There’s no shortage of articles trying to explain why different generations clash at work.
Most focus on surface-level behaviors: Gen Z needs more feedback. Boomers prefer to pick up the phone to call people. Millennials want flexible schedules. Gen X avoids meetings.
For HR and L&D teams who get a birds-eye view of how generational clashes are affecting the workplace, it seems like an impossible task to make everyone happy.
And you’re right. It is impossible.
Especially when the things one group wants are directly opposed to what another group wants.
But you can make a lot of progress by addressing what’s lying underneath these demands: Emotions.
If you want to solve the real challenge of a multigenerational workforce, you have to look deeper. Underneath those behaviors and lists of demands are unspoken emotional patterns—frustration, fear, judgment, resistance—that quietly shape team dynamics and performance.
Managing emotions in a multigenerational workforce isn't just about improving communication. It’s about unlocking trust, empathy, and innovation in teams where generational differences are too often misunderstood—or ignored entirely.
Let’s take a closer look at the emotional dynamics at play, and what your organization can do to address them.
Each generation carries the imprint of its time. All of our personal milestones (going to school, graduating, getting a job, moving out on your own, falling in love, etc.) are affected by the context of what was going around us at that time (economics, geopolitical tensions, cultural trends, community changes, family issues, etc.).
That imprint shapes how we think, communicate, and work. And often, it evokes a strong emotional reaction when another generation approaches it differently.
Take communication styles. You may have nodded along when we said Gen X avoids meetings (obviously, who wants more meetings?). Or rolled your eyes at the idea of calling someone instead of texting (why would you interrupt someone like that?).
These are examples of what’s called “naive realism bias.” It’s the belief that our view is the objective truth. Anyone who believes something different is irrational, uninformed, or biased.
But many of the issues around generational conflict have no clear right or wrong solution. It’s simply a matter of perception and preference - and the emotions that go along with them.
The good news is that L&D and HR teams can give people the tools to address that.
There’s a danger in creating generational stereotypes, as each person is an individual with their own specific viewpoints.
But there can be value in having open discussion and acknowledging some of the broad patterns that show up again and again.
These trends are more than sociological data points. They’re deeply emotional experiences that shape how people show up at work.
Technology changes at an exponential rate, meaning it’s changing far faster now than it has for previous generations. The pace of change has created radically different expectations and attitudes in the workforce.
Younger generations may expect to work with technology that’s much more intuitive, and constantly advancing. Older generations often carry a bit more skepticism, especially as they’ve likely witnessed many implementation challenges and unfulfilled promises in previous tech waves.
This mismatch in comfort and expectations often creates fear, frustration, or resistance on both sides.
Boomers and Gen X often entered workplaces that rewarded conformity and predictability. They collaborated out of necessity, as they didn’t have the technologies that make it easier to have the information and tools to do things on their own.
In contrast, younger employees grew up in a culture where technology made it far easier to do more without interacting with others. For example, research for school projects could easily be done online without having to go to a library.
Younger employees grew up in a culture that celebrates uniqueness and self-expression, particularly as social media rose in prominence. As a result, their individual failures and successes are often more publicly visible.
At work, this may cause them to seek more positive feedback and faster promotions.
Younger generations have been raised in a very economic and social environment than their older counterparts. Economic factors - including high student debt and rising costs of living - combined with changing social and educational environments that emphasized support over independence has shifted the timeline of many milestones.
That shift has also changed how they approach risk, leadership, and career growth.
These trends are having multifold impacts on the workplace. In a recent roundtable we hosted on the topic with L&D and HR professionals, here were a few of the topics that came up:
Promotions
One participant put it this way: “We’re running into a lot of generational issues when it comes to promotions.
“Many of our older managers believe people should feel lucky to have a job. Meeting the basic requirements of the role is what’s necessary to not get fired - it’s not a reason for a promotion.
“Meanwhile, the younger workers are looking for a lot more certainty about their career growth. They want someone to say, ‘If you do these things, you will get a promotion.’ But many times, we don’t have a promotion to give at a certain time, nor is the path to a promotion always clear. So they leave.”
Both views are valid but incomplete. One looks at the needs of the team and organization while assuming the individual will put their own needs aside. Meanwhile, the other sees only their own ambitions, ignoring the context of the team and organization.
If this emotional friction goes unaddressed, it leads to deep tensions and high turnover.
Conflict Avoidance and Feedback
One of the hot topics at our roundtable centered on feedback. Some shared that younger generations are eager for regular feedback, which echoes their experience in education where their grades were tracked consistently or how they receive rapid feedback on social media.
