Why us old folks sometimes hate Gen Yers?

Disclaimer: I don’t really hate Gen Y. I love working and learning from them.

BUT, there are folks who come straight out and say, ‘Gen Y is spoiled.’ I recently met with a company where a senior manager said, ‘those kids are spoiled… they think they can just take off an afternoon.’

When I challenged this manager and asked him how many Gen Yers were on his staff, he said ‘1′.

When I asked him how many Gen Yers he interacts with a week, he said ‘1 or 2.’

When I asked him if he explored FaceBook or some other websites where there are a lot of Gen Yers, he said ‘no’

When I asked him if he read our book, he said ‘no’

Ignorance is not always bliss. Just like any culture, generation or religion, you (Gen X, Boomers, etc.), need to get out of their current mind set and interact with young folks. Besides learning, there is another good reason.

It is scientifically proven that one lives longer if they interact with younger folks. (Please don’t ask me to send you the article that states this because it will take a while to find it)

It is ok for Gen Yers to wear their pants low, wear a baseball cap sideways, have a tattoo or a pierced body part. Who are we to judge? It is natural to have some prejudices, but hopefully they can dissolve over time.

Just know that they will change jobs more than you do, they will dress differently, they will have a different vocabulary, and they might even eat different food.

Be open. Be Y!