Older Workers Have Fears – Older workers are worried about becoming forgotten or laid off for costs, or just missing their opportunities to advance. Statistics show that if you are over 50, the next time you change jobs, it might not be the worker’s choice. Their next job might not be as good or interesting as the old one.
Younger Workers are Frustrated – Younger people worry that older people are taking the jobs, preventing them from moving up. They might feel like they have imposter syndrome or can’t make the new job work. All the stress keeps people siloed.
Older Workers Get Attached to Their Experience – But older people can feel attached to their experience and best practices. Of course, they have experience and have seen situations before, which gives them confidence. But can they be too attached to that and become too rigid and not open to new ideas or trying something outside of the experience?
Younger Employees Want to Create an Impact with Fresh Ideas – Younger employees who wish to make an impact and have education and ideas that are new and cutting edge. But maybe they reject the experience because they think new is better or the new idea is their ticket to becoming known in the company.
Generational Wars can Occur – This conflict of worries and conflict of experience and new ideas puts generations at work in conflict and can cause mistrust and competition. This War between the generations can even be cold and silent as the stress mounts.
Be a “Mentern” – There are experienced mentors who help others. Some interns are younger and newer and hoping to get experience. But what about trying to be a “mentern”? You can teach. You can learn. You can help and all the plusses and minuses of all experiences in the company and make everything better
Tips for Everyone – Everyone should learn to ask questions, learn from each other, and have gravitas. Be serious but friendly and take every opportunity to grow and help. This will make workers stand out at any age or experience.
Don’t Stereotype People – Stereotypes don’t pay off. Not every experience worker is smarter or better, and not every newer employee is lost and unsure. Give everyone a chance to show you who they are and what they offer.
History Shows Mentors Pay Off – If you follow, you see many famous people with mentors and mentees. From Socrates to Plato, Aristotle, Warren Buffet, and many modern tech giants. History is filled with this relationship. It’s a meaningful relationship that makes everyone better.
Challenge
Figure out which stage you are in your company. If you’ve been in our company for a while, you might be more in that mentor phase. If you’re new to the company, you might be in that fresh idea, learning stage, and figure out where you’re. Give three examples of what you bring to this job. What is it that you have that other people don’t have? If you’re newer to the organization, maybe you have experienced learning something directly in college that other people didn’t know. You can bring a lot of good ideas. If you’ve been established in a company for a long time, you may have the experience that helps other people improve.
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