But many managers feel they don’t have the time for constant feedback. Some are even uncomfortable giving a lot of direct praise as it’s not something they experienced regularly in the workplace.
The bigger sticking point is when the feedback isn’t positive. For example, one person shared a story in which a junior team member disagreed with her manager’s feedback for improvement during a performance review.
Instead of discussing it directly, they quietly confided in a coworker who shared their perspective. The problem didn’t get addressed—it just got rehearsed in a safer space.
It’s a pattern we’re seeing more often: conflict avoidance dressed up as emotional validation. Many younger employees aren’t comfortable with confrontation. Rather than raise issues directly, they bring them to someone else, hoping that the discomfort will just dissolve on its own.
But emotions don’t disappear when ignored. They tend to seep into other areas, creating passive resistance, disengagement, even turnover.
This kind of dynamic isn’t caused by immaturity. It’s a reflection of the emotional norms younger generations grew up with: an emphasis on harmony, inclusion, and mental health. These are strengths. But without the skills to navigate emotional discomfort, even small tensions can become major disruptions.
Organizations can help by creating psychological safety and offering tools to navigate difficult conversations. When employees learn to recognize the physical cues of avoidance—tight shoulders, held breath, rising heat in the face—they can pause, ground themselves, and stay present. This is how emotional intelligence transforms avoidance into productive engagement.
Dismissed concerns
One of our L&D clients summarized a troubling but all-too-common pattern: “We hear a concern from a younger employee, and the older manager just shrugs and says, ‘That’s just how work is.’”
To the younger employee, it feels like their emotions are being brushed aside. To the older manager, it may simply be a reality check—borne of experience, not disrespect. But the result is the same: younger employees feel ignored, and older managers feel frustrated that their perspective isn’t being appreciated either.
Dismissal often stems from a deeper belief: “You don’t have enough experience to understand how the real world works.” While it might be meant as mentorship, it often lands as condescension. And that erodes trust fast.
This isn’t just a generational issue. It’s an emotional intelligence issue.
When older employees can recognize the instinct to dismiss and instead get curious—What is this person actually feeling? Why does this matter so much to them?—the conversation shifts. It moves from judgment to empathy. From “That’s not a big deal” to “Tell me more.”
That small change can mean the difference between resignation and innovation.
As we mentioned at the start of this piece, it’s impossible to create policies that meet everyone’s needs. But L&D and HR teams can do a lot to ease the emotions that spark multigenerational conflicts.
Let’s break down how.
While you want to avoid reinforcing generational stereotypes, it can be valuable to understand to build empathy for what others have experienced.
There are a lot of ways to do that with fun team activities that get people to share their perspectives. We also find it helpful to help people understand the concept of Perception BoxTM. This framework can help people understand why they see things differently than others, and how those differences are shaped by valid emotional experiences.
Generational differences often play out in who feels safe to speak up. That’s why it’s crucial that teams and their leaders purposely work to build psychological safety. In fact, Google’s famous study on team dynamics, Project Aristotle, showed that psychological safety was the single most important factor for team performance.
However, psychological safety is often misunderstood, especially through a generational lens. Some interpret it as a requirement to support any idea, without pushback or conflict, which is incorrect. Rather, psychological safety should be the foundation for healthy disagreement, which is what enables teams to solve problems together.
Psychological safety can’t be mandated by HR. But it can be developed. A culture of psychological safety is created only through consistent behaviors: acknowledging uncertainty, inviting input, rewarding thoughtful risk-taking, enabling productive conflict, and listening without defensiveness.
(Explore our guide to creating psychological safety for specific strategies.)
When teams encounter someone with a different perspective—especially someone from a different generation—it’s easy to fall into judgment. Emotional intelligence helps break that pattern.
Instead of assuming someone is “resistant” or “entitled,” pause and get curious. Ask:
Different generations often carry different beliefs about failure. Some were taught to play it safe and not speak unless they had the right answer. Others were told to experiment, iterate, and move fast.
But every generation struggles with failure in some way. One powerful mindset shift we teach is moving from failure avoidance to learning orientation. It’s not about letting go of standards. It’s about creating space for insight and experimentation.
When that shift happens, emotional tension gives way to productive collaboration.
You don’t need a new handbook for each generation. You need a better way to understand the emotions behind their actions.
When L&D and HR leaders focus on managing emotions in a multigenerational workforce, performance improves across the board. People feel seen, heard, and respected. And that unlocks the full strength of your teams.
We help organizations build high-performing teams grounded in empathy, trust, and emotional awareness—no matter the generation.