherhand, often have more need for comprehensive coverage, and are alsoleaving the workforce with more debt.

To address such a broad spectrum of needs and concerns, manycompanies are trying to get as personal and relevant as possible inorder to reach people where they are, rather than where employersthink they may be. Passive enrollment, which has been the statusquo, will no longer suffice, because it lacks the educationalcomponent people need in order to understand what is at stake andhow it will impact their lives.

It is essential for the overall well-being of the entireorganization to communicate the implications of moving to a highdeductible health plan. As PPACA now requires all U.S. citizens tobe insured by a minimum value medical plan, employees who waivetheir employer sponsored benefits must be educated to ensure theyare enrolling in qualified coverage elsewhere, such as a parent,spouse or exchange option, in order to avoid a financialpenalty.

Learning styles

Key considerations when designing a marketing and messagingcampaign include more than just generational differences, Emerysays. Learning style, point of view, and communication preference are equallyimportant.

Teachers know better than most that, regardless of generation,everyone has a different learning style, and working hard to craftlessons that resonate throughout the classroom results in greatersuccess for the whole. The same can be true when it comes todesigning communication around health care or voluntarybenefits.

The Macrothink Institute, which provides a wide range ofscientific research, suggests that people learn primarily throughone of three distinct means: visual (30 percent), auditory (25percent), and kinesthetic (15 percent), with some 30 percentlearning through a mixture of these.

Visual learners retain information best when it is presentedthrough infographics, animation or “explainer videos,” which canincrease learning by 15 percent. Auditory learners are exactlythat: Good listeners who retain information by listening topodcasts, audiobooks, seminars, and lectures.

To optimize engagement around a targeted message and theinformation presented, verbal repetition is key. Kinesthetic, ortactile, learners are by far the most adaptable. They do well wheninformation is presented in a variety of ways, including videos,animations, quizzes, surveys, games, slide shares and downloadableworksheets.

Most people, however, possess some visual learning skills, asthe brain processes images much fast than text. So this is an easyway to effectively incorporate subject matter or key takeaways.

Targeting messages

Emery also mentions that beyond learning styles, it is alsoimportant to find common ground and speak to a person's point ofreference. What are their life experiences? Do they have small orgrown children? What world events have shaped their lives?Education levels also play a significant role in marketing to amulti-generational client base, as does an individual's culturalenvironment, whether rural, urban, affluent, or working class.

Millennials' distinctive attitudes toward benefits and strongpreferences for communicating with their employers are undoubtedlya result of being raised on technology and coming of age during oneof the country's worst financial crises.

In fact, the Workplace Benefits Report states that amongemployers that employ millennials, more than half (60 percent)believe millennials value health benefits more than othergenerations. Yet the same employers are much more likely to havetargeted financial wellness communications for Gen Xers (43percent) or baby boomers (91 percent) than millennials (7percent).

Why? Because benefits budgets are limited.

With the shift to a multigenerational workforce, employeebenefits will likely carry a similar structure to the past, butwith an emphasis on options. Experts agree that optimal engagementis no longer possible without understanding the age demographics ofemployees.

Marketing to a multi-generational workforce with a thoughtfuland targeted approach has the potential to not only increaseengagement, but also give an organization the competitive advantageit needs to stay ahead in today's global market.