"Millennials" Vs Older People

[JM Aggie08]

Don't work for a shitty company. Problem solved.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

lol. Intern.

Stay out of company politics, make friends, don't dip your pen in the company ink, and work hard.

 

[Mixolydian]

I don't think it's really a generational thing. I think it's just plain old workplace politics. I work with a lot of different people, young and old, and the young people do the things you describe just as often if not more-so than the older ones.

Everybody wants to make themselves look good and divert attention when they do something wrong.

 

[SheHateMe]

I appreciate that this thread is significantly more level-headed and has legitimate communication vs. the insults of the other thread. Hopefully it stays that way.

I think there was a lot of negativity shown towards younger people in that thread.

I don't have anything negative to say about older workers other than some of the issues with the tattling on people.

I don't think the behavior is exclusive to the older crowd. I just made the thread title the way it is because there is already a similar thread and I kind of wanted to pull those people in here (hehe).

During my last internship, there was an intern that liked to tell on people too. She was doing it because she wanted to look good and get a job in the end. Fortunately, the people there really didn't like brown-nosers and they ended up talking to her.

So, for those few posters calling me ageist....get a grip.

lol. Intern.

Stay out of company politics, make friends, don't dip your pen in the company ink, and work hard.

I'm not an intern (what is funny about that, anyway?)

I don't participate in company politics. I try to make friends with everybody....but I have had several people clue me in to things since I've started getting reports.

I really don't believe in telling on people at work anyway. If somebody is doing something they shouldn't (or you think is unfair, etc)...it isn't my business unless its illegal.

I make sure my work is done and that's it.

 

[pete6032]

I'm an older millenial but this happened the other day to me. I was in a committee meeting with about 40 other people. Everyone had on black and white (white shirts, dress pants) except for me. I had on a bright blue collared dress shirt and khaki dress pants. Felt like I was standing out like a sore thumb. Fortunately I was part of the audience and not the committee.

 

[SheHateMe]

lol Yes, there is nothing worse than feeling like you are over-dressed or under-dressed for something.

The first few days of work, I dressed in business attire (I just wanted to see what everyone else was wearing to work) and my manager actually told me to start wearing casual clothes because the rest of the IT team was.

 

[Slew Foot]

old people are usually in positions where they dont really do any productive work. thus they to spend to spend their time finding things to complain about, and it usually ends up being against new people or others they dont like.

 

[Genx87]

This isnt a generational thing. People are just a-holes with nothing better to do than watch the office and complain.

I dont know how people like this keep jobs. If I were a manager and somebody complained about inane things. I would fire them for being annoying and disruptive to the office.

 

[IronWing]

lol Yes, there is nothing worse than feeling like you are over-dressed or under-dressed for something.

The first few days of work, I dressed in business attire (I just wanted to see what everyone else was wearing to work) and my manager actually told me to start wearing casual clothes because the rest of the IT team was.

This is the best strategy. Overdress until you understand the culture.

 

[DrPizza]

Okay, there's a hole in your story. You claim you were given permission to go to lunch early. You claim that someone "told on" you. How the hell would you have found out? Is your supervisor equally petty (if that's what we're going to call it) that he told on your coworker to you for your coworker telling on you?

Perhaps you're creating a perception that you aren't pulling your weight, that you're slacking off, and your older coworkers who have been with the company longer realize that you start ignoring people taking an extra 10 minutes off now, than next month, it'll be 20 minutes, then 30..

 

[OverVolt]

jkl

 

[Texashiker]

It's ridiculous. I was speaking with a lady in the break room about how someone reported me to my manager for leaving to go to lunch 10 minutes early.

That would probably cost me my job.

I would find out who that person was, approach them, tell them straight up what I do is none of their dam business. Add in some yelling and cursing, get them in a corner, finger in face, do you understand me bitch, well do you?

If you are going to act like you are in high school, expect to get treated like you are still in high school.

Get reported to HR, get escorted out a few minutes later. Screw it, at least I got my point across before getting fired.

At least find out what they drive and cut their tires. People usually have a change of attitude when they see all four rims sitting on the ground.

 

[OverVolt]

jkl

 

[T9D]

I think it comes down to personality types in addition to age.

Older people dislike us younger folks because we exude positive energy and are actually in a good mood most of the time. We generally have a more optimistic outlook on life and try to make the best of our situation. We also tend to be more social with one another and are much more willing to spend time with co-workers outside of work. We don't necessarily agree that life has to be some endless struggle.

Older folks have already had these positive feelings drilled out of them by decades of dull, repetitive, and uninspiring work. They've built up a lot mental baggage over the years which governs what they consider to be 'normal' behavior. This puts them into a negative mindset where not only are they not enjoying themselves, but they don't want to see anyone else enjoying themselves either. They will behave in petty, trite, or outright rude ways as an outlet for their displeasure -> office politics.

(obviously these are generalizations and don't apply to everyone)

Anyway, these are just my thoughts on the current generational gap based on my experiences and others my age. I urge my peers to resist becoming the same miserable, curmudgeon-like people that we despise today.

