How small businesses are leveraging tech to unite generations

Today’s workplace stretches four generations. The oldest members of Generation Z are reaching their mid-20s, while the youngest baby boomers are turning 60. That leaves employers to account for a range of backgrounds and ways of working.

It’s become vital that companies use technology to enable more seamless collaboration and productivity. But it’s not just massive companies deploying tech to improve workflow. With their ability to stay agile and deploy new tools quicker, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have emerged as leaders in using technology to unite the generations. They’re creating new ways of working and interacting with customers, while empowering their workforce to be just as productive at home, on site, or in the office.

“SMBs are uniquely positioned to lead the charge in bridging generational divides through technology,” says Eric Yu, who leads the SMB segment and Commercial Product Center within Lenovo Intelligent Devices. “Their ability to quickly adopt innovations like AI PCs allows them to create inclusive environments where employees from Gen Z to baby boomers can collaborate seamlessly.”

AI that breeds collaboration

It’s easy for employees to feel like they lack connection to their peers in a remote or hybrid work environment. The physical separation, as some of the most massive companies have discovered, can also lead to real-world disconnects. But SMBs are finding new ways to enable deeper collaboration, and it starts with their tech stack.

For many SMBs, Lenovo’s AI PCs are playing a critical role in strapping employees with the collaboration and productivity tools they need. Features like natural language interactions and real-time transcription create stronger communication and a more inclusive environment. During remote meetings, for instance, real-time transcription breaks down language and technology barriers and puts all attendees on level ground. As a de facto meeting assistant, AI can also help employees quickly pull up documents and access insights, creating a seamless, live workflow.

AI PCs tailor performance to individual needs, meaning workers of any technological background can get what they need to be at their best. While younger employees may use AI tools to generate creative assets or automate repetitive tasks, more experienced employees could use it to organize data or retrieve insights. Highly skilled workers can boost their performance by nearly 40 percent with generative AI, according to MIT Sloan School of Management.

“By creating a shared technological foundation, SMBs ensure that employees feel valued and empowered, regardless of their background or experience, ultimately driving greater collaboration and innovation across generations,” Yu says.

Technology built for any background

With the right deployment, AI PCs can meet every individual where they are in their technological and career journey. Gen Z has quickly become a generation of creators, for instance, with 63 percent doing something creative every day, USA Today reports. There are AI tools to help them be their most creative selves — like Lenovo Creator Zone, which equips users with generative AI to transform text-based descriptions or sketches into clear visuals.

Millennials — who will represent 75 percent of the workforce by 2025, Deloitte says — tend to put a particular emphasis on work-life balance. AI PCs can reduce the burden of tedious administrative tasks, helping workers get through their day more efficiently. Meanwhile, the 21 percent of Gen X professionals who cite a lack of time as a significant workplace stressor, according to FlexJobs, may find the Lenovo AI Now on-device personal agent is a useful tool to personalize their AI solution stack and configure device settings through simple, conversational interaction. Lenovo AI Now is designed to ensure that every employee can harness the power of AI without a steep learning curve in order to foster equal access to the advanced technology. As efficiency improves, time-strapped workers have more bandwidth to think big-picture and focus on the highest-value work.

Nearly half of baby boomers are expected to work past the age of 70, according to Purdue Global. And for boomers and other workers who did not grow up as digital natives — or for that matter, any employees just dipping their toes into AI — Lenovo’s AI Fast Start can lay the foundation necessary to seamlessly integrate AI into daily operations. By relieving organizations of the heavy resource burden of training up their teams, Lenovo’s AI PCs and services are equipping small businesses to flourish with AI.

“At Lenovo, we believe AI has the power to elevate every worker’s potential, regardless of their technical background,” Yu says. “Whether it’s enabling Gen Z creators to turn ideas into visuals or helping seasoned professionals optimize workflows with AI assistants like Lenovo AI Now, our AI PCs are designed to empower users with smarter, personalized solutions that enhance productivity and collaboration across all generations.”

Learn more about how Lenovo is uniting generations with Smarter AI for all.