HR’s New Role: Bridge the Gap

It was the summer of 1997, the sweaty, restless stretch before my senior year of high school. My older cousin Bobby, a thirtysomething concrete construction boss out of Baltimore, decided I needed a dose of real life — and a paycheck — so he put me on his concrete construction crew. The goal? Save enough for a beat-up car I’d been eyeing. I showed up that first June day on Wilkins Avenue with no clue what I was in for. If you’ve ever experienced a Baltimore summer you know what it’s like. The air was thick, the humidity was merciless, and the work hit me like a sledgehammer — literally. A typical day started with smashing up old sidewalks, patios, or driveways, wielding either a sledge or a jackhammer until my arms begged for mercy. Then came the grunt work: chucking a million jagged concrete chunks into a dump truck. If we weren’t lucky enough to have a mix truck roll in, we’d mix the new concrete by hand and wheel it over in barrows, cursing the sun the whole way.

But beyond the heat and the backaches, I remember the crew — four guys spanning decades. At 16, I was the kid. Bo, in his early 20s, had a restless energy. Bobby, my cousin in his 30s, ran the show with a mix of grit and grin. And Scottie, pushing 40, was the grizzled veteran who’d seen it all. Each day, we took turns playing DJ. Scottie blasted his ’70s rock — think Zeppelin or Skynyrd — while Bobby leaned into ’80s punk and hair metal. Bo brought early ’90s rap, all booming bass, and when my turn came, I’d tune the radio to alternative vibes — Blink-182, Third Eye Blind, the soundtrack of my teenage angst. We’d mock each other mercilessly: “This isn’t music, it’s crap!” But here’s the funny thing — by summer’s end, something shifted. Scottie started tapping his foot to Blink 182, and I caught myself humming Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” The generational gap didn’t vanish, but it shrank. Turns out, breaking concrete and sharing a boombox can do that.

I’m now 44 years old, leading an HR team, finding myself once again trying to bridge a gap between generations. They call me an Xennial — a curious hybrid of the scrappy, analog-loving Gen Xers and the tech-savvy, purpose-driven Millennials. I grew up with a Walkman in one hand and a dial-up modem at home. And right now, I’m straddling a gap in the middle of the corporate bridge, Millennials and Gen Z on one side, Gen X and Baby Boomers on the other. All of us — every generation — are sharing the same office space, chasing the same goals, and, let’s be honest, occasionally stepping on each other’s toes.

The challenge? We need to bridge this gap. Not just hear each other, but listen. Millennials and Gen Z can at times be opinionated, and ready to rewrite the rules. Gen X and Boomers, meanwhile, laid the groundwork for the companies we’re all trying to push forward — their hard work is the reason we have something to build on. As an HR leader, I’m tasked with making sure the rising voices don’t drown out the wisdom of experience, while also ensuring the veterans don’t dismiss the newcomers as entitled kids who don’t get it. Oh, and I’ve got to deliver business results while I’m at it. No pressure, right?

Here’s the good news: This isn’t an impossible task. It’s a chance to rethink how we work together. Drawing on research, stories, and a bit of trial-and-error from my own career, I’ve come to believe the solution lies in two simple principles: grace and space. Give the new generations room to grow and the old guard credit for what they’ve built. Let’s unpack how we can make this work — and why it’s worth the effort.

The Generational Remix: Equalize the Playlist

Picture your workplace as a playlist. The Baby Boomers are the classic rock anthems — think Springsteen or The Rolling Stones — gritty, soulful, and the backbone of the setlist. Gen X is the alt-rock rebels, like Guns N’ Roses or Radiohead: sharp, resourceful, and the glue that turns chaos into something lasting. Millennials bring the pop energy — Beyoncé or Taylor Swift — bold, collaborative, and obsessed with meaning. And Gen Z? They’re the streaming-era disruptors, like Kendrick Lamar: boundary-pushing, and unafraid to remix everything (Thank you to my daughter Zoey for the assistance on the Gen Z Music!).

Right now, all these tracks are playing at once. And they’re not always in harmony. Research from the Pew Research Center shows that for the first time in modern history, we have five generations in the workforce — Silent Generation holdouts, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Each group brings its own values, quirks, and expectations. Millennials and Gen Z crave flexibility, purpose, and adapt well to rapid change; they’re the ones asking, “Why are we still doing it this way?” Gen X and Boomers value stability, loyalty, and results; they’re more likely to say, “This is how we’ve always done it — and it works.”

The tension isn’t just anecdotal. A 2021 Deloitte study found that Millennials and Gen Z are twice as likely as older generations to prioritize work-life balance and social impact over traditional markers of success like promotions or pay. Meanwhile, a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) revealed that Boomers and Gen X often feel overlooked or undervalued as younger workers ascend. Everyone’s got a megaphone, but no one’s quite sure how to tune the volume.

The C-Suite Shift: Credit the Veterans

Here’s where it gets interesting: Leadership is changing. For decades, executive teams were shaped by Boomers and Gen X — leaders who climbed the ladder with grit, late nights, and a firm handshake, building the companies we’re now reimagining. Millennials are knocking on the door, and they’re joining a table still rich with that hard-earned wisdom. By 2025, they’re projected to make up 75% of the global workforce, according to ManpowerGroup, and they’re already stepping into VP and C-suite roles. Gen Z isn’t far behind, bringing their digital fluency and impatience with bureaucracy.

This shift is a gust of fresh air — and a potential storm. Younger generations embrace change faster than their predecessors. I’ll say that again: younger generations embrace change faster than their predecessors. They’re the ones pushing for remote work, AI tools, and flatter hierarchies. A 2022 McKinsey report found that 70% of Millennials and Gