Since it's 2024, we're all old enough now to have worked at a place where there were a range generations in management positions, including Generation X, Millennials, and Boomers.
People are quick to point out how difficult it can be to work with a manager who is also a Boomer or Gen Xer because of their brusqueness and what feels like over-willingness to express their disappointment in our work. At the same time, at least their feelings are transparent.
People are much less certain how they feel about Millennial management, with some loving them because of their down-to-earth and humble nature and others begrudging them because of their pattern of withholding information.
In a viral video, TikToker @robdon567 did his impression a Millennial manager taking a video call with an anonymous employee, making sure that they are on track with their work at the beginning of the new year.
The call appears incredibly informal with the manager still eating his lunch, checking his other devices while conversing, and not making eye contact. The TikToker also makes a series of comments about pointless workplace systems and measures he sees no point in.
You can watch the video here:
Some on TikTok found this informality to be comforting because it felt more like a human-to-human discussion.
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
@robdon567/TikTok
But others on X, formerly Twitter, were suspicious of how the manager could quickly turn these "pointless" details around.
Everyone has different needs in the workplace, and while some are concerned about the clarity and loyalty Millennial managers show, the viewers on TikTok who loved their Millennial managers far exceeded the skeptical viewers on X.
Rob posted multiple TikTok videos that featured the Millennial manager, including a team meeting that was required by the company and was otherwise very relaxed and a simple check-in that could have easily been an email.
There was also a heartwarming video in which the Millennial manager celebrated their employee getting a new job.
While companies are always worried about turnover rates, employees have to constantly think about their income and their opportunities to expand to higher-paying roles, especially in this economy.
Supportive bosses are hard to come by, and TikTok viewers were quick to buy into a Millennial manager's likelihood to be an employee's cheerleader for ascending the ladder.
Though some workers are concerned about the Millennial's place in a management role, most found the Millennial's shift to stronger, more sentimental communication to be irreplaceable.
As they continue in their positions, hopefully they can achieve more clarity around work milestones to help everyone feel more comfortable working with them.
@omahajoe/Bluesky
@pattriottakes/X