In the workplace, age is a state of mind

They say age is a state of mind, and this may be particularly true in the office, suggests a survey by Office Team, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing service specializing in the placement of skilled administrative professionals. Eighty-four percent of workers polled maintain they would be comfortable reporting to a manager who is younger than they are; 89% claim they would not mind supervising employees older than themselves.

"For the first time in history, four generations of employees are in the workforce, from the Silent Generation and baby boomers to Generation X and Generation Y," notes Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam. "Companies recognize the benefits of having diverse, well-rounded teams, and employees may be just as likely to report to a younger supervisor as an older one. In either case, the boss' management abilities are more of a factor in employee job satisfaction than his or her age."

Domeyer adds that employees today are recognized more for performance than tenure with a company. "In an ideal office setting, managers and staff are focused on the skills and knowledge people bring to their roles, not what year they were born" or how long they have been around.

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COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning