In my early 40s, I did something revolutionary: I got a full-time job.
I’d been self-employed for over a decade, but the siren song of paid benefits was too strong to ignore. Within hours of starting in my new position, it became clear that I was an anomaly. I was one of only two members of my team over the age of 30, and there was an age gap of 10 to 18 years between me and my other seven coworkers.
Much to my relief, every member of that team was happy to teach me the ins and outs of the new job — including the loads of technology I needed to know. They didn’t roll their eyes or make under-their-breath comments about old people and computers. They happily showed me the way.
As a Gen Xer, I have worked closely with millennials for over 15 years and with younger bosses for at least half that time. While they have been burdened with a lot of slander, I love working with millennials. They’re collaborative and recognize that in helping their coworkers, they’re helping achieve communal goals.
I struggled to work with older generations
I realize that no generation is a monolith, and it can be irresponsible to group people together. But we are all shaped by the events that transpire over our lifetimes, particularly those in the forefront during our formative years. So yeah, we have a lot in common with other people born around the same time.
I felt the rift between generations early on in my career. Honestly, it was the success-at-any-cost attitude of the baby boomers that pushed me out of the traditional workforce.
For example, I had one manager who couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to apply for a promotion. When I told him I needed all my bandwidth to be present for my children, he openly judged me, which affected my career trajectory.
I learned millennials are different
When they were young, millennials were often described as entitled. They were seen as doted on by hyper-involved parents.
But after working closely with them for years, I know that isn’t the case. To me, it seems many millennials believe they can create lives they love.
Every younger boss I’ve had has encouraged me to stay home when I’m not feeling well, to prioritize my family, and to have fun at work. They recognize that my job is not my life but that while I’m in the building, I should be encouraged to do my best and enjoy myself as much as possible.
I once asked one of my favorite millennial bosses about filling out my timesheet. I’d had to miss work because my dog needed emergency vet care. I asked if I should call it a personal day or use vacation time.
“That was a sick day!” she said. “Anything that impacts your health or wellness counts as sick time.”
She was the one who told me that volunteering at my children’s school would benefit our team; we were working on creating volunteer opportunities for kids, after all. As far as she was concerned, whatever was going on in my life was relevant to work, and anything that interfered with work was a reason to take time off.
The workplace is about to shift again
It’s about time we realize, as a culture, that young people are smart and savvy and have a lot to teach the rest of us.
It’s funny to watch the rivalry between millennials and Gen Z play out via social media memes; each generation revels in being the young, cool disruptor and eventually has to reckon with being the old, staid boss who’s responsible for keeping the machinery running.
This can lead to bitterness and resignation, or it can result in leaders who remember that life is supposed to be enjoyable and work is just work. I think the millennials are in the latter camp, and I’m happy to keep working for them until Gen Z becomes the boss of everything.
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