They want everything done their way, on their terms. They're resistant to hard work or long hours. They have a huge sense of entitlement. It's an emerging problem for workplaces everywhere: how do you adjust to the working style of the Baby Boom Generation?

We kid, of course; these are all the criticisms levelled at the young generation of workers just now starting their careers. But it is a hot topic in offices across the land, and law offices specifically: the clash of generations. The Law21 blog posted some interesting thoughts last week about how young lawyers — Generation Y? Millennials? — can do the difficult work of finding a way to get along professionally with their boomer elders:

The amount of attention paid to Gen-Yers is disproportionate to their current presence in the legal profession, and Boomers still hold the reins of power in almost every legal institution.... Understanding Millennials enough to get the most out of them is becoming an important advantage in the talent wars, but at least right now, it’s not as important as figuring out the ambivalent Gen-Xers overrepresented in the non-equity partners ranks or, especially, the aging Boomers hanging onto their files and practices with tight fists.

Comments (0)

---