By 2020 millennials will comprise nearly 50% of the workforce and, with retirement age heading to 70, the age spread in many companies could well exceed 50 years.

On the plus side workplaces have an opportunity to bring together nearly half a century of different life experiences. But in reality, many companies will see some significant clashes of culture. Whether it be changing social norms, language or even preferences for fashion or music, the generation gap is set to widen.

In a rapidly changing and ever more connected business world, I regularly see the worst of this division. When things go wrong it’s easy to blame the young ‘upstart’ or the old ‘dinosaur’.

But rather than working to fix the problem, I often see people of my own generation giving up and saying they can’t be bothered dealing with new technology. I’ve seen frustrated colleagues say their experience isn’t respected by those that are younger and more tech savvy.

And I’ve also experienced younger workers annoyed at having to use outdated technology in order to make their proposals understood by senior managers.

The inevitable result is a further weakening of trust in the workplace, resulting in dismissal of genuinely good advice and reduced impact of team work.

Despite these concerns, I firmly believe it is up to people of my generation to fix the divide.

Does new technology ever intimidate me?  Sure.

Recently I attended a public session on cryptocurrency.  I attended out of curiosity.  I was intrigued with the hype.  As I listened and the more I learnt about what it was and how it traded, I silently thought to myself, do I really need to know this.

Do I struggle sometimes to understand the language and work priorities of younger people? Absolutely.

But the reality is technology has been changing for millennia and in my working life, embracing change has helped me to work smarter and build a better business.

Most significantly, when I have asked younger workers to help me understand new technology, they have almost always been open to sharing their knowledge and grateful to have been asked. Crucially, I’ve also discovered reaching out in this way can open a door to a more in-depth conversation which reveals how thirsty young people often are for advice and direction.

Can some young people be arrogant ‘know-it-all’s’? Definitely

Can older workers be obstinate and reluctant to embrace change? You bet.

We can’t let these stereotypes define our workplaces. If we do, the divisions and distrust will only get worse.

As we head toward 2020 I believe one of the only ways we can solve this problem is for those of us with experience to take the first steps toward bridging the generation gap.

Why not start a conversation with a younger employee today? There’s a good chance you’ll learn something new and teach someone something they did not know.

ANOMI