Rethinking leadership and culture in a multigenerational workforce

WORK COULD, perhaps, be the second most important aspect of life for adult Filipinos, right after their families or their individual pursuits. After all, employees spend a large part of their day commuting to work, completing tasks, collaborating with colleagues, and navigating the rhythms of their workplaces.

- By Jomarc Angelo M. Corpuz Special Features and Content Writer

Yet, not all employees experience work the same way. Key factors, including differences in age, background, and expectations, mean that today's workforce is more diverse and even isolated from each other, more than ever. Understanding these varying needs, motivations, and perspectives is therefore needed for companies seeking to boost engagement, productivity, and instill a positive work culture.

Shedding light on how to deal with this diversity and other issues around the work environment was a key area in this year's BusinessWorld Forecast 2026 forum.

DECODING GENERATIONAL DYNAMICS IN THE WORKPLACE

One of the forum's highlights was a presentation that examined how generational differences shape work styles, expectations, and leadership approaches in Filipino organizations. Providing insights on this topic, Acumen Strategy Consultants President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pauline Fermin gave a presentation surrounding the theme "Project Alphabet: Decoding Filipinos Across Generations" during the forum.

Project Alphabet is a study by Acumen that takes a critical look at the generational divide in the workplace, complete with in-depth interviews with employees from benchmark companies representing a variety of industries, local and multinational companies.

Citing the study, Ms. Fermin revealed that 75% of today's Filipino workplace is composed of Gen Zs and Gen Ys, considered the digital generations, while 25% are Gen Xers and Boomers, who comprise the majority of the senior leadership.

She also mentioned that over 75% of business leaders viewed differences in management and leadership styles as a major issue in the company. But despite recognizing these challenges, many companies actually do not have plans yet in place to address this.