OK, Boomer – backlash from a new generation

OK, Boomer

backlash from a new generation of talent

‘OK, Boomer’ has become the go-to passive-aggressive phrase of choice for GenZs (Zoomers) today. Blaming ‘old-timers’ for the global environmental crisis, rising house prices and not respecting the needs of today’s younger generations has led to the creation of this reactionary meme, which is prevalent across social media platforms. But what does it really mean? And what is its relevance to HR?

Caught between a rock & a hard place

There has been a lot of talk, of late, in HR communities about multi-generational workforces. In reality, however, workforces have always been multi-generational. What appears to have changed recently, is perhaps the ‘gap’ that exists between different talent generations, and one which seems to be continuing to widen. HR is having to balance the sometimes very different needs of Boomers and Zoomers working collaboratively on organisational projects.

Boomers

In short, ‘Boomer’ refers to a baby boomer. There are differing definitions of this category, but most agree that it refers to those born in the years shortly after the Second World War. Today, those people would be in their 50s 60s and 70s. This generational category encompasses a much wider timespan than more recent generations, such as GenX, Millennials and GenY. Therefore, the experience of Boomers is likely to be far more varied, making it less simple to fit them into a fixed label. Nevertheless, the phrase, ‘OK, Boomer’ has become so popular that lines of merchandise have already been created using it as a tagline. Its proliferation on social media to dismiss those of older generations has replaced many other forms of debate or argument with these groups. Essentially, it is a way for younger generations to dismiss any criticism of them by those whom they perceive as old, out-of-touch and unable to see past their own privileged positions.

In terms of reach, the OK Boomer hashtag on Twitter, #OKBoomer, racked up nearly a billion uses and related videos on TikTok and YouTube have been viewed millions of times. This is not just some quick 15-minutes of fame sensation but has gone truly viral, reaching every continent across the globe. The debate sparked from this meme has reached beyond our smartphones, moving into the upper echelons of various governments. There are news articles on every media outlet, from the UK’s BBC to the US’s Washington Post and even our local South China Morning Post. The discussion has moved from the meme itself onto the important topics that inspired it.

Docility not dogmas

The phrase has even reached mainstream politics. Chlöe Swarbrick, a 25-year-old New Zealand politician, has admitted to ‘making some people very mad’ by using the viral phrase in parliament. Swarbrick responded to an older lawmaker, saying, "OK boomer," after they interrupted her speech on climate change. There was little reaction in parliament at the time, but the comment soon began trending online. Heralded a heroine by some, she has also been accused of ageism. In a subsequent interview, Swarbrick explained, “I think you can see from the way that the meme has evolved, it’s symbolic of the collective frustration that young people, in particular, feel to time after time placing evidence into the debate and into the argument, only to be met with dogma." And it is this point that is a crucial one for HR to help resolve potential pain points arising from misunderstandings between generations. In particular, the notion that younger people’s concerns in the workplace are frequently dismissed by older people and brushed aside in favour of more traditional approaches. This concern has become a global phenomenon, and the ‘OK, Boomer’ phrase is merely one part of the reaction to it.

Workplace discrimination

As the phrase transcends its home on social media and digital platforms into the workplace, HR is starting to feel the impact in real-world environments. Any form of putdown related to a person’s traits—age in this case—could be considered a form of discrimination. The phrase is considered offensive by some, and therefore the act of causing intentional offence in the workplace by targeting a specific group could be a breach of contract, policy or, in some countries, the national law.

In the United States, there is an Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which prohibits harassment and discrimination on the basis of age. In the UK, The Equality Act protects groups from various actions, including being made to feel intimidated, humiliated or degraded, and also from any act that creates a hostile environment. All 47 member states of the European Union are signed up to a number of treaties and mandates that are in place to legally protect against ageism. Globally, most countries have laws protecting against either ageism specifically or any targeted discrimination.

Wider provisions include workplace policies, which talent contractually signs up to. Breaching these can be as impactive as breaching the law, with financial penalties or potential dismissal as a result. For HR professionals, it can create a nightmare to navigate legislation and ensure compliance in terms of internal policies before an incident even occurs.

It is important, at this point, to remember that age-related protection is often not just aimed at older workers. All ages are covered, which means that being targeted because you are 18 is as serious as if you are 80. However, this is not the case in every country, such as the USA, where their law only covers workers over 40. This means, in theory, that calling a young worker an ‘entitled millennial’ may not be a breach, but responding by saying, ‘OK Boomer’ could be.

Are you joking?

For many people, quips and workplace banter are part and parcel of daily working life. The office culture of colleagues being comfortable with each other and making jokes is always, and probably always will be, happening. However, in terms of the law, stating, ‘It’s just a joke’ is not a legal defence. One of the most famous modern cases in the US concerning age discrimination went all the way to the Supreme Court in 1999 and involved a manager referring to an employee as, “So old; he must have come over on The Mayflower.”

Prominent lawyer and law professor, Elizabeth Tippett, wrote about this issue of jokes being a form of age discrimination and the idea that people see Boomers as privileged and protected. She said, “Older workers are more vulnerable than they seem. Older workers are expensive—by the time they’ve worked their way up the corporate ladder, their generous salaries start to weigh on the balance sheet. That’s why Congress thought it was important to extend protections to those workers.” The idea that Boomers are somehow more powerful than Millennials is not always the case, and therefore ignoring their point of view because of their age is a dangerous precedent to start accepting.

