Hi Al,

Job titles to a whole lot of us "Experience folks" mean nothing to us. It is just a title when it boils down to it. I am not oppose to or not proud to ask the advise of some 3/4 of my age.

Here is my advice to those "Senior" individuals out there who think that their word is gospel. If you were suddenly dropped into a ne IT shop, doing the same thing that you were doing now, guess what? You would be once again a wet behind the ear rookie again. Do not take yourself or your title that seriously. Be humble, step back and listen. That is real wisdom. Take care. Greg

In my experience, management is at the core of this conflict. I have seen male managers pass over seasoned employees with decades of experience and give the promotion to the young pretty girl when this is her first job in the industry, making an inexperienced 28 year old the team leader of women in their fifties who have been denied promotions their whole lives because of sexism.

Frankly, this sounds more like an issue of office culture problem not an problem between generations...

This is something that I have not seen. I have seen older, more experienced coworkers do one of two things:

1. They have a harder time with adapting to new methods and thinking outside the box because that is the way it was always done.
2. They know the way things need to be done and become frustrated when less experienced coworkers try to cut corners I have seen younger people do:
3. They become so enamored with changes that they often rush into making changes without doing the proper checks and balances to make sure the new methods work.
4. They are disrespectful of the experienced personnel and ignore advice.
5. They come on board with a sense of entitlement because they are just out of school and know it all. Granted this is not all the time but these are some observations I've made. Most often I have seen more cooperation and and mentoring situations.

Seniors Vs Juniors! We'll seniors need to know that their age doesn't make them superior or mean that they know more, or always need to lead; and Juniors need to know that they are still in the process of learning, and that their youth doesn't make them better or stronger! But you as the employer need to hold a team meeting and set the rule that in the end you have and make the final say so in what goes on in and around your business and whoever you set in charge is who has the final say in your absence, but make sure you have an even equal opportunity manager or supervisor! Who understands the need of your company as well as the needs of your other employee's!

I teach a class on Organizational Behavior...keeping it short...management must be trained to recognize..control...and lead by example behaviors from all groups...it is the job of leadership to get this under control....I always gravitated toward the mature worker..more knowledge..less drama than from my peers back then!

I believe it's the responsibility of management to cultivate the most effective environment that caters to all eras. Aside from age groups, you have diverse cultures, personalities and attitudes that may require special and unique attention. I AM NOT suggesting that management should bend over backwards for the team members, but I do believe management is responsible for creating the best and most productive environment. There is a lot we can learn from millennials, just like there is a lot we can learn from seasoned employees, regardless of age. Teamwork makes the dream work! ;)

I am what you would consider a senior and have to say I have had millennials work for me and with me and have never had any issues. Perhaps the problem is that both sides have to respect each other and what they bring to the table. We all have different perspectives and they go beyond age. The question I have is how are you treating your seniors and millennials equally? Do you talented time to talk with each group to help them understand each other?

Al, when I was employed, I didn't see much of that. Perhaps it may have been the type of area I worked. I did see quite a bit of nepotism, but nothing to where the older vs the younger generation occurred. And media always have to tag somebody, to which Cecile alluded. It does take both to make it successful as Dora stated.

Before I lost my job I seen that often. That happens so much every workplace and it causes a lot of conflict within the workplace. I personally feel we can get more done if we all work together. It's call TEAM WORK there is no I's in Team.