How to succeed with an older boss

Getting a promotion at work can take time, so those in supervisory positions are often significantly older than those they supervise, frequently by a generation or more. How should a young new employee engage with a boss their parent’s age? This article aims to help new entrants to the workplace navigate these uncertain waters.

Why are generational differences more extreme than ever before?

Current economic conditions have led some workers to delay retirement to keep building their savings. Meanwhile, some young workers are joining the workforce before completing school to reduce student loan debt and start earning sooner. A recent study showed that before the loan repayment hiatus, the average student loan debt payment was $300 a month, with $1.75 trillion owed by 46 million borrowers. So, while older workers are staying in the workforce at unprecedented numbers, younger ones are joining sooner than before.

This has led to an unprecedented range of ages in the workforce. A problem arises when these age differences results in different styles of work and different expectations of the workplace and of each other. Failing to understand these differences can result in miscommunication, ill will, and unnecessary stress. Demystifying potential generational differences can help prevent misunderstandings, not to mention give you a better chance at a good reference when the time comes to take the next step in your career journey.

For simplicity, we’ll use labels to describe the generations currently in the workforce, but no one person completely fits their generational profile, and the generational labels are fluid. In fact, the only generation to have an official government definition is the Baby Boom Generation. Yet, these general categories by age do have some value in understanding the key events of a certain time and how they shape the values and ideas of the individuals who grew up in those times.

For simplicity, rather than using all the named generations, they are grouped for this article. The ‘older’ generation in the workplace are those born in 1980 and before, and the ‘younger’ are all those born after 1980, also referred to as ‘digital natives’.

What makes your older boss tick?

While not everyone born before 1980 feels the same way, there are some helpful points of reference about what they experienced growing up and how that shapes their attitudes today. Boomers and Generation X largely grew up in 2-parent homes where their father was the breadwinner and the mother was a homemaker. Many saw their father stay at the same company for an entire career.

» Read: Switching careers later in your professional journey

Why does this matter? Because it shapes what they expect from their jobs. Research shows that Boomers and Generation X expect they’ll be stay at the same job for years or even decades. And many view work as toil, or as ‘punching a clock’, that is, as a means to an end – a way to get a salary that pays for a nice lifestyle, rather than as their purpose or a way to fulfill a passion. While not true of all members of these older generations, it may be true about your boss.

Research shows that Boomers and Generation X expect they’ll be stay at the same job for years or even decades, And many view work as a means to an end – a way to get a salary that pays for a nice lifestyle.

Why is your boss that way?

Perhaps the biggest difference among the generations is the technology changes they lived through. For Boomers, the defining technology advance was the television. In the 1940s, owning a TV was rare, but during the 1950s, TV ownership grew tenfold, from 9% of the population, to 88%.

• For Generation X, the defining new technology was the personal computer. In 1980, personal computer use in the home was nearly nonexistent, but today has grown to be ubiquitous.
• For the younger generation, computers have long, if not forever, been part of their lives, along with the Internet and mobile devices.
• For the older generations, these are new technologies that can be intimidating to use. According to research from the consulting firm McKinsey, as shown in table below, 17% of consumers choose to be offline completely, while another 25% are not comfortable with digital channels and use them only when necessary.

What makes young people unique at work?

While not true of all younger workers, research shows that they are more likely to be motivated to work for a cause they care passionately about, and may prioritize work-life balance over status or salary when choosing a job. The recent ‘great resignation’ of workers included 25 million people who left their jobs in the second half of 2021, and a total of 4.5 million in November alone. This is the highest quit rate since the U.S. government began tracking this trend in 2000. So, employers must do what they can to retain workers, which gives young workers more leverage than ever before.

What skills do young people have that their bosses don’t?

Younger workers have always had the Internet as part of their lives, and some have shared details of their personal lives on social media for years. While older generations may have gone to a dictionary or encyclopedia, younger ones immediately seek out information on digital channels, whether on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone.

» Read: Can micro-credentials enhance your career?

Older workers are developing digital skills, but unlike younger workers, did not grow up with these technologies. As a result of being digital natives, younger workers may have greater skill than their bosses at setting boundaries around work when working remotely.

As a result of growing up surrounded by technology, younger workers may have greater skill than their bosses at setting boundaries around work when working remotely.

Unlike the older generation, many younger workers were raised in 2-career families and watched their parents juggle work and family life. Some saw their parents struggle with job loss in the post-9/11 economic downturn. Many were children or teens during the 9/11 attacks and lived through the post-9/11 wars during their youth. This shaped the perspectives and values of younger workers, who are less likely to want to spend a long time at the same job than their parents.

Younger workers are ‘adapting quickly to a world undergoing rapid technological change. They’re optimistic, they’re confident and they’re pragmatic at a time when it can be difficult just to get by,’ says TIME writer, Joel Stein. They are also part of the most racially and ethnically diverse generation ever and are highly educated (and many also saddled with student loans). Additionally, they are the largest group in the current workforce.

Younger workers are part of the most racially and ethnically diverse generation ever and are also highly educated.

Many younger workers don’t remember when people weren’t reachable when traveling, and as a result don’t understand the idea of sitting at a desk to work. They are asking for flexibility in where and when they work. And, the move to remote work during the pandemic has accelerated the expectation that remote work can remain.

What are the keys to working successfully with your boss?

The keys to success in having a harmonious relationship with a boss who was shaped by such different culture and technology are as follows:

Younger workers are a tremendous asset to their organizations – a more educated, multicultural, and digital savvy group that has a lot to offer in connecting work to purpose and in driving an ethos of transparency and inclusion which is increasingly demanded in today’s society. With patience and respect for your differences, you and your boss can have a productive working relationship. The key is to not expect them to be like you, or to change to conform to their expectations. Instead, see to understand them, be adaptable (enough), and communicate your perspective clearly.