We’re shaped by the emotional experiences of our formative years. Just as migrants are considered “out groups” and face discrimination, so too has each generation when entering the workplace. Because they inevitably disturbed the prevailing culture. Older workers, for example, tend to feel a sense of annoyance or frustration about what they perceive as an unwillingness of younger workers to embrace their expectations about how things “should” be done. They fail to understand that their new co-workers don’t actually understand how things have been done or whether that’s the way they ought to be done in a rapidly changing world.
The concept of “a new normal” is fascinating to me. It’s a phrase, among many, without meaning. The workplace evolves with each new generation, the rising expectations of increasingly pluralistic groupings, and the rapid growth of new technologies. A partial list of what makes the idea of “normal” idiotic includes changing worker expectations (for transparency, flexibility and inclusion), the talent and innovation wars (particularly the recruitment and retention of knowledge workers), new business models that must reflect an integrated yet disruptive global economy, intrusive government regulation, environmental degradation, escalating stakeholder demands, data explosion and knowledge obsolescence. And the list goes on.
In today’s new-normal workplace, both older and younger workers occupy the boss role. This wasn’t always the case but the ratio is now about fifty-fifty. Given the endless list of challenges noted, not having harmony and collaboration impairs productivity and is an incredible waste of human resources. Younger managers are more prevalent in tech-driven industries and in professional services, especially as companies promote Gen Ys and Zs into leadership roles to both develop and optimize their top-talent bench strength. Working for a younger boss can prove uncomfortable and potentially conflict-ridden for Boomers and Gen Xers. If you’ve been in the workforce for over twenty years and your boss has been there for less than five, you might think, “Why am I taking orders from her – I know more about this business than she does.”
Conversely, if your direct report is asking you why, when all you want him to focus on is what or how, you’re likely feeling it’s not his place to question your authority. For starters, there are some things you need to understand and then reconcile to reduce these generational conflicts. In the school playground, today’s younger workers were taught to stand up to bullying – that mindset has carried over into today’s workplace. They were also told “if you see something, say something.” Older generations were more likely left to deal with the consequences of unwanted, coercive behavior on their own. Gen Z and Alphas speak up about the causes they believe in. Older cohorts more likely bite their tongue. A third of younger employees are regularly involved in social justice issues, sometimes in disruptive ways that directly challenge the expectations of authority figures. While feedback is often encouraged, brutal candour isn’t always tolerated.
As students, Millennials and Gen Z typically had access to mental-health resources more so than did older generations. Almost half of younger workers now struggle with doubt, anxiety and depression, about double the rate of their parents. With better prescriptive tools, greater technological challenges and heightened social media intrusions, teachers were forced to understand and accommodate those grappling with such anxieties. Their students came to expect that accommodations would be made when they were struggling. So they now expect that from their employers in the form of greater transparency, flexibility and inclusion. Stress leave is the number one workplace disability and cost employers in the billions.
Younger workers were led to understand that their well-being is a priority and that they shouldn’t have to do things that made them feel uncomfortable. This mantra is repeatedly shared by HR departments that believe coddling is preferred to candour. But this is often misinterpreted by older workers who tend to despise the pampering techniques extended to younger generations. They believe it contributes to a feeling of entitlement and results in disengagement rather than “just getting stuff done.” Hustle is part of a Boomer’s cultural jargon. In consequence, they often wrestle with burnout. While they’re aware of the need for work/life balance, sometimes at the expense of their own, there’s also a sense of irritation, even anger, towards those who expect it. Older workers assume an economic contract with their employer; younger workers expect delivery on a psychological contract as well.
Younger workers, especially Gen Z, don’t have “bad attitudes” – they just have different expectations and motivations. And they communicate differently. Workplace conflicts are a result of these misunderstood differences. A Gen Z employee thinks a text is quite okay to call in sick; an older boss expects a phone call. No generation is more or less productive. Employees of every age perform better when the right conditions are in place. Like trust, meaningful work, inclusion and clarity about their future. Disengagement isn’t a mystery; it’s a predictable response to lousy management and poor leadership.
In five years time, Gen Z will be nearly 30% of the labour force. They’ve already received a multitude of labels describing their workplace behaviors. One is the “trailblazer generation.” And it’s true … simply because every new generation seeks to push back against the status quo and is more technologically astute than the one that went before. They grew up in a digital-first world, economic and political upheaval, and survived the Covid-19 pandemic. They value flexibility, balance and purpose-driven work over rigid office norms and the hustle culture, which at times creates friction with what older generations typically value: loyalty, duty, respect and teamwork.
Boomers also had their own aspirations and deep commitments to social activism, new-age thinking, open-mindedness to experimentation and self-validation. That said, many think their younger cohorts push their expectations of uniqueness too far. Indeed, according to The New York Times, some Gen Z workers think they should be hired for their personalities more than their competence. Boomers consider such creative expressions and workplace expectations as over the top and therefore in juxtaposition to their traditional values and experiences.
The receptivity of Millennial and Gen Z to previously taboo discussion topics is higher compared to older workers’ sense of job security and what’s appropriate for workplace conversations. Since they generally don’t possess a great understanding about the pre-technology world of business and top-down decision making, younger workers are more inclined to question traditional corporate norms. Boomers were taught to be more accepting of marketplace circumstances and events without reflexively questioning new directives or concepts. Unlearning them whilst being criticized by younger generations can be insulting and spark resentment and division.
Left unaddressed, emotionally-charged workplace labels based on diverse and ingrained generational expectations can disrupt the essential need for collaboration, flexibility and transparency. Sticking with ‘how things used to be done’ is a recipe for division and failure. The “I experienced it, so you should endure it too” mentality is a path to extinction. Younger workers, by nature, challenge the status quo – how things are done. That’s how change and progress happen. They rail against outdated practices and they ask good questions. Naivete is not a bad thing. Companies that fail neither encourage nor teach younger employees how to speak truth to power. Doing so, while difficult to master, is an essential driver of innovation.
Knowledge workers – those who exemplify the requisite capabilities that fuel innovation – are leaving companies that don’t (or don’t know how to) listen to their ideas. The thing about asking for honest feedback is that you first must genuinely want it. And the higher one goes, the less they role model giving, and therefore receiving, it. To be effective, feedback must be cognizant of generational, ethnic and personality differences. This isn’t a one-sided critique. There are also counterproductive notions that younger workers either don’t get or haven’t yet learned. When it comes to handling conflicts in the workplace, humility, tolerance, perspective and patience are the best teachers.