As I was sitting in a customer service area waiting for my car to be serviced, I overheard a conversation by two Boomers who used to work with each other in a manufacturing setting. One was retired and the other was still working at this facility. It went something like this…

“These young guys come in here and think they know everything. They have never worked on a production line and they want to tell you how do to do something I have been doing for 40 years. It is really amusing when you think about it… I do not know what is going to happen in the future.”  

“I tell these young guys now to put on your resume that you have maintenance experience and lie like hell… cause they will teach you everything you know…there are many good opportunities there.”

Does this sound familiar? Generation warfare in the workplace. Work/lifestyle balances converging in old economy settings. No doubt these two Boomers have some good points. Also, Gen Next has certain expectations and are not willing to work the same way their parents did.  

What is going to happen when these Boomers retire?  Good question. Hope this manufacturing facility can manage the generational shift in the workplace and keep this company going. It is a dilemma that many will have to figure out in the not-so-distant future.