According to the Office of National Statistics the proportion of those over the age of 50 who are still in work rose from 68.3% in 1996 to 75.1% in 2014.

Appealing to a wide range of generations in the workplace is a huge challenge for internal communicators. With typical retirement ages getting later and later, and with vast changes, such as digital influences, affecting younger generations, the generational gaps are arguably greater and more pronounced than they have ever been.

Keynote speaker at the upcoming IoIC Live event, the Institute of Internal Communication's annual conference, Dean van Leeuwen of TomorrowToday, says, “Each generation acts as if they are communicating in different worlds. They expect different things from leaders and are motivated and inspired by different things. Each new generation wants to be communicated to in new and different ways.”

Whether Millennial, Generation X, or a Baby Boomer, all employees want to feel heard. Van Leeuwen will explore these issues in greater detail at the IoIC Live conference on 30 April-1 May at the Grand Hotel in Brighton.

The theme for this year’s IoIC Live is ‘Agile IC’. Other sessions include, ‘Becoming a trusted advisor’, by Saskia Jones, Oxfam GB’s head of internal communication, ‘Creating an agile intranet’ by Anne-Marie Imafidon of Deutsche Bank’s Global Intranet Group, ‘Bringing health and safety to life’, by Tesco’s internal communications manager Greg Stewart and ‘Smarter collaboration through social media’ with Will Foy of Sovereign Housing Association.

IoIC president, Suzanne Peck, says, “As internal communicators take on more responsibility for driving and facilitating communication, the need for skilled, experienced and agile IC professionals grows. We need to fully understand how to get the best out of collaboration, how mobile adds value, how to coach line managers and colleagues to be better communicators and the impact the digital workplace is having on our role.”