Maybe the real meaning of the latest Internet catch phrase “OK, Boomer” is in the eye of the beholder.
The phrase is a putdown, seen on memes and online videos by millennials and generation z-ers patronizingly acknowledging anyone who has a memory of life before smart phones.
It has to be something of an irony. Before the millennials, baby boomers were the ground breakers, young upstarts who threatened the conservative ways of the traditionalists before them.
And now the Age of Aquarius is nothing but a song in an old musical?
Well maybe not. HR professionals would do well to realize that each generation brings its own qualities and dimensions to the workplace.
Here’s a refreshing article of how a Pfizer executive clearly wanted someone on the team with years of experience and the wisdom that comes with it.
And then there’s simple logic. Anyone saying “OK Boomer” today, could well be on the receiving end of such a put down in about 30 years. And trust us, those 30 years go by quickly.
Then they might realize that a phrase like OK Boomer, isn’t just rude, it’s quite possibly age discrimination.