Concurrent B5

Managing and Motivating Different Generations at Work

Increasingly, the ‘War for Talent’ will not be about hiring the brightest young university graduates, it will simply be about how organizations attract and retain resources to do the work that needs to be done.

In Australia this is principally due to our declining birth rate and aging workforce creating significant shortages in human resources, now and in the future. Each generation has a different set of values, and different views of career, training and development, family, work life balance, leadership and management.

Further each generation has different expectations of the workplace and their managers and leaders. For example what Generations X and Y want from organisations and leaders is different to what the current leadership models and styles have to offer, which is being driven by Veteran and Baby Boomer managers and leaders.

This session delves into the unique challenges this presents for organisations, their managers and leaders, the implications for Australian workplaces and suggested solutions to address this.

Avril’s recent work with the Australian Defence Forces will inform the presentation.

Presenter: Avril Henry

Avril Henry graduated from the University of Cape Town in Accounting and Economics,migrating to Australia in 1980, with two suitcases, $500 and a dream to live freely and make a difference.

Avril’s career has spanned senior roles in Finance, IT Project Management, Change Management and HR. The companies she has worked for include De Beers, Barclays Bank,Midland Bank, UBS Warburg, Westpac, Merrill Lynch, DMR Consulting and Clayton Utz. She has worked in South Africa, Australia, the UK and USA.

In 2003, Avril set up her own business, focusing on Public Speaking and Consulting in Leadership, People and Performance strategies, which includes Executive Coaching.

In recent times Avril Avril has been working with the Australian Defence Forces in the area of attraction, recruitment and retention in the army, air force and navy. In September 2006 she was appointed to the Navy Advisory Board for two years to oversee the implementation of the recommendations of the Henry Report. She has also been invited to be a strategic human resources advisor to both the Chief of Navy and the Minister of Defence.

Avril was one of three finalists in the 2004 Australian HR Awards for the Lifetime Achievement in HR Award; and in 2002, was one of the five finalists in the Australian HR Awards for Best HR Director. She was also nominated in 1995 and 1996 for the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year.

Avril is the author of “Leadership Revelations: An Australian Perspective”, released in March 2005.