Ahhhh the 4th of July weekend; bar-be-cues, fireworks and much ado about the woes of corporate america. The subject – my 50-something girlfriend who works for a large medical services provider and boy was she hotter than a firecracker on the 4th of July. Her boss is male and much younger – almost half her age. Among her many sources of discontentment are feeling invisible; undervalued, underappreciated and says her input and ideas are often overlooked. As unsettling a scenario as this is I couldn’t help but chuckle when she threatened to put him over her knee and spank him and was happy to see her apply some humor to a less than funny situation.
With an ageing population working well beyond traditional retirement, ageism and attitudes towards older workers must be addressed in the workplace. Dr, Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” But the injustice of age discrimination in our society appears to not carry the same importance as inequalities based on gender, race, sex or religion.
My friend’s situation opens to door an interesting training opportunity or corporate H R Managers, but also poses the question of how older workers feel about being managed by a “younger” boss, and what recommendations they would make in terms of bridging the gap between an older and younger workforce.
As it appears, whether by choice (economic factors) or by force (the desire to stay busy), baby boomers are in the workforce to stay. Though the comment about spanking her younger boss made me laugh, perhaps it also gave some insight into the attitudes and preconceptions older worker have towards younger bosses as well. Both youth and age has its advantages. Some give and take on both side of the table and an organizational culture that values diverse age groups can lead to a productive and valuable partnership.
What are your thoughts on this matter?
Interesting post, Sondra. In my last corporate position I worked with many colleagues who were significantly younger. My boss was 10-12 years younger but he was a great boss and I respected his expertise. It was a good situation. One colleague was young enough to be my daughter (in fact I am her mother’s age) but we were – and remain – the best of friends. Sometimes the age issue just isn’t an issue.
So true Catherine!! I’d like to think there were more situations like yours where it wasn’t an issue. But to be fair – I’ve also seen situations where older workers were quite a handful.
You’ve certainly hit on an interesting topic Sondra! I’ve been in that situation a couple of times, where I had to deal with very young people on various contracts. My experience was unbelievably frustrating. They knew just enough to be dangerous and pompous…but had no idea how to nagivate through what they didn’t know (does that make sense?). It’s a scary thought given that I’m at the age where dealing with the (much) younger generation is going to my new “norm”. Catherine Morgan could probably offer up great advice on this!!!
Yes makes a lot of sense Wendy. So much so in fact, I had to laugh. You remember what it was to be young and oblivious to what you didn’t know until it was too late
I sure do!
I’ve always had a tendency to think of myself as “ageless” but when I am confronted with the younger generation (even in a subordinate role) I have been more aware of the ever widen gap.