Older employees reporting to younger bosses are an increasingly common scenario in today's well-educated, highly technological workplace. Though friction in such situations is normal--older workers typically aren't keen on taking directions from younger, perhaps less experienced bosses, who they sometimes resent as "interlopers"--trouble isn't inevitable.
Such situations call for sensitivity, empathy and patience, but many young hotshots lack these traits and that makes for a tense working environment. To make matters worse, older workers will often dig in their heels, become uncooperative and insist they have nothing to learn from a new--and much younger--supervisor.
For their part, younger bosses face the challenge of the age gap, too. They can't relate to their subordinates in the same way they interact with their peers. If the age difference is especially sharp, more than 10 or 15 years, for example, then boss and the employee are from entirely different generations, and that may only exacerbate a communication breakdown.
Experts have several tips that can help both boss and employee.
First, younger bosses should show deference and respect to the years of service and institutional memory of older workers. This doesn't mean they shouldn't make changes in the organization, but it does mean they need to show some appreciation for both their workers' past accomplishments and their current value.
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"If you race into the company, shake things up immediately with no sensitivity to the older guys already there, then you've probably burned some bridges and lost the ability to tap that knowledge."
Experts say those who become managers early in their careers are often the most relaxed around older employees, and thus most likely to interact easily. On the other hand, young workers who are suddenly plucked from the ranks and put in charge of older workers in the same company are especially at risk of crashing into the age gap.
At the same time, younger bosses are often reluctant to give guidance to employees they don't think are likely to advance in the company. And it's always a little awkward to criticize, or to mentor, an elder.
Older employees, too, can ease the transition by reaching out to help an older boss navigate the company's culture or backing up a younger boss when there's trouble. Showing loyalty like that can build a relationship that can transcend age differences. Conversely, older workers can sabotage the company's success (as well as their own) by pouncing on a young manager's mistakes. |
