How young managers bridge the generation gap
At that time she found her age was an issue. "I used to find it confronting having to tell someone older than me that they weren't performing," she says. "I don't have an issue with it now, but back when I took over I was in the mindset of respecting my elders - which I still do - but I quickly realised I needed to find a balance as I wasn't able to articulate to older staff where they needed to improve."
She says some of the initial issues she dealt with revolved around technology. "Some of my staff really needed convincing that technology could help them," she says.
"But once they got it, they thought it was fantastic. I had one employee who refused to use an iPad, saying that pen and paper had always been OK for him. Now he's beside himself if he leaves for a job without it."
Ms Gambrellis says the way she deals with issues involving older staff is to take time to talk them through the process. "I do actually prefer working with older employees," she says. "They are more reliable than Gen Y, and you don't have to coax them to work for you by offering lots of bells and whistles."
Heidi Holmes, 31, runs job agency Adage, which specialises in placing older workers. She says if younger managers have issues with older workers it is usually down to perception.
"Whenever there is a reluctance to recruit an older worker, who I define as over 45, it is because they are viewed as not being willing to embrace change, or will be unable to use technology," Ms Holmes says. "But I never have any employers coming back to me and saying this has been the case."
She says managers have to acknowledge that today's workforce is more diverse than ever before so there is a need for managers, no matter what their age, to know how to deal with their staff.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
When Catherine Gambrellis took over Two Men And A Truck at age 26 many of her employees were over 40. She found it confronting to tell older staff they weren’t performing, because she respected her elders and initially struggled to articulate where they needed to improve.
Gambrellis took time to talk staff through the new processes and demonstrate benefits. She reports that once older employees tried the technology they often loved it—one employee who refused to use an iPad at first now misses it if he doesn’t have one.
Gambrellis says older employees tend to be more reliable than Gen Y and don’t require lots of extras or incentives to get the job done, making them easier to manage once communication and expectations are clear.
Adage, run by Heidi Holmes, specialises in placing older workers. Holmes defines older workers as those over 45 and focuses on helping employers hire from that age group.
Heidi Holmes says those perceptions exist—employers often assume people over 45 won’t embrace change or technology—but in her experience employers don’t report that these assumptions prove true after hiring.
The article highlights simple, practical approaches: take time to talk staff through new processes, demonstrate how technology helps, show respect for older employees’ experience, and adapt your communication so expectations and improvements are clear.
Heidi Holmes notes today’s workforce is more diverse than ever, so managers—regardless of age—need to know how to deal with different staff cohorts, address perception issues, and use inclusive management techniques.
Successful generational management examples from the article include clear, respectful communication about performance, patient training on new technology, older employees embracing tools after demonstration, and recognising older staff as reliable contributors.
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