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GEN CLASHES Tide over differences by being neutral

Dressed comfortably in jeans, T-shirts or less, they take the elevator to AC-ed workstations, sprawl in chairs, get the music and message boards going, check inboxes and network. By now their mobile is abuzz — calls, missed calls and SMSes. Informal, casual and relaxed, they walk out for coffee when they can.

And wonder why the “ancient” watching them from behind the glass throw disapproving looks.

IT guy Arun Shankar, 23, knows why. Age gap, he says. “Old people are conventional,” he says. “They play by the book, don’t like to take risks. We believe in getting things done anyways.” Amod Vaze, 25, likens workplace to a roller coaster ride he didn’t pay for.

“It’s ups and downs when it comes to handling office folk. Unlike in college, there is no bonding, no feelings shared.”

Age difference means “wavelengths that don’t match. Disconnect in thinking and speaking. Ideas from young people are not realistic in the eyes of bosses.They work to earn money, whereas young minds today are ready to explore the working world just for the experience.” Unfair? But there it is.

Gripes PR executive Aarti Christeen, 24. No silly jokes, no fun, if you’re dealing with “different” age groups.

“You are not spared or forgiven for mistakes. It’s a hectic treadmill on a prim and properly laid out plan. In the rush to impress people and meet deadlines, the thrill of riding on the roads of life is lost. We grow up in a hurry to match the calibre of the more experienced ones.”

Gen clashes are more frequent now and over more issues. “We’re disciplining actions we didn’t have to deal with before. Internet abuse, for instance,” say HR managers.

Gen now-ers are attached to their iPods; are hardly in their desk. Carp about face-to-face meetings. Demand immediate feedback. Are casual to work and expect hand-holding as a matter of routine. Their trust levels are low, expectations high. Their lingo sounds alien. “We struggle to communicate,” said an HR executive.

It’s confusion over designated roles, feels Dev Kumar Bala, Divisional Manager (Personnel) Wheels India. Age gap-induced hassles occur in group activity and when people have nothing to do.

“It’s also the ‘I know everything’ syndrome. The young and the old haven’t learned to accept each other; similar to what happens at home.”

Teleworking, flexi-time and Friday dress down have retrofitted the workplace. Newbies ask: Is job security all? Isn’t it silly to make the kind of sacrifices our parents did?

Cool is in. A shocked HR executive said “You mean it’s okay to be at a meeting in jeans and T-shirt? Doesn’t your appearance reflect the attitude you wear to work?”

Anu Kailasam, PR executive, 23, tries to balance the gen scale. “Look at the good and the ugly. You get varied experiences working with people of different ages. Opinions of youngsters are given less weightage where profound experience counts. On current matters, Gen Y takes faster and right decisions.”

Edwin Sudhakar, HR Manager, Sify, knows the dynamics. Pushing 30, he’s in touching distance of both sides. “Gen O has a different maturity level,” he said.

“They have better process knowledge, are focussed. But senior guys have to be taught to move from paper to software packages. They take things one-by-one and we have to find ways to rekindle their creativity.”

He is in awe of Gen Y’s energy. “They cope with pressure, multi-task. Watch guys take the boss’s call, scroll for info and send a message, all at the same time. They are willing to travel – Russia or Zambia.”

Attrition rates demand training and accommodation. If one side needs to know the difference between campus and corporate life , the other needs to keep ego in check.

“All companies have entry level courses in soft skills and office ethic,” said Sudhakar. “Seniors learn how to approach Gen Y-ers. They’re encouraged to talk to young people offline. At times, they are moved to process-intensive areas.”

In a pyramidal structure, horizontal levels don’t come into contact with each other often. “Managers do admire the trainability of the young ones,” said Sudhakar. “What is an M.Com in front of whiz kids migrating effortlessly from Microsoft to Java every week?”

Solutions keep evolving. “Cut down age differences in the team,” said Arun Shankar.

Break monotony through different jobs and different locations. “Be neutral. Learn from seniors. Then devise your own strategy,” is Anu’s gyan.

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