Generational Diversity at Dufry

The benefits and responsibilities of a multi-generational workforce

By Sarah Branquinho

As many of you will know, Dufry invited colleagues in 14 countries, representing 70% of our workforce, to respond to Dufry’s first Diversity and Inclusion survey, and over 7,000 colleagues did just that. We hope to invite all our colleagues, in every country, to take part in our second survey later this year.

One of the striking revelations from your responses was the spread of ages of colleagues working at Dufry, and the HR team told me that this is fairly representative of the whole Dufry population. The responses also showed overwhelmingly (74%) that respondents don’t feel that age discrimination exists at Dufry.

Well, I guess I am living proof of that! I joined the Group Executive Committee in July at the ripe old age of 64! But I’m far from being the oldest employee. In the USA, Charles Davis is our most senior employee. Charles works in several stores in our duty-paid operation at Tucson Int.Airport (Arizona), but typically in the specialty kiosks or the Ink bookstore.

We asked him to share what inspires him to keep working: and you can read his answers here:

“Working at Hudson helps me to stay healthy, young and active, and I really enjoy learning about the new merchandise. "Over the years, I've made friends with a number of employees and even after they left, we've kept in touch. I still work full time, 5 days per week and I haven’t had a sick day in years other than scheduled surgery on my foot.”
- Charles Davis

In a time where diversity is a hot topic, being a multigenerational employer is definitely a plus, not just for Dufry but for all of us. Here at Dufry we have a five generation workforce: Charles’s ‘Silent Generation’, Baby Boomers and Generations X, Y and Z.

A study by Forbes Insights among more than 300 large, global companies shows that age diversity is a key driver of innovation. A diverse set of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds is essential for innovation and the development of new ideas.

Every generation brings a different set of skills, beliefs and competencies to the table. Baby Boomers used to make phone calls and write letters to build relationships and this strengthened their interpersonal skills. Younger generations tend to have stronger digital skills. Mature talents can share their knowledge, experience, and skills with younger generations and vice versa.

Thanks to their different ways of thinking about the world – and the workplace – each generation will have a distinct thought process. A multigenerational workforce will, therefore, be a source of various perspectives on every subject and idea that comes up.

It also helps us to better serve customers in our stores: from the digital natives, for whom the smartphone is an indispensable tool that amplifies every aspect of their lives, through families travelling with excitable young children, to the ‘silver surfers’, with time and money to travel but who are perhaps more traditional in their shopping habits and primarily use their smartphones to keep themselves connected to friends and family.

There are many ways, therefore, that Dufry benefits from having colleagues across such a wide age range. But it also brings its responsibilities.

How can, and does, Dufry support colleagues who, at different life stages, have varying demands on them both inside and outside the working environment, from caring for elderly relatives or supporting family and friends with long-term conditions, to caring for their partners or children. I am sure that you, like me, will know colleagues who have been impacted by receiving their own cancer diagnosis or by caring for other family members faced by cancer and other devastating illnesses or long term conditions.

Meet Julie Grange, Customer Service Leader working nights in World Duty Free’s store at Manchester Airport Terminal 1 in the UK. World Duty Free has a long-standing record of charity work, raising six figure sums. Colleagues across the UK have just voted to support Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) for the next three years (see article in this issue of Dufry World). CCLG was nominated by Julie, whose daughter Jessica (12) is currently undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

“From when Jessica was first diagnosed with leukaemia and throughout her treatment so far, World Duty Free has been amazingly supportive and especially through the difficult times during 2020. A different shift pattern allowed me the time I needed to be with Jessica, my Line Manager took care of all the practical HR issues, my colleagues rallied around and made me still feel part of the team. It’s something I would never have had from my previous employer. That combination of still having a work structure, and the many messages and kindnesses from my colleagues were so important to me. Jessica has shown incredible courage and resilience, and her treatment has just finished. To now have World Duty Free continuing to support, by way of fundraising for CCLG, is truly wonderful.”
- Julie Grange

Having colleagues aged from 17/18 (just starting their careers) and in their 80s - who have seen so much change in their lives, from travel to communication and everything in between - is a real bonus. Dufry can draw on the energy, enthusiasm and digital know-how of youngest colleagues as well as capitalising on years of experience across multiple fields gained by older staff members. That wealth of insight brought by multigenerational diversity, coupled with the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual (and many more ‘multis’) characteristics of the Dufry community mean that we are well placed to understand the wants, desires and needs of the global customer base that we serve. With near full employment in many countries, we all have choices. Part of the attraction of Dufry as a place to work is, for me, the joy of coming to work and meeting so many people of different backgrounds and ages, working with them, learning from them, sharing some fun moments with them. But it’s also knowing that when the tough times come, I’ll be able to count on the support of my colleagues and the company – as Julie has experienced – to help see me through the tough times. We hope that’s your experience too, whatever life stage you are at and whatever you may be facing.

P.S. If you think you are the youngest in the company, or perhaps you’re older than Charles, or you’re somewhere in-between and want to share your experience, we’d love to hear from you sarah.branquinho@dufry.com