Boomers hogging senior roles

Where did this expression originate, and why? To understand this new phenomenon, it is important to see that the idea is not a new one. The feeling of subjugation by younger generations by the Baby Boomer generation is many years old. The feelings of negativity towards Boomers split into various categories, such as:

• Workplace
• Homelife
• Environment

Workplace issues

In terms of jobs, Zoomers, Millennials and Gen-Xers say that they are stuck in lower-level roles, with fewer opportunities to progress, because Boomers are hogging the senior roles and take much longer to retire. A recent study by LinkedIn shows that 41% of Millennials have reported this as a specific complaint concerning career advancement. In response, Boomers contend that Millennials job-hop too much, which may actually be a reaction to the advancement concerns rather than a personality trait. Lack of communication and understanding between the generations has caused a long-lasting feeling of resentment. Jack Kelly, CEO, WeCruitR, argues, “The reality is a sad commentary on the state of affairs in America. Most Boomers don’t have sufficient funds to retire. The vast majority of Boomers either have no real retirement savings or very little money put away.” So, it’s not a case of selfishly holding on to jobs, but rather a real need in the current economic climate.

Homelife issues

Home ownership and the cost of living is another big contentious issue often raised by GenX in relation to the Boomer privilege argument. In basic terms, younger people hold a common belief that those born in the post-war era were able to buy up property at low prices and own their own homes—enabling them to enjoy the benefits of a mortgage-free life and investment assets. The simplicity of the phrase helped create the meme, but this same simplicity is holding back the argument. Sonia Sodha, opinion editor, The Guardian, explained, “The concept of one generation stealing another’s future is unlikely to resonate with women in their late 50s with little to no pension provision, struggling to combine caring responsibilities for their ageing parents with low-paid work.” The phrase’s intention to target a whole age group does not sit well with many Boomers.

Green issues

In terms of major arguments against Boomers, is the more modern complaint of environmental concerns. The belief among many in Generation-Z (and other generations) is that Boomers have been the greatest contributor to climate change and care very little about it. Again, the simplicity of the argument, manifested in the OK Boomer meme, does little to satisfy older generations who care deeply about our environment. It’s a polarising phrase, leading to friction rather than communication. Joshua Graham, Writer, Vogue UK, said, “Many Gen-Zers say that ‘OK Boomer’ specifically targets those who have certain political persuasions—think Trump and Brexit—and show resistance to technological progress; and who are deniers of climate change.” In this sense, the phrase targets an age demographic unfairly, when the real target is ideological.

From those involved in the discussion, it is clear that age is not the real factor here. The anger is aimed towards a certain mindset, sometimes through a misunderstood belief that those of a certain age have it better or caused the problems that younger generations face. No discussion this big can be distilled into a phrase so short.

Workplace Zoomer future

Ever since Greta Thunberg was given a platform at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, in September 2019, emotionally asking, “How dare you!” the voices of Generation Z have grown louder and more confident. The proliferation of ‘OK Boomer’ is merely a side-effect of this growing activism. The fact that Boomers have got so angry over people like Thunberg and the OK Boomer meme shows the growing power of Generation Z. This latter generation is coming into its own, ironically, as it gets older. Making up 32% of the world’s population, many turning 18 over the next few years, they will continue to grow their political and economic power to go alongside their loud voice. These people are entering the workforce in greater numbers, forcing organisational change, clashing with antiquated corporate cultures and expecting more from their employer than basic pay benefits.

The future, as is often the case, needs to be more communicative and less antagonistic. Dismissing someone by saying, “OK Boomer,” might be satisfying in the short term, but it also makes enemies of the very people that need to be on the same side if positive change is the endgame. Conversely, organisations and employers, currently holding a Boomer mindset, need to begin making changes now, if they are to attract and retain the Zoomers entering the workforce.

Heidi Spirgi, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, Cornerstone OnDemand at a recent HR Magazine breakfast briefing noted, “After working in HR and talent industries for over twenty years, I’ve witnessed a lot of repetition and stagnation in HR practices. Then, I’ve seen innovation and a shift has begun. But we’ve gotten this all wrong. We’ve been serving our needs, and now we need to take a fresh look at serving employee needs.”

HR professionals have to carefully and considerately update their policies and procedures to allow for a transition of cultures. Bridgette Klein, Manager with HR consulting firm Willory, explains things from an HR perspective, saying, “It might not be the most natural initiative in the beginning, but the advantages of employee satisfaction, engagement, retention, productivity and happiness should pay off significantly. So why can’t you at least try it out?”

Over the next few years, Boomers and Zoomers will be working together all across the globe. Both generations will make up significant proportions of most companies’ workforces. This means that, in order to be effective, they must work together. Neither side will benefit from creating factions and frustrations. HR professionals in these organisations also have a role to play in helping intergenerational teams work together fluidly.

Andrew Chamberlain, Chief Economist, Glassdoor, said, “The best way to prepare both seasoned workers and newer generations in the coming decade is through investments in learning and development.” This was echoed by Sho Dewan, Global Talent Development Lead, Lalamove who told HR Magazine, “The average age of talent in our organisation is only 28 years old. As a Millennial, my ongoing ‘why’ is to find happiness at work.” He added, “That happiness leads to profit and more engaged staff. Millennials, like most people, are driven by financial rewards, however, 52% need a positive workplace culture and 48% expect learning opportunities in order to be happy in their roles.”  Dewan elaborated, “Culture and learning need to be fused together. It needs to be continuous and systematic. Millennials love learning.” He also admitted that some stereotypes about Millennials are often true, “They sometimes lack soft skills, so it is necessary to engage them with practical activities and training, making use of both internal and external speakers. Vary the inputs, keep it fresh, so it is not just the same trainer every time.”

Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy Research analysed workplace data from over three decades and concluded that there was no evidence younger workers’ opportunities were diminished by older workers remaining in the workforce. In fact, the research suggested, the opposite was true. Chamberlain, referring to this research, summarised, “This is a key message for HR teams to communicate to younger workers in the coming decade.”