What happens when Gen Zs and Boomers work together?

When Gen Zs, Boomers, Millenials, and Gen Xs all meet in the workplace, it’s not just a matter of clashing music preferences or communication styles — it’s a battle of values, work ethics, and mindsets. It’s as chaotic as TikTok dances and run clubs colliding with traditional boardroom etiquette, with a sprinkle of tech jargon and old-school hierarchy.

But the generational gap becomes more than a buzzword when it hits the office. In fact, over 75% of chief executive officers identify differences in management and leadership styles as the biggest challenge of having a multigenerational workforce, according to the 2024 Philippine CEO Survey of PwC and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP). Other problems include differences in communication styles (61%), work-life balance expectations (55%), differences in values and ethics (49%), and technology proficiency (48%).

So how do businesses make the most of employees from different generations all working together? Rappler swung by the MAP International CEO Conference on Tuesday, September 10 and spoke with top business leaders to find out.

Is it okay for your boss to shout at you?

First off, let’s define what the characteristics of each generation is like. Rappler asked MAP CEO conference committee chair Donald Lim how he sees each generation:

• Silent Generation (1928-1945): “Sila ‘yung mga nagiging chairman. Ano ang gusto nila? Legacy. Palagi silang, ‘my legacy is…’ ‘Iyan yung motivation niya.” (These are the ones who become chairmen. What do they want? Legacy. They’re always talking about “my legacy is…” That’s their motivation.)
• Baby Boomers (1946-1964): “Sila na ‘yung CEOs, CFOs. Iba rin yung motivation. Sila, resilience eh, na parang after so many years, nandun pa rin sila.” (These are the CEOs and CFOs. They also have a different motivation. They focus on resilience, that after so many years, they’re still here.)
• Generation X (1965-1980): “Transformation. Sila ‘yung tumawid (they oversaw the transformation) from industrial to digital.”
• Millenials (1981-1996): “Sila naman ‘yung talagang mission. ‘I want to do this.’ May all the energy.” (These are the ones driven by mission. “I want to do this.” And they have all the energy.)
• Generation Z (1997-2012): “They’re the ones who come in with the wild ideas. They’re the ones who you do not have to teach [about] AI. They already know how to do it.“

Lim, who is also the chief operating officer of DITO, said that managing people from all these different generations can be a like “moving an organization forward with controlled chaos.”

He told the story of two top performers — one a Gen Z, the other a Gen X — working together during an event.

“In a heated moment — because it’s an event and everyone is busy — ‘yung Gen X, nasigawan niya ‘yung Gen Z (the Gen X shouted at the Gen Z),” Lim told reporters. “For me, okay lang ‘yun. Nasigawan niya nang kaunti (that’s okay. He shouted for) like 10 seconds. Ang Gen Z, sobrang nasaktan kasi in front of public (The Gen Z was really hurt because it was in front of the public.)”

What happened next? True to generational form, the Gen Z immediately wanted to file a complaint with HR against their Gen X superior.

“As a leader, how will you decide? Both do not want to say sorry. Both want to hold a certain idealism. A Gen X would always say, ‘ako nga, sinigawan ako ng boss ko, sinuntok pa, hinagisan ako ng phone. Okay lang ‘yun, that’s part of the job, that’s part of the grind.’ Ang Gen Z, galawin mo lang isang buhok, gulo na.“

(A Gen X would always say, ‘my boss yelled at me, punched me, threw a phone at me. It’s fine, that’s part of the job, that’s part of the grind.’ For Gen Zs, you just touch a strand of hair, that’s already calling for trouble.)

So how do you harmonize such obvious disharmony? Lim said that the key was in having both sides give and take. For example, he highlighted how important it was to allow Gen Zs to take mental health breaks — even if that would make his older bosses raise their eyebrows.

“You begin to realize that’s very important to them. You have to understand also so that if you give them that, sobrang motivated sila (they’ll be so motivated) next time,” Lim said.

Should you be allowed to run a marathon while working?

PwC, with a global workforce of over 370,000 that’s largely dominated by Gen Zs and Millenials, is also embracing the times.

“What are the preferences of the Gen Z? What are the preferences of Millennials? We need to take into account their expectations and what they want to achieve as part of our human capital agenda,” PwC Philippines chairman and senior partner Roderick Danao told Rappler.

For Danao, that includes giving them time to run.

“I tell you, you deal with Gen Z, they say, ‘Rick, can I do marathon while working?’ Those are the things that you hear now, in the past, during my time, you never hear that. Go to the office, 8 to 5, you go home, watch TV, watch PBA,” Danao said.

Whether that’s doing a triathlon or dabbling in photography, Danao said he allows employees to take certain hours off in the day as long as they make up for it later on.

“We allow them because we want to give them liberty while at the same time remaining focused on our commitment to our client. And it can be done because of the power of technology,” he said.

Some firms choose to go all-in when it comes to embracing a multigenerational workforce. Ricky Isla, the CEO for AirAsia Philippines, said that with over half of their staff being Millennials or Gen Zs, the company’s diversity and inclusion strategy has evolved to accommodate them.

“This is why our diversity approach blends traditional strategies with modern practices, ensuring we value and integrate the perspective of the younger generation,” Isla said.

AirAsia Philippines has expanded its HMO coverage to include same-sex partners and has added support for therapy, mental health, assistive devices, and regular check-ups for persons with disabilities.

“Quarter 1, we had a [focus group discussion] for Millennials and Gen Zs to better understand how the future of AirAsia will revolve with having a very young workforce,” Steve Dailisan, AirAsia’s head of communications and public affairs, told Rappler.

How can different generations respect each other?

But don’t forget, while older generations need to adjust to the younger ones, the younger generations must also adapt to them and make use of the wisdom that they can impart.

“Imagine a boomer, you say, ‘Hey, you need to use 100% electronic. You cannot use the paper anymore,’” PwC head Danao said. “They will struggle. But you need to invest in them because they’re part of the workforce still.”

Danao emphasized that although senior leadership is beginning to transition to Millenials and even some Gen Zs, it’s always important to listen to the advice of those that came before them.

“In our field, while almost 92% to 95% of our people are Gen Z and Millenials, you cannot just ignore wisdom and experience. We, the Gen X, the boomers, provide some wisdom in decision-making,” Danao said.

“When we make critical decisions, I consult with the boomers. The way they see things, very different angle. You may call it traditional, conventional, but it makes sense.”

MAP president Rene Almendras — who has also led several Ayala Group companies and departments in the Philippine government — said that problems arise because all five generations speak different languages. That’s why for him, enhancing communication is so important.

“We have to encourage people to communicate more, to interact more, to accept each other’s diversity more. And it’s an art and a science. So you’re not going to get a handbook that says, ‘This is how you manage multi-generational issues,’” Almendras told Rappler.

Almendras emphasized that today’s workforce is in a unique position: people decades apart in age are working together, thanks to technology bridging the generational divide. But to truly make the most of this diverse mix, both older and younger generations need to understand they have plenty to learn from each other.

“The older people need to realize they cannot continue to insist on their ways. If they want to be relevant, they need to be more open to new ideas. We need to convince the younger people that not everything old is bad, that there is something to learn from those who have been here before us. So, this ability to communicate, to interact, to relate to each other is key,” he said. – Rappler.com