But here's the problem. That pretty much spills over into the job and amounts to just a lot of pissing around. And the older ones end up doing more of their work. A lot of the 'kids' have this attitude of just getting a paycheck and that's all that matters. No investment mentally in keeping the company going or being a part of a ship that needs to keep sailing. If the ship sinks it's no matter to them because they can jump off any time onto their parents ship or they always have a lifeboat around. So not enough urgency or seriousness. And it shows in their general attitude of laughing and playing around way to much.

 

[ImpulsE69]

From another thread, but I agree with this. The guy who did my emissions testing had an EE degree. He was going back for an EE masters. Probably was making like $15 an hour. We hit it off pretty well since he saw our college hoodies in the car. I'm about as underemployed as he is atm. Hopefully the boomers and millennials, although at each others throats for now, ultimately end up working together (they will have to) and I feel like Gen X are the ones losing their sanity.

There's a fine line to walk there though. Companies don't give 2 sh!ts about their employees and will walk all over them if given the chance and let them go at the drop of a hat if it benefits the bottom line. This doesn't exactly foster good feelings when you are expected to put the company above all else.

I personally believe in going the extra mile when it's called for, but I don't make it a point to live to work. That seems to be the difference I see. I fall in the middle for the "gens" although I'm a late Gen X so I kind of see both ends of it. Millenials live in a world where companies basically have the upper hand and they've seen what has happened to their parents over the years. The older Gen X and older have a company first above my own life approach to much of it that. They don't tend to understand work/life balance and are unhappy. I'm the youngest person on my team and I definitely see the difference in attitudes as you work up the age bracket.

 

[IronWing]

But here's the problem. That pretty much spills over into the job and amounts to just a lot of pissing around. And the older ones end up doing more of their work. A lot of the 'kids' have this attitude of just getting a paycheck and that's all that matters. No investment mentally in keeping the company going or being a part of a ship that needs to keep sailing. If the ship sinks it's no matter to them because they can jump off any time onto their parents ship or they always have a lifeboat around. So not enough urgency or seriousness. And it shows in their general attitude of laughing and playing around way to much.

For good reason. They know the ship's officers will cheerfully throw them overboard to meet quarterly profit targets or dump them at the next port for a cheaper date. Companies that stand by their workers and invest in their workers end up with loyal workers. Companies that treat their workers as disposables don't.

 

[OverVolt]

jkl

 

[IronWing]

Mmhmm Gen X is probably going to get it the worst. They are the live to work group. Although the millennials are struggling, I'd rather struggle now and get it out of the way. Millennials are going to be the deal-savvy, DIY group like the people who lived through the great depression. We'll have to be. I don't envy the boomers because of how much they have to struggle as they age. They may truly get screwed out of their retirement just like the millenials are getting screwed out of the "american dream" and I think Gen X doesn't realize it, but they are getting screwed out of enjoying life.

The baby boomers will continue to vacuum up resources just as they've always done. They've vote themselves all that they need and leave nothing behind, just as they've always done. Expect long term care to be the next big entitlement program.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Glad I work at a small more laid back place. We wouldn't tolerate that crap. Worry about doing your job. If you have the luxury to worry about petty crap, we are not giving you enough work.

 

[Genx87]

You're turning more into a Gen X curmudgeon everyday :'(.

I really think Gen X is the worst generation. You guys had zero real challenges like the millennials faced graduating into 2008-2009 and after. You *think* you faced challenges because you survived the 2008 layoffs but its only because you guys got your foot in the door already.

Gen X is by far the most materialistic generation with no principles of their own whatsoever.

I'd take the boomers over Gen X any day. They have principles that they live by other than materialism. The millennials and the boomers actually face a common challenge. The boomers are struggling with retirement just as much as the millennials are struggling to get started. I don't envy Gen X as I think you guys ultimately overextend yourselves and get the worst of it economically since you guys really haven't got a clue what is going on. Everyone who is 35-49 seems to be overextending themselves debt-wise in my personal experience. You can't feel the wave of austerity that is inevitably going to hit.

The backend of generation X came out of school around the 01 crash, 9-11, tech crash ect.
Every generation has struggles in their 20s. It is amusing to read about Millenial's. As if they are a unique group that has had to struggle during this time period in their life.

 

[Genx87]

The baby boomers will continue to vacuum up resources just as they've always done. They've vote themselves all that they need and leave nothing behind, just as they've always done. Expect long term care to be the next big entitlement program.

Yup. And what struggles did the baby boomers have to deal with anyways? The war was over before they were born. They are a huge voting block that has systematically voted themselves large govt programs to take care of their needs at the expense of other generations. Is it any surprise ACA was passed just as the baby boomers are set to retire? And who gets to pay for it again? The generations younger than them.

 

[OverVolt]

jkl

 

[desura]

to the OP:

was the tattletale an older female?

 

[Genx87]

Right. I'm pretty sure those were the days where general Microsoft Word usage passed as amazing office skills as was typing without pecking at the keyboard (30-40wpm+) and knowing how to dial the fax machine. Try again. Gen X were not actually the generation who got hit by that recession, it was the out of date boomers who got culled from the herd back then.

The back end of the generation came out of school during a time of recession, uncertaintly, and quite a few political and financial disasters. So yes they had a hard time of it.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

old people are usually in positions where they dont really do any productive work. thus they to spend to spend their time finding things to complain about, and it usually ends up being against new people or others they dont like.

This, 1000%.