I was thinking about generational differences a few weeks ago when my husband and I flew on vacation. We sat in front of three twenties and were aware of their conversation for the duration of the flight. After about an hour, my husband leaned over and asked, "Why are those kids behind us ending their sentences with question marks?"
I smirked and nodded. replied, “They use online chat. Is it like a thing with millennials? "
"Now you are he said wearily.
"I'm a communication expert, I know things," I replied, blowing on my fingernails and shining them on my shirt.
A few minutes later my husband whispered, "Those kids seem to growl when they talk too."
"They use a speech pattern called vocal fry," I said. I closed my throat and recited a few sentences in a crushing imitation of consonants from the actors on Keeping Up With The Kardashians . I declined when my husband offered me a cough.
***
OK, before you reach for your smartphone to tweet outrage at my flawed generalizations about millennials, you should know that the above conversation never happened. I use it to illustrate that age discrimination works both ways. Generalizing about generational differences, either across decades or bad for everyone.
Related: Simon Sinek on the millennial question
The reason I thought about generational differences is that I reached the official Social Security retirement age a few months ago. Will I retire? An emphatic devil no ! As I recently told my CEO, “I will work until you first get my feet from here, or 70, whichever comes first.” His response was to ask why I considered 70 a magic number and then suggested that I might want to stay at my job much longer.
My CEO's benevolence reflects my company's attitude towards of its senior executives – comparing age to expertise, not weakness. That's a good thing, considering I'm 16 years older than my supervisor, 18 years older than the CEO, and 40 years older than the millennials in my department. I confess though:I may be a bona fide senior citizen, but in my mind, I'm still 22 and cellulite is something that happens to grapefruit, not thighs. But I haven't lost sight that I'm not sensitive to my age because my company treats its older workers like people who know a thing or two.
Age Discrimination in the Workplace:A business plan at a loss
Are seniors from other companies so lucky? Maybe not. I think it's because some employers think that older workers are exhausted and slower than younger ones. Or deep experience is not worth as much as the ability to hire two or three young workers for a senior's salary and hoping for the best. It happened to a 60 year old friend of mine. His company underwent a spending rebuild, cutting many positions. Despite excellent annual reviews, my friend was fired. Then the company hired a guy fresh out of college to replace her, then fired him a month later because he didn't have the experience to do his job. Talk about a lose-lose business plan.
Businesses operationally hamper themselves when they use age as a factor in hiring and retention.
Businesses operationally hamper themselves when they use age as a hiring and retention factor. This is a huge concern because people are working longer today. According to analysis of statistics from the Pew Research Center's Federal Bureau of Labor, about 20% of Americans age 65 and older are still employed. More seniors have been employed since the early 1960s before the United States enacted Medicare. Many continue to work because they have no choice. Fortunately, the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits discrimination against persons 40 years of age and older in any aspect of employment, including hiring, termination, compensation, assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, benefits, and any other terms or conditions of employment.
Generational Inclusion:The Age of Enlightenment
People of my company don't care about age discrimination. In fact, generational diversity leads to innovation. We will soon be launching a leadership program with the aim of training and promoting future executives and managers within the organization. Seniors and subject matter experts mentor our younger colleagues.
We have a lot to gain from connecting with each other. My millennial colleagues are highly intelligent, serious about their contribution, and passionate about their work. They ask questions and listen. I learn something from them every day, things like search engine optimization, which I find doesn't mean starting a stalled car by aiming it downhill and popping the clutch.
My fellow Gen-Xers are creative and hardwired for productivity, perhaps because they're the generation whose mothers entered the workforce in droves and daycare taught them independence while playing well with others. Gen-Xers are hyper-focused and enthusiastic. It’s not uncommon to hear them say, “How about we try this idea? I know the deadline is tomorrow, and it's 5pm, but what if we make one final change? My baby boomer peers came of age when social and economic equality rose to prominence while the country was in the midst of political upheaval. Sound familiar? Baby boomers have the breadth of experience to set the stage for tomorrow and the resilience to redirect course if necessary. Maybe my inner flower child shows when I say that diversity and inclusiveness aren't just throwbacks to the 60s. These attributes are more important than ever.
Why is it important? At 75.4 million and growing, millennials have already overtaken baby boomers as America's largest generation. Soon they will be running our businesses, our political parties, the nation. It is up to the generations before Generation Y to resist what differentiates us from them. Instead, let's share what we know and let them teach us too.
If I may respectfully borrow a word from millennials, I would describe my colleagues of all ages as ah-may-zing . I apply the same word to my professional life, which will stretch far into the future, perhaps even beyond 70 years.
Related: 6 habits of successful millennials
