Boomers vs. Generation Y: Bridging The Generation Gap At The Office

Rigid, closed-minded, overbearing -- just some of the words sometimes used to describe Post50s in the workplace.

Entitled, lazy, self-absorbed -- equally harsh words used to describe some young employees.

It's no surprise. Generational conflicts have always been present in the office. Put a group of strangers together from differing generations, ask them to work side-by-side for eight or more hours each day, and you're bound to have some tension. But experts say baby boomers and Generation Y, in particular, have clashing values and views of the world.

According to a 2011 poll by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), as reported by The Fiscal Times.

Forty-seven percent of younger workers complained that older managers were resistant to change and had a tendency to micromanage. About 33 percent of older respondents griped that younger workers informality, need for supervision, and lack of respect for authority were problematic.

Those age 65 and older now exceed 35 million in the United States. They represent the heart of today's management. At the same time, though, a recent survey found that about 20 percent of midlevel corporate employees now report to a boss who is younger than they are, CNNMoney reports.

As Baby Boomers delay retirement and work until older ages, it is more likely they will have a younger boss.

So how do boomers cope when workplace conflict heats up? The Huffington Post asked that question to author and human resource management consultant Dr. Linda Gravett, whose area of expertise is leveraging workplace diversity.

"Many boomers are not coping well. I've had so many boomers say to me, I'm not going to learn how to text, I want to talk to someone face-to-face doggone it and I'm going to track them down till I find them face-to-face," she said. "I say, have to learn that if you want to communicate with people across all age groups then learn how to text, learn how to instant message, get out of your comfort zone and your rigidity that every kind of communication must be either by letter or email or even face to face because that isn't necessarily practical."

Here are Gravett's eight tips for boomers to bridge the generation gap at work:

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story cited Business Insider as the source for information on the 2011 Society for Human Resource Management Poll. The reporting was actually done by David Koeppel of The Fiscal Times.

Comments

[dj1092]

01:54 PM on 12/27/2011

I definitely believe many of the first comments in this article were made as a generalization of "Generation Y." Many of us do know how to be responsible and fit in with the elder. I have interned at a non-profit for two summers consecutively, same place, I have earned the respect of my colleagues and very much respect them. The fact is that many that are part of the boomer generation aren't willing to accept the fact that they are being replaced by very well rounded Generation Y people, employees who can complete a task in a matter of minutes when it probably takes someone from a generation below us a lot longer; hence the "hangouts" and "congregation at cubicles" stated by Cynthia Amoruso. Also, it depends what company you are working at, many high-end companies won't employ anyone who doesn't meet company expectations, so directly referring to Cynthia Amoruso...I don't know where you work, but it doesn't seem like an exactly "high-end" company who employs responsible people, that by which reflects your very inapt comments.

[Cynthia Amoruso]

10:10 PM on 12/02/2011

I work with a mix of people, some older though their ranks are dwindling, and some younger. The workplace was a fairly predictable place until 30-ish people were recruited 3 times over the last 6 years. They came in waves of 4 and 5 at a time, and it's been trying to say the least. The work ethic is different, sometimes, okay, honestly oftentimes, invisible. Hanging out in each others cubicles and chatting while we old cranks work and grumble is the norm. They instant message each other all day long, so those who look busy are busy socializing that way. They don't seem to have a conception of how their actions affect the office team. I'm computer savvy, iphone dependent, I text, and am with it. But I feel disrespected and undervalued. I'd love to see an article written from the opposite viewpoint, what younger workers should be doing to fit in with older workers. At my place, it isn't happening, and the divide gets deeper every day. I don't have kids and don't want to deal with them at work. I'm not your Mom and I'm sick of cleaning up your messes. It's called work-do some.

[appraisethis]

09:39 AM on 11/21/2011

My niece went through 6 years of college and make $12.75/hr by choice. Lazy, entitled, immature underachievers need to be kicked out of the nest. Parents have spoiled, overindulged their children to their detriment. I hear "I hate people" as an excuse not to take responsiblity and to challenge onself. My niece was in the aerospace program and dropped out because she had to work too hard. My advice is to let them struggle. Let them see what it takes to get what they are so accustomed to. Don't hand it to them or it has no value. They learn nothing other than to be parasites.

[RxPhan]

10:57 PM on 11/20/2011

I don't mind learning the new technology to keep up. What I ask from the younger workers is to give me a chance to learn it. I didn't grow up with it, you did. I will learn it. What I ask from you is to not be surprised if I don't immediately think you are brilliant. You may be smarter than the average bear, but right now, you don't have the experience under your belt to impress me.

[thegrrrr8est]

09:00 AM on 11/20/2011

Here's how NOT to get along with the younger generation: If you're over fifty, for god's sake speak like an adult. You're too old to be calling anybody "dude" or "man". You're old enough to know that "awesome" refers to sunsets and spiritual experiences, not the meatball sub you had for lunch. If the word "chill" comes out of your mouth, it had jolly well better be referring to the weather.

Nothing ages a person like trying to look and act like they're still in their twenties. The gift of your age is wisdom, not "coolness". You left cool behind two decades ago.

Oh, and please. Please, please, please do not try to impress with your sexual prowess. Do not try to bond over that. For someone who's a couple of decades your junior, it's just creepy.

[zillizli]

01:50 PM on 11/19/2011

Texting and Instant Messaging are very stilted communication styles. It's difficult for your point of view to prevail when texting and IMing because you have one chance, in most cases, to spell out everything in just the right way and will get back only one reply. You have to be very careful how you word things because there is a written statement that can be studied for as long as the receiver wants to - and then to respond to accordingly. You have little opportunity for persuasion because it gets very tedious writing the same request again and again if you get denied the first time. You can't judge facial expressions when the receiver gets the message. Bargaining ability is very limited. It takes longer to write a reply than to speak it. Usually, you have to wait long periods of time for a reply so you put it on hold on the side of your desk, and watch the pile get higher.

Many people know how to do it, they just find it more beneficial to talk face to face to someone. It's not an improvement in communication, it's often less effective.

[wherewereyouin]

12:41 PM on 11/19/2011

I'm 50-years-old and I make websites. This means I am older than all my co-workers, and also that I understand baby boomers use the Internet in completely different ways than people under the age of about 35, and they like completely different types of interfaces and layouts.

Bridging the gap is part of my mission - read the full post here:

Ever wondered about baby boomers and website design preferences? http://tinyurl.com/7uho387

[whatfreshhellisthis]

12:20 PM on 11/19/2011

I'm a member of the Silent Generation, a few years older than the oldest Boomers. Ever since I was a kid, I've felt as if I were being run over by the Boomers. They were an enormous tidal wave, just waiting to engulf my generation. We had been taught to sit down and shut up, whereas the whole world waited breathlessly for the next words and actions of the Boomers. As we aged, things that would make our lives more comfortable appeared in the marketplace not when we needed them but when the Boomers needed them. So I must admit to deriving a bit of satisfaction from the idea of Boomers feeling a little outmoded and irrelevant.

[SisterAnn]

11:13 AM on 11/19/2011

Drat, I guess I need to learn how to text. My husband does it and so does the rest of the family. I did one time and it was a mess of mispelled words.