Millennials and Gen Z unleash on the work habits of Baby Boomers — power-hungry and can’t Google

Young workers are constantly being called out for the way they work, but what about the older generation?

With the cultural focus on how Gen Zers and Millennials have changed the way we work, news.com.au has turned the tables to ask what Boomers – those between 57-75 – could do better.

We’ve heard a lot about how the younger generation craves compliments, and flexibility, and are less concerned with hierarchy.

We know they are chatty, ignore power structures, and firmly set boundaries.

But what about the Boomers?

According to *Jake, Boomers are far too liberal when using the reply-all button.

Young people are much more personal with their approach to work and don’t like their business broadcasted to the entire company.

Meanwhile, *Jade is completely fed-up with their “unnecessary phone calls.” In fact, she is so enraged that she added three exclamation points to highlight the severity of her complaint.

Clearly, those Boomers have missed the memo that young people don’t actually talk on the phone.

And clearly, Gen Zers don’t realize how much Boomers value a chat over a cold email.

*Ryan is more annoyed that Boomers tend to eat up your time with questions they could answer themselves via the internet. “Asking technology questions they could easily Google,” she said.

As for *Lucy, she is frustrated by their outdated outlook on work KPIs.

“They count minutes instead of outcomes as a measure of productivity,” Lucy said.

Georgia is sick of the outdated language that some are still spewing into office culture.

“Passive-aggressive ‘loves’ or ‘darls,’” she explained was her main gripe.

*Lacey is more obsessed with the damage they are doing to the environment. “Why do they have to print everything?” she asked.

While *Jess finds their obsession with promotions tedious, “They are just so power hungry,” she complained.

*Amy just can’t stand their need to make everything so official. “Why does everything have to be a formal meeting? They just love creating stale environments.”

*Jennifer is sick of their inability to respect people’s time. “My qualm is how they ring your mobile with no regard for your calendar – like, I’m in meetings all day. You don’t get to skip the queue.”

What’s more, she explained, there’s a reason she doesn’t want to answer Boomer’s calls.

“The use of calls because ‘it’s easier to explain over the phone’. No, you are just too lazy to type it out, so now I have to dictate the request, and then there’s no paper trail. If there’s an error they can blame you,” she said.

She also finds herself rolling her eyes at their obsession with job titles and hierarchy. “It is so embarrassing and such a social construct. What do you mean I can’t email someone I work with?”

Meanwhile, *Rebecca just wants Boomers to stop obsessing over office presence.

“So many of them believe we work better in the office and we just don’t,” said Rebecca.

Why do the generations behave so differently at work?

Recruitment agency founder Roxanne Calder explained: “Gen X and Baby Boomers are more traditional, conservative, and rule-following. Gen Z challenges the status quo and way of thinking, which is much needed in a world so fast and ever-changing. A standard workplace approach or myopic view doesn’t cut it in a post-pandemic world.”

So yes, it seems all the generations are different and constantly finding new and creative ways to annoy each other.

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of those interviewed.