The Society for Human Resources Management Oahu Educational Foundation will hold a workshop on "Conquering the Generational Divide in the Workplace," next Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa.

The keynote speaker will be Sherri Okinaga, co-founder and principal of Insight Consulting and Training.

The goal of the workshop is "to address the tensions that are created when people of different generations do not think the same way and are not motivated in the same way," Okinaga said.

She said addressing generational issues in the workplace is important because of the difficulty in finding new workers, caused by the labor shortage in Hawai'i and nationwide.

Also, companies can cut their costs by reducing turnover, Okinaga said. On average, recruiting and training a new employee costs a company 2 1/2 times the worker's annual salary, she said.

And creating a generationally diverse workplace allows workers of different age groups to share their "different gifts and talents," Okinaga said.

The workshop will help participants identify the characteristics of each generation and understand generational differences. Embracing generational diversity allows companies to "realize the full potential of their human resources, and they're able to attract, develop and retain high performers," she said.