Who’s the Kid in My Boss’s Office?

If you look around your department, you are likely to see someone who is quite a bit older than you – or quite a bit younger. With so many Baby Boomers prolonging retirement and with nearly 80 million Generation Y workers beginning to enter the workforce, it is becoming more common for older and younger generations to share a cubicle.

In some instances, Baby Boomers are actually working for some of these younger individuals. I recently watched an interview on Good Morning America where they spoke with a 54-year-old who had recently landed her ideal job in event marketing. She ended up getting fired because she couldn’t tolerate working for a boss 25 years her junior.

“I think that it’s very common for someone older to be a little resentful to someone who is 25 years younger telling you want to do,” she said in the GMA interview.

Do you find this sort of thing happening in your company? If you’re reporting to someone half your age, how does that make you feel? Do you have a problem working for someone younger who has less experience? Or, if you’re the young boss, how do you communicate with the members of your staff? Do you feel that authority comes with experience or performance?

Comments

[Ali]

Hey

I am a Young Boss. Director at age of 26 (in my wanna be professional family business). I have to manage people who are my Dad's age. As my father is moving out of business operations alot reston my shoulders.

I generally treat them well, with respect; a Mr. before the name, take input from them and try to lay out very clear objectives and requirements of whats gotta be done.

Still i see alot of resistance and alot of pressure to resist change and do things in the right manner. They either just dont seem to understand or have not accepted the management change as such.

Any comments / recommendations from the author or any one else will be great.

[baby slings]

I recently watched an interview on Good Morning America where they spoke with a 54-year-old who had recently landed her ideal job in event marketing. She ended up getting fired because she couldn’t tolerate working for a boss 25 years her junior.