“Boomers are all about money. Gen X is like, ‘Is it all about money?’ Millennials are like, ‘Where is the money?’ And Gen Z is like, ‘What is money?’” 

That’s celebrated actress, producer and jokester Amy Poehler chatting with millennial-targeted news network NowThis Impact, offering her undiluted take on generational differences. And though she’s obviously overgeneralizing for comedic effect, she’s not wrong: For better or worse, we are a species that loves labels and stereotyping.    

“We look for inclusion and exclusion,” says Jamie Belinne, associate dean for career and industry engagement at University of Houston’s C. T. Bauer College of Business and author of “The Care and Feeding of Your Young Employee: A Manager’s Guide to Millennials and Gen Z.” “We look for affinity, who is like us, who is different from us, and so we label and stereotype every time we get a chance. That’s not because we’re evil; it’s just because we’re wired that way.”  

Slapping those who differ from us in age with sometimes insulting and begrudging labels is our collective favorite pastime. But in making up for time with simplified catchalls, we’re also losing out on appreciating the nuances that separate one generation from the next.  

Which brings us to our thesis, which we’ll drop in the same dramatic fashion as sartorial Gen X icon Carrie Bradshaw would.  

Are generational divides real, or are we just really bad at understanding each other?  

Meet the Generations

Before we go further, let’s explore said generations and their “defining” characteristics. Also, it’s important to mention that while fun and lighthearted, generalizations aren’t gospel, and they rarely tell the whole story. Nevertheless, let’s start with boomers. 

Born between 1946 and 1964, boomers — short for baby boomers, so called for the uptick in population after World War II — typically boast a strong work ethic, great problem-solving skills and stellar self-awareness. Rather than bore you at a party, a boomer might just drop the one-liner, “Eh, you had to be there.”  

“Boomers had a real impact in a way that changed the world,” says proud Gen Xer Jonathan Williamson, associate dean of Academic Programs and Faculty Affairs for The Honors College. “Their role in global rights, culture — they made the world a better place.” 

Famous boomers include Elton John, Oprah Winfrey and former President Barack Obama.  

Generation X, aka the “latchkey” or “slacker” generation, or “Generation Exile,” as Williamson puts it, were born between 1965 and 1980. They’re seen as independent though not especially motivated, nonchalant yet impactful.  

“When Gen X came through, we started to have things like the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Medical Leave Act,” Belinne says. “They said, ‘There’s room for different people in different situations.’” 

Gen X claims major players like Winona Ryder, Elon Musk and Kurt Cobain. “Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ lyrics, ‘Oh, well, whatever, never mind,’ captures our generation fairly well,” Williamson says. So do mixtapes, MTV and Pop-Tarts.  

Millennials, bookended by 1981 and 1996, are often labeled as purpose-driven and tech-savvy. Though they can still remember a time when dial-up internet sent the cats scrambling out of the “computer room,” they’re now shook when the Wi-Fi lags for three seconds.  

“I tend to say ‘Gen Y,’” Belinne says, adding that the term “millennial” carries some emotional baggage. “They were the ones who really started pushing us toward work-life balance — for real work-life balance — because Gen X talked about it but never really got there.”  

Millennials are also emotionally intelligent and powerful social advocates. Think Taylor Swift and Malala Yousafzai. 

Generation Z — born between 1997 and 2012 — are considered digital natives. It’s likely many from this era knew how to find the games apps on their tablets before learning to read and write. Hyper-aware and confident, Gen Zers, such as Greta Thunberg, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka, expect more from those around them and stand up enthusiastically for what they believe is right.  

“Gen Z is like, ‘Oh, honey, that’s nothing. We can up our game, still get a lot done, take a second job on the side and you’ll never even know it,’” Belinne says. 

Why We Create Generational Labels 

These days, every generation is bombarded with information — so much so that taking cognitive shortcuts might be the only way to shut off the firehose. However, tapping into the psychology of why we’re obsessed with labels paints a more interesting picture — one shaded with both positive and negative outcomes. 

While some labels do good things, like helping us make sense of complex social change or ensuring certain groups receive the care they need, others have the potential to do more harm than good.  

Take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, for example. A widely used personality test once trusted by corporations, universities and government agencies, the MBTI groups people into one of 16 personality types based on their responses to roughly a hundred questions. “Oh! I’m an introvert! This is why I don’t like awkward situations.” 

Newsflash: No one, not even an extrovert, likes awkward situations.  

According to Vox, the test that has defined work and social lives since the 1940s is “meaningless” — a bunch of junk science that can no more predict your future happiness in finance than it can foretell your soul mate based on your favorite ice cream flavor. It was founded by Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, two writers with no formal training in psychology who adapted their methodology from the unproven theories of Swiss psychotherapist Carl Jung.  

So although labels may offer momentary enlightenment, they simply don’t hold any weight. Individuality, however, does. According to Belinne, “Individual differences trump generational differences every day of the week. And if you don’t believe me, look at siblings.” (Good point.) 

Cultural, economic and technological moments change from generation to generation. They shape the world we live in and therefore the people who live in it. Patterns emerge, sure, but individuality throws a wrench in the label game every time. 

