Sometimes, a lot younger. What happens when you’re old enough to be your manager’s mother, or worse, grandmother? It is not always smooth sailing. There are a lot of feelings you require working out. This is not a theoretical problem— as Millennials hit the workforce, some will shift into management roles where they will supervise people who are considerably older than they are. When you are the older worker, how do you manage working for someone who is not just much younger boss but may have a lot less experience? Here are tips for working with a younger boss.
Examine Your Body Language
Your less experienced boss may make recommendations that you are 99% sure won’t work. Resist the urge to roll your eyes. It’s frustrating when your kids do it and it’s annoying when you do it. You might be right, but you need to keep your body language in check. You can bring up objections (see below), but how you deliver the objections is critical.
Watch Your Language
Knock the following phrases out of your work repertoire:
- When I was your age.
- We used to do it this way.
- I have been doing this since before you were born.
- After you have been doing this as long as I have you will see what I mean.
And anything similar. You do not need to draw attention to the age differences, and you don’t need to act like you are superior because you are older. You might be superior. Your boss is still the boss.
Assume Your Younger Boss is the Right Person for the Job
Even if you do not have more work experience, you’ve more life experience. That doesn’t mean that your Millennial boss is not the right person for the job of the boss. She might well have the knowledge and experience that management required and wanted to hire.
She might have management skills that other individuals don’t have. Some people are good at one thing and some are good at other things.
When your younger boss makes changes, do not resist the change. Don’t push back unless you have actually solid reasons. (We’ve never done it that way before, is not a solid reason.) If you have a solid reason, take it to your boss and present your case. That’s what you would do if your boss were older than you. If she says absolutely not, then support her. She’s the boss and she’ll take the fall if it was a stupid notion.
Keep it Professional
You’ve a lot of life experience, as well as professional experience. Your 20-something boss is in the process of going through things like dating, new babies, and general relationship drama that you are long, long past. Resist the urge to help her out with that stuff. She has parents she can go to for adult advice.
Furthermore, do not let yourself fall into the role of department mother or father. Sometimes this can happen when there are one or two baby boomers in a group of Millennials. Some even start calling their older coworker mom. It’s endearing and it’s also career suicide for you.
Nobody offers the good projects to the mom. Moms are there to bring cookies (don’t do it), and give advice (Advice on a project? Good. Advice on they guy she’s dating? Bad.) You are all professionals, so please act like it.
You Have not Gained any Special Privileges
This pops up in agencies where the older workers are long-term employees of the company. They have earned the right to come in late, or get the first pick on vacation time. Maybe first vacation pick is company policy, but your boss gets to determine that if it’s not.
If your boss need you to have a flexible schedule great! And by all means, negotiate it. You’ve earned it if you can point to your stellar work record. You haven’t earned it by your longevity alone.
Do not Try to Be Cool
If you’re naturally cool – awesome – but do not try to act like a 25-year-old when you are 45. It comes across as unprofessional and silly. Sure, that may be ageist, and you can threaten to sue, but we all live in the real world in which people are expected to mature as they get older.
There are different expectations for different individuals. As long as it does not affect your performance rating or pay, let it go.
Remember, age does not really matter once you hit adulthood. Do not panic if your new boss is a lot younger than you are. Just do your best at your job and things will go well.