As all of you should know I am not a Baby Boomer. I fall into the category of being a Gen-Y er or the term I like best is a "Millennial" and I have to honest when I say that I enjoy working with people from my own generation and feel like when we are put into a team that we provide the best outcome. This is not a statement to be cocky and say that we are the best. We have our faults that is for sure. While we can multi task, we also have a major issue staying focused on topics that we are not interested in.
My new job is very much a Baby Boomer work place. Employees work long hours and place work on an extraordinarily high priority. Most people stick to their designated work roles and feel uncomfortable if they are asked to go outside of them or find that if a task does not fit into their job description, that it is not placed in the right person's hands. This also means that they are very good at the job tasks they are normally assigned, as they put long hours into them and are dedicated to the work that they feel will elevate them. So here we have some positives and some negatives. Overall, they are a joy to work with.
The area of conflict that I am seeing is in the generational gap at work. I have done some reading on the generational differences in the work place. A great article about the Millennials at work can be found here http://www.generationsatwork.com/articles/millenials.htm ,I recommend it as a read for people of all ages. It just seems to me that some small changes in the work place could fix a ton of these problems we are having with worker satisfaction.
Anyone else having or heard about issues like this? If so have you seen / done/ heard about changes to fix the work place when it comes to an issue such as this? Also, do you think it would be inappropriate for me to talk about this with my manager?
Would love to hear your thoughts.
~Marcus
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2 comments:
You hippies are all the same.
That being said, two thoughts.
One, if the Boomers are in management positions, I wouldn't try any drastic (and by that I mean things they see as drastic) changes. The young are a threat to the old and infirm. This is a fact.
Two, I'm sure your observations are spot-on - but since you're a relative newbie to the working world, I'd give it more time. Either (a) you'll learn to adapt while still working your way or (b) the weight of the world will break your spirit, and you'll become just like them.
I don't think the problem is strictly a generational one. Now I don't work in your office, but I obviously hear a lot from you and Kevin; it sounds like a place where everyone is content with doing their individual tasks, even thrives on it. This is probably efficient and safe, and I guess for most people - not just an older generation - that is okay.
But your personality isn't so tightly focused. You have interpersonal and leadership skill sets, you aren't scared to ask tough questions and face the big picture. I think it's just a personality conflict with the office.
That doesn't mean you can't be effective. I agree with Dave there, I think you'll adapt. People like you, you add something to their day. The important part is that you have your foot in the door at UofM and with enough hard work, you'll be noticed.
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