The report shows that nearly half of the office workforce is at odds with the Baby Boomers who are “just getting on with it” or the work-life balance millennials.
- Nearly half of office workers disagree with millennial work practices
- Most millennials want to work from home, study says
- A quarter of baby boomers are viewed as ‘out of reach’ by younger peers
- Differences lead to conflicts over email, during Zoom meetings, and in person.
British offices are seeing an increase in generational friction in the workplace, according to the report.
Nearly half of office workers — 40 percent — say they are at odds with either millennials or baby boomers about how they work after the pandemic.
Phrases like “work-life balance,” “just do the job,” “I have a long drive to work,” and “health and wellness” lead to conflicts that didn’t exist before, the researchers found.
A quarter of Baby Boomers – aged 55 to 74 – are considered “out of reach” by young workers due to their “just get by at all costs” approach to work.
But 42 percent of Gen Z workers — ages 18 to 24 — are so passionate about their health and well-being that it affects their jobs.
But 42% of Gen Z workers — ages 18 to 24 — are so passionate about their health and well-being that it affects their jobs, according to 62% of baby boomers.
About 55% of millennials – aged 25 to 39 – are too passionate about working from home and often play the “family or long commute card” according to 37% of all respondents.
Gen Xers – people in their 40s and 55s – seem to have a job to keep the peace, and they say they place a lot of importance on being “self-reliant and resourceful.”
Differences lead to clashes via email, Zoom and face-to-face interviews among 4,000 British adults, according to researchers from hiring specialist Robert Walters.
But the controversy does not end there: a third of workers under the age of 30 are unhappy with outdated technology, and 27% of millennials do not like email as a form of communication.
Firm spokesman Robert Walters said: “It is clear that there are significant differences of opinion between age groups, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Our 2022 data shows the dramatic impact of the pandemic and how long periods of remote work have led to a fragmentation of workplace culture and values that colleagues could once share.
“As companies continue to return to the office, identifying common sources of conflict and addressing them promptly will be essential to building and maintaining cohesive teams of professionals across generations and diverse minds.”