Optimizing the Intergenerational Office

The intergenerational office, a mix of opposing outlooks. Enmeshed in electronics and brandishing college certificates, millennials confront bitter boomers beset by crumbling retirement funds. Economic misfortune has left debt-ridden graduates clamoring out of classrooms and into the same offices where boomers remain, despite having passed their 65-year mark. This is the 21st-century workplace dilemma — inevitable but, as Lee Caraher, Co-founder and CEO of Double Forte, writes, not unsolvable. 

In Millennials and Management: Making it Work at Work, Caraher provides a practical guide to creating a productive intergenerational workplace. With 54 years separating the oldest boomers from the youngest millennials, the two generations have witnessed differing landscapes, both economic and social. Casts of their own conditions, these generations (and those in between), bring different and often opposing outlooks to the office. 

Delving into more than 100 interviews, surveys and her own personal experience, Caraher unearths the sentiment that stems from each outlook. Readers will quickly learn that generational attitudes are the product of unique circumstances. It is this understanding we can use as a basis for reconciliation. Through a conversational style and sense of humor, Caraher details her tips and procedures for bridging the intergenerational gap through compromise and understanding. As Caraher writes, “Catering to is not caving if it works for everyone and improves the outcome.” 

As a millennial writing this, I can attest to Caraher’s depiction of the millennial mindset. Entering an intergenerational office, I am appreciative of those older than me who took the time to understand my generation’s perspective. It’s a two-way street, however, and I assure you that the boomers and older generations alike will appreciate it if you take time to do the same. 

Pressed for time? Fastrack your intergenerational insight during your commute with our millennial-minded podcast.