'It Is Really Hard': Gurgaon Founder Opens Up About The Challenges Of Being A Millennial Boss
He described the experience as being "sandwiched" between two very different work cultures and acknowledged that despite his best efforts to find a balance, he often ended up disappointing both sides
Founder of a Gurugram-based human resources (HR) firm, Mayank Sharma recently took to LinkedIn to share the challenges of being a millennial boss. In his post, he shared the struggles of managing a team while navigating the expectations of senior management and the evolving demands of younger employees.
He described the experience as being "sandwiched" between two very different work cultures and acknowledged that despite his best efforts to find a balance, he often ended up disappointing both sides.
"Being a millennial boss is really hard," Sharma wrote, highlighting the stark contrast in expectations between different generations. "You have a boomer or an older millennial boss who wants you to push your team to work late hours, insist on daily office attendance, and enforce formal dress codes,” he said.
At the same time, he pointed out that younger employees—new-age millennials and Gen Z—value flexibility, work-life balance, remote work, and a more relaxed dress code. He stressed how managing these conflicting expectations was an ongoing challenge.
"Funny thing is, in the process of keeping a good balance, you often end up disappointing both parties," he remarked.
Sharma’s post resonated with many professionals who have faced similar challenges. LinkedIn users shared their own experiences and insights on navigating intergenerational dynamics in the workplace.
One user wrote, “I've reported to Boomer and Millenial bosses who have allowed me to work from mountains for weeks, while trusting in me to run my team the way I would want. Have also had reportees who have voluntarily asked to come to office on an almost daily basis. Boss part is primarily just luck and you don't get to choose them. The reportee part is partially what they want and partially how you nurture them from a value perspective.”
“This struggle will increase more as time progresses and more Gen Z will enter in workforce and employers will have to adjust and prioritize younger needs to remain competitive in the market and the older generation will have to adjust to the working pattern of young ones and they might not be as involved as top ones,” added a third user.
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