The results from my most recent poll not only validated my frustrations with communicating with older colleagues but also persuaded me to think about the different approaches to conflict at work. Of the four categories for " Which is your greatest source of frustration at work", the majority of respondents picked: " Communicating with colleagues at least 10 years older or younger." Interesting.... and NOT at all surprising!
It appears that generational difference in the workplace is an increasingly important source of tension and conflict and I don't see employers doing enough to address it. Approaches to conflict can also differ by generation and I believe that generational influence should be understood and respected just as much as we accommodate and support diverse personalities in the workplace.
After all, I'm pretty certain that I just had a 20-minute conversation with you about how to create a table in Microsoft Word because of your age, not your eccentric personality:)
"That which seems the height of absurdity in one generation often becomes the height of wisdom in another." ~Adlai Stevenson
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