No two generations in history have ever been the same and it’slikely they never will, considering the fact that each generationis shaped by the events of their time. Each has distinctcharacteristics and traits, as well as different styles forcommunicating.

Imagine the challenges of a multi-generational workforce, wherea kaleidoscope of employees — all with different values, goals andpoints of view — comprise the company workforce.

Up until now, employers never really had to contemplate thescenario because it wasn’t the norm. In fact, it rarely happened atall. Today, particularly with people working well into their 70sand even into their 80s, more and more companies are experiencingnot just one or two generation gaps among a workforce, butfive.

With a possible 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, who is considered the leading expert on the impactof generational change and its impact on the marketplace, has aclear understanding of how generational demographics are changingthe landscape of business.

In his book, Generational Selling Tactics That Work(2011), he analyzes the major generations of our time — matures(born before 1946), 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.

1. 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 six out of ten 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: Generation plays a vital role in howtoday’s organizations are strategizing employee engagement andrestructuring benefits programs in order to achieve businessgoals.

Financial wellness is aparticularly hot topic for post-recession employers in the U.S.,who are realizing that a greater expertise from HR professionals isrequired in order to navigate today’s complex benefits environmentwhere new health care regulations imposed by the Affordable CareAct (ACA) and rising costs of coverage beg the question of how tospend valuable benefits dollars.

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 benefitssimply because each generation values benefits differently.

For example, among the HR professionals surveyed, 68 percentbelieve that baby boomers value financial wellness more than anyother generation, yet only one in five large firms indicated theyutilize targeted communication for specific generations.

2. 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 just as important or even more important tounderstand how people would like to be communicated to prior to anenrollment.

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 them face-to-face, or via e-mail andtext. Above all, it is most valuable to use a multi-channeledapproach to stay accessible to all employees.

Millennials, in particular, don’t think about the big picturewith retirement and benefits, nor do they typically have savingsstored up like many of the older members of the workforce. Boomers and matures, on theother hand, have more need for comprehensive coverage. They’re 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 from whereemployers think they may be. Passive enrollment, which has been thestatus quo, 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 wellbeing of the entireorganization to communicate the implications of moving to a highdeductible health plan. As ACA now requires all U.S. citizens to beinsured by a minimum value medical plan, those employees that waivetheir employer sponsored benefits, must be educated to ensure theyare enrolling in qualified coverage elsewhere; a parent, spouse orexchange option, to avoid a financial penalty.

3. 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 areequally important.

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 healthcare 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, audio books, seminars, and lectures.

To optimize engagement of a targeted message and the informationpresented, verbal repetition is key. Kinesthetic, or tactile,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.

4. 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’ distinct 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 of theemployers that employ millennials, more than half (60 percent)believe millennials value health benefits more than othergenerations, but they are much more likely to have targetedfinancial-wellness communications for gen X-ers (43 percent) orbaby boomers (91 percent) than millennials (7 percent).

Why? Because benefits budgets are limited.

Even with the shift to a multigenerational workforce, employeebenefits will likely carry a similar structure, but with anemphasis on options. Experts agree that optimal engagement is nolonger possible without understanding the age demographics of itsemployees.

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.