Five (plus one) generations at work: how coexistence changes organizations' world

Let’s go back about ten years, to 2015. A charming comedy hit the theaters, The Intern, written and directed by Nancy Meyers and starring Robert De Niro as a widowed seventy-year-old who unexpectedly becomes an intern, and Anne Hathaway as a young entrepreneur.

Beyond the Hollywood storyline and glossy setting, that film foreshadowed a reality that has since become the norm: for the first time in history, five generations are working side by side. Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials (Gen Y), Gen Z, and—soon—Gen Alpha. With an important addition: the Silent Generation, officially retired yet still often active as consultants or mentors.

This multigenerational landscape is full of contrasts but also rich with opportunities for growth and innovation. The cyber society we live in—interconnected, hybrid, accelerated—exposes the sharpest polarizations: different approaches to time, work, and communication. Yet it’s precisely from this inevitable, sometimes forced coexistence that a true culture of change, mutual respect, and inclusion can emerge. Even in the workplace.