The brighter you are, the more you have to learn.
The Ithaca Journal - Businesses seek to bridge generation gaps in management
October 20, 2006
The Ithaca Journal
In fact, Vern McAllister, a principal engineer who has been with the Muscatine, Iowa-based company since 1975, said he hired his current supervisor, George Gardner.
Gardner, also a principal engineer, started at the company five years ago. McAllister is 59; Gardner is 42. "It's not an issue," said McAllister, "I think the reason it works out so well is ... everyone is interested in doing good electrical engineering projects. We don't get hung up on personnel issues."
Gardner said he often stops by the desks of the three senior members of his department to ask for their input and feedback. The three younger engineers in the department, he said, "really look to my three senior guys for advice and help."
A new survey out earlier this month by OfficeTeam suggests that the majority of workers would agree that age is just a number.
Eighty-four percent of workers polled said they would be comfortable reporting to a manager younger than they are; 89 percent said they wouldn't mind supervising employees older than themselves.
It's having a good "relationship between you and your boss that's most important," said Stacey Singleton, branch manager of OfficeTeam in Des Moines.
Both sides should listen to each other's perspectives, be sensitive to people's experiences and backgrounds, and be supportive to foster a collaborative work environment, Singleton said.
Younger workers should view those who are older as mentors, she said. "They're going to have a lot of organizational and industry knowledge. They can definitely give deeper insight as to what's going on in the workplace."
Older workers should remember to "be an employee, not a parent," Singleton said.
Gardner said the senior workers are "indispensable" not only with their help on projects but also mentoring the younger staff.
Stanley Consultants was named by AARP last year as the country's Best Employer for Workers Over 50.
Among its nearly 1,100 members, 32 percent are 50 or older; 50 percent are between 30 and 49.
Dianne Durkin, president of Loyalty Factor in Portsmouth, N.H., said that contrary to the OfficeTeam survey findings, she's hearing that tension between Generation X bosses overseeing baby boomer workers is "causing tons of conflict."
"We're getting into the X-ers now who are in their mid-30s who are being promoted, so we're getting older workers working for the younger people," said Durkin, who has been researching the topic for the past six years.
She said baby boomers are "workaholics" who define themselves by their work and performance, and want to be appreciated for their time and effort.
Gen-Xers, Durkin said, want more of a work-life balance, are unafraid of questioning authority and crave instant feedback.
"The best way to work together is to communicate to one another and learn from one another," she said.