Talkin’ ’Bout Your Generation

There are probably folks at your company old enough to remember the moon landing — and others so young they’ve never used the Yellow Pages. Offices have pretty much always been multigenerational blends, and collaborating with colleagues of different vintages is a skill everyone should develop. Most of the time, it’s not all that hard, and often it’s very rewarding to connect with someone born in a different decade —?like discovering a reservoir of fascinating new cultural references (be they internet memes or ‘80s sports factoids).

But sometimes that process isn’t so seamless: It can feel like older or younger coworkers are speaking an entirely different language. (In the parlance of today, “No cap.”) If you’ve felt a little more friction lately between yourself and say, your Gen Z direct report, you’re probably not alone. According to Jean Twenge, a research psychologist and the author of a new book, Generations, gaps between age groups “right now are larger than they’ve been since the late ‘60s.”?

“That’s partially because of the different communication streams,” she tells us. “You have the Boomer who wants to see you face to face, the Gen Xer who wants to email, millennials who want to text you, and Gen Z who wants to send you a TikTok video.” There are other factors at play too, but that rift, often with Boomers and Gen X on one side and Millennials and Gen Z on the other, has caused “a lot of corporate conflict over the last five to 10 years,” Twenge says.?

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to address those issues. We’ve tapped Twenge and other experts to break down how when we were born affects how we think about the office, how to bridge any age gap, and more. We’re talkin’ bout your generation and others, and examining how workers of all ages can not just collaborate, but help each other thrive.

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Mind the Gap

Mixing Millennials and Boomers at work can get messy —?it’s almost inevitable that awkward Slack messages will occur. But that intermingling can also enrich a workplace and even help your own professional development. Creativity strategist Natalie Nixon has some simple advice for those struggling to connect with a peer of a different age, including what managers can do to create a culture where everyone feels heard.

Kids These Days

In a new interview, Jean Twenge explains the moments and movements that’ve come to shape each generation,?from Gen Z to the Silents. The author and psychologist also goes deep on how each group tends to see the world just a little differently, and unpacks their attitudes toward work-life balance, cultivating their careers, and work ethic.?

Get Back to Work?

This one’s for the Boomers: If you’ve recently retired only to discover that you’ve suddenly got way too much time on your hands, here’s how you can make a U-turn back to the office. We’ve got advice on how to hunt for a new gig in your 60s or 70s, and why there are a lot more older applicants on the job market than you may expect.

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