Intergenerational Drama

Question:

My director, her director and majority of the senior staff are 10+ years younger than I am.

They make jokes about my age and often belittle my suggestions and my work output.

I've expressed my angst, but it seems like they don't care.

I've decided to leave after just 18 months, but I want to make sure they know why because it could help someone else.

How should I start and structure the conversation and should I include HR or just my director?

Answer:

Organizational leaders have always struggled with intergenerational conflict, but with the current cultural climate, things have never been more pronounced. With Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z all vying to be heard and respected, managing such a generationally diverse workforce is chaotic at the best of times but if not addressed, leads to harm.

The push and pull between those who seek to maintain the status quo versus those who seek to burn it all down versus something in the middle often leads to distractions that hamper leadership’s ability to innovate, differentiate, and establish a culture of welcoming and psychological safety. Unfortunately, these types of situations are being played out across industries globally. And they are rarely treated as the “secret sauce” that they are: opportunities to evolve internal communications, to benefit from mentoring, and to effectively share institutional knowledge.