Designing employee experiences for five generations
10.23.25
Designing employee experiences for five generations
An interview with Invision’s Jon Paul Potts and CultureCon co-founder Zach Blumenfeld
With Boomers to Gen Alpha now sharing the workplace, employee engagement needs to evolve into an intentional, multi-modal employee experience. In this conversation, Invision’s Jon Paul Potts (SVP, Strategic Solutions) and Zach Blumenfeld (Co-founder, CultureCon) unpack what’s changing, what still matters, and how to build programs that align people to brand purpose and business outcomes.
Q: Why is “employee experience” a different conversation than traditional engagement?
Jon Paul Potts: Engagement is an email blast or an intranet post. Experience is an orchestrated journey that brings employees into the story through multiple touchpoints to help them understand and live it. With five generations and rising diversity, you can’t rely on one channel or one style. You need rich, repeatable moments that connect daily work to the company’s vision.
Q: Generations are a hot topic. What’s real and what’s overhyped?
Zach Blumenfeld: The topic isn’t new. We went from “those damn Millennials” to “Gen Z won’t…” The truth: different generations grew up with different tech and social markers, which shape expectations. But many want the same things—purpose, growth, and meaningful work. Use generational insights to start a conversation, not to put people in boxes.
Q: How should leaders use “life stage” over “birth year”?
Zach: Look at moments that matter: first-time managers, caregivers supporting parents, late-career mentors. Design programs for those needs. Flexibility for a caregiver can be as impactful as autonomy for a new grad. The common thread is respect for how people work best and then shaping norms around that.
Q: What role does technology—especially AI—play in experience design?
Jon Paul: Every employee, not just younger ones, is in a perpetual learning loop. Tools evolve fast. Good experience design invites continuous learning and sharing—internal demo days, micro-workshops, communities of practice—so people can adopt new tools and teach others.
Zach: And make that two-way. Senior employees mentor on domain and customer context; Gen Z/Alpha speed up AI and new-tool adoption. Build structured, reciprocal mentorship to make that exchange intentional.
Q: Hybrid is still messy. How do you make it work across generations?
Zach: Treat hybrid like a product. Define the experience: what time together is for, what “good” looks like in person vs. remote, and the cadence that sustains connection and momentum. Clarity creates trust; trust fuels connection; connection powers the employee experience.
Q: What channels actually move the needle beyond email?
Jon Paul: Think like a marketer. Combine town halls, AMAs, innovation sprints, demo days, digital experiences, and shared in-person moments (yes, food matters). Employees are your first customer segment; they need multi-sensory, repeatable ways to learn the brand and translate it to customers.
Q: Where should HR and Marketing meet?
Zach: In the same room, early. When HR owns culture and Marketing owns storytelling, separate tracks create friction. Co-create the employee journey: same brand voice, same standards for craft, same commitment to measurement.
Jon Paul: One of my favorite programs started with a major brand relaunch. We pushed to include employees, then built the internal brand experience alongside the external one. It worked because the brand team and HR built it together, on purpose.
Q: How do you connect employee experience to business outcomes?
Jon Paul: Purpose clarity drives discretionary effort. People give more when they believe the company’s values align with their own—and when they see how their work leads to results. That’s not “nice to have.” It’s performance. Experience design is a growth lever.
Q: What’s your playbook for five generations under one roof?
Zach:
Start with insights, not stereotypes.
Map experiences to life stages and critical career moments.
Build reciprocal mentoring and ongoing skill exchange.
Codify hybrid norms like a product.
Measure connection, autonomy, and performance—then iterate.
Jon Paul: And never stop learning. In our industry, if you’re not learning something new every day, you’re not doing it right. Create an environment where learning spreads naturally; it’s the best way to keep every generation engaged.
What to do next
• Audit your channels: Where are you announcing vs. designing experiences?
• Co-design with HR and Marketing: Build a shared roadmap, content kit, and metrics.
• Pilot a two-way mentorship + AI demo day: Capture wins and scale.
• Define hybrid norms: Rituals, cadences, and outcomes—written down.
Interested in elevating your employee experience?
Invision helps brands own every moment inside and out. CultureCon convenes practitioners to make work more meaningful. If you’re exploring an EX initiative or want to link your brand relaunch to internal adoption, let’s talk. Reach us at Info@iv.com