“It’s not just generations, it’s not just when you’re born, it’s not even how you were raised,” Belinne says. “We are individuals. The world that we were raised in contributes to behaviors and expectations that people have. And so there are trends, there are tendencies within generations, but they’re not absolutes.” 

When it comes to generational labels, it’s important to tread lightly. Often retrofitted and driven by marketing and media, they can create a gulf between us, leaving ample space for conflict to fester. And one environment where intergenerational mixing consistently leads to conflict is the workplace.

Work: Where Generations Collide 

From the use of technology (Slack and Zoom vs. the water cooler and the boardroom) to the debatable definitions of what constitutes a workday (9 to 5 vs. “As long as I’m productive, what do my hours matter?”), workplaces with multigenerational staff are breeding grounds for friction points.  

“The big one that I hear is mental health,” Belinne says. “The youngest generation grew up prioritizing mental health as strongly, if not more so, than they do physical health, which honestly is not bad. But older generations are of the mindset of ‘perfect attendance awards.’” 

If we refer back to the generalizations we made at the start of the story, Gen Xers — stalwarts who see the flu as a tickle in their throat and no excuse for missing work — can get prickly when younger generations take a mental health day off. There’s also an argument to be made (on both sides) about skipping a few rungs when climbing the proverbial corporate ladder. 

“Each older generation goes, ‘Hey, wait a minute, you have to pay your dues,’” Williamson says. “Gen X [feels as though they’ve] paid their dues. They’ve waited their turn after the baby boomers have been in charge, and now suddenly, whether it’s the millennials or Gen Z, they’re getting passed up.”  

Looking at the issue from the other side, Belinne says millennials and Gen Z view “paying your dues” as being devalued and ignored. “[Younger generations] feel defensive, because they’ve been so maligned that they do kind of feel like they’re going to be misunderstood and mistreated.” 

Another side to the multigenerational coin is the tendency to either accept or reject diversity and inclusion in the workplace. For instance, older generations might bristle at change — i.e., installing a nonbinary bathroom in the office — not out of hate or prejudice but rather misunderstanding.  

“Younger generations, like Gen Z, assume that the older generations are going to be as inclusive as they are, and they’re shocked when they’re not,” Belinne says. “From their perspective, ‘How will you ever get a nonbinary employee if you don’t have a nonbinary restroom?’ To them, they want to make sure we’ve created this space where everyone’s welcome, and so it’s a different mindset.” 

Communicating Across Generations 

“The bigger thing with generations is a reminder that we came up in different worlds, and it makes us expect different things from the world,” Belinne says. “And so, when those expectations aren’t in alignment across different people, it can cause misunderstandings and conflict.” 

But now we find ourselves at a crossroads: What do we do? How do we communicate with one another? 

According to Belinne, the answer is as simple as “being open to different perspectives, being genuinely curious about why people see things the way they do and did things the way they did.”

Sitting down and getting to know the people around us — listening, not telling — is the oldest remedy to conflict in the book, and ending the generational war is no different. Using one’s ability to recognize where someone is coming from without judgment, known also as generational intelligence, is key. And guess what? It’s not something we’re born with. It’s something we learn.

“Much of it is just reframing,” Belinne says. “We have to challenge assumptions we have about other people, and then reframe them in the context of where people came from and where we are now. And when you can do it, you realize that all those labels we put on people are not accurate.” 

The Future of Generational Thinking

With the rise of AI and hybrid work and navigating the breakneck pace of social justice movements and the world writ large, cross-generational collaboration is more vital now than ever. It’s OK to have differences; differences are inevitable. Division, however, is optional.  

Williamson, who views his generation (Gen X, if you forgot) as a generation of “interpreters” capable of bridging the gap between boomers and younger generations (“We can translate,” he says) sees the importance of finding what you admire in a generation and going from there. 

“Gen Z and millennials’ impatience with the damage and negative things they’ve been handed — whether it’s climate issues, justice issues, sociopolitical issues — I think it’s a strength in them saying they’re not willing to be handed a mess and not have a say in immediately trying to do something about it,” Williamson says.  

As for Belinne, she strives for generational inclusion, believing it’s the gateway to overall inclusion. 

“It’s still important that everybody feels welcome and included. And generational inclusion is an unfrightening way, a less scary way, to talk about inclusion, to get people into the topic of talking with people different from yourself, seeing the world through their eyes, recognizing how different is not bad. It’s actually kind of cool and adaptive.” 

We’ll leave you with this: Boomers and Gen Z are not from different planets; Gen X and millennials are not speaking different languages. We are all just communicating in different dialects. And if we stay curious, courteous, kind and respectful, the labels and stereotypes that have defined generations become insignificant. 

Understanding someone older or younger has nothing to do with age and everything to do with effort. Beneath all the buzzwords and birth years, everyone just wants to be seen, have a voice and perhaps have their emoji-laden messages understood.

Besides, we’re all in trouble once Gen Alpha grows up. These babies who haven’t even gurgled their first words yet but know how to upload videos to TikTok are coming for us all.  

“I’m excited about Gen Alpha,” Belinne says. “They came up through so many weird changes. They’re going to bring a lot of weird, exciting changes to the workplace, but I’m not going to guess yet. I do know, however, that we’re going to say they’re entitled and unwilling to pay their dues.”