Dear Tell All: I’ve been on staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for almost my whole working life, and by now I’ve outlasted most of my peers. Everyone in my unit is younger than I am, including a sizable cohort of millennials in their 20s. I admit to being annoyed by this generation.
The kids are very good at their jobs, but they’re arrogant about it. They’re wizards with technology and can run circles around me whenever there are new processes to learn. I get the impression that they look down their noses at me when I don’t catch on as quickly as they do.
They’re also unfriendly. If I’m in the break room with them, waiting for food in the microwave, they’ll usually peer at a cellphone rather than make conversation. I’ve tried getting to know them whenever there’s an opportunity, asking questions about their backgrounds and their hobbies. They answer my questions but don’t express any interest in my own stories, so the relationships go nowhere.
I’ve always prided myself on being able to break the ice with anyone, but the millennial generation seems unreachable for a member of the Baby Boom generation. Should I just stop trying and hang out with people my own age — a generation with better manners?
Granny
Dear Granny: You’re making some pretty big generalizations here. Are you really damning all millennials based on a few unpleasant youngsters in your office?
If you step back for a moment, I think you’ll realize that people of any age can be unfriendly in the way you describe. And I wouldn’t be surprised if a few Baby Boomers were arrogant and cold toward the older generation when they were in their 20s. It makes no sense to say that one cohort is worse than the other in this regard.
By stereotyping the millennials in your workplace, Granny, you might be overlooking some who could end up being friends of yours. Even if all of them are duds, the next millennial who joins the staff may be the one who takes a real interest in your stories. Keep an open mind and judge people by the quality of their character, not the date of their birth.
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