Bob Thompson, 58, a senior sales manager with 30 years of experience, always championed in-person meetings and informal dinners to seal deals. For him, emails or text messages felt impersonal.
However, Alex Rivera, a 25-year-old employee on Bob's team, approached things differently. This Gen Z individual preferred messaging via LinkedIn, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for data analysis, and sending online meeting invitations.
Conflict arose when both targeted a major client: a young CEO. While Bob insisted on a phone call to "build rapport", Alex opted for a text message. The client agreed to an online meeting within minutes. Bob was furious, accusing his subordinate of misusing technology and undermining professional etiquette, while Alex grew weary of his boss's resistance to change.
"They lack work ethic and prioritize work-life balance excessively", Bob remarked about the younger generation.
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Illustration: Pexels |
Illustration: Pexels
The story of Bob and Alex exemplifies the generational clash unfolding in many US workplaces. A recent survey by Workplace Intelligence reveals the confrontation is so intense that 25% of Baby Boomer workers (born 1946-1964) would rather work with AI than with Gen Z employees. Nearly 20% even plan early retirement to escape this exhaustion.
The core reason for this friction lies in fundamental mindset differences. While 60% of older workers believe younger generations are overly reliant on digital tools, weakening interpersonal connections, 64% of Gen Z view their predecessors' reluctance to adopt technology as a barrier hindering innovation.
Even Millennial managers (born 1981-1996) find harmonizing these two generations a challenging task. Conflicts emerge from minor details: email response etiquette, expectations regarding work hours, or attitudes towards receiving guidance.
"This isn't just a personal issue; it's a sign that outdated management models are failing", stated Steve Cox, CEO of Clari and Salesloft, the firm behind the survey.
This discord comes at a significant cost. The report indicates that each employee loses an average of over 5 productive work hours weekly, either resolving or enduring generational conflict. This waste is estimated to cost US businesses approximately 56 billion USD in productivity annually.
According to Cox, early retirement for older workers or young employees quitting represents a "dual failure". Businesses not only lose the invaluable experience of their predecessors but also incur tens of thousands of USD in recruitment and retraining costs for new hires.
Experts propose a "two-way mentoring" model as a solution. Gen Z would guide older generations in adopting AI and new technologies. Conversely, Baby Boomers would impart soft skills, interpersonal abilities, and crisis management - areas where AI cannot yet fully replace human expertise.
Ngoc Ngan (According to Forbes, Yourtango)
