How Generation Y Can Connect With Baby Boomers At Work

There is a generation gap in the workplace. This is nothing new. However, there is one area that can help bridge the generation gap and that area is technology. There are many stereotypes about Generation Y, some good, some not so good, but no one will dispute the fact that Generation Y is the most technologically advanced generation ever. It is mind boggling how many gadgets there are out there that Generation Yers utilize every day and how many websites there are that cater to “The Millennials.” It’s difficult for a member of an older generation to keep up with new technology and to keep up with the new social media sites that keep popping up but these are exactly the areas that can help Generation Y close the generation gap at work.

A few weeks ago I was in a department store in Los Angeles and the woman who was helping me (she was probably about 60 years old), was having trouble ringing up the sale on her computer. She summoned one of her twentysomething colleagues and he solved the problem quickly. You could tell that computers weren’t her thing but I observed something that needs to take place more in the workplace-I observed a member of Generation Y transform from student to teacher. He was able to solve a problem for his older co-worker because of his superior knowledge of technology and in the process, showed her that he was a team player. Hopefully, she appreciated his help and now sees an opportunity to continue this new technological relationship which could potentially help them communicate more and learn more about each other.

More and more Baby Boomers are joining the technological revolution but we are still in the minority. Simply put, we did not grow up with technology like Generation Y has. For a good part of my corporate career, I worked in an office without computers, fax machines, calculators, PDA’s, the internet, and cell phones. Today, these are all taken for granted. I was recently at a party and was talking with my friend’s 13 year-old niece about her cell phone and BlackBerry®. She was discussing the attributes of the new versions of these gadgets like she was discussing the weather. I had a flashback to when I was 13 and I think that color television was just starting to become commonplace. Yes, times have changed.

My point is that if you are a member of Generation Y and you work with Baby Boomers, and even members of Generation X, use your technological knowledge to your advantage. Offer suggestions on how to join social networking media sites, especially if it can help your company publicize their successes. Ask your older co-workers if they have a profile on Facebook or MySpace and if not, explain to them the benefits of having a profile. Use technology as an excuse to get to know your older co-workers better because studies have found that members of different generations at work just don’t communicate as much as they need to. In the end, you will feel good about helping someone else and they will see you as more than that “young whippersnapper” in the corner cubicle.

Several months ago, I interviewed for a very high-level job. I was told that they needed someone who was an expert in new media. I truthfully told them that I was not as knowledgeable as I should be in this area and that was the end of that. Today, I have a profile on Facebook, a lens on squidoo, and my own website. I’m contemplating joining Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Digg, and I just joined Blogspot. A few months ago, I had never even heard of half of these sites. I guess it proves that you can teach an old Baby Boomer dog new tricks. So, go ahead, strike up a conversation about the latest gadgets and websites with your older co-workers. Get to know them better so that they can get to know you better. Perhaps you can close the generation gap at work just a bit. Personally, I’m thinking about getting the new iPhone. I think I’ll ask my friend’s niece for her advice.

Andy Teach is the author of the new career advice book, From Graduation to Corporation: The Practical Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder One Rung at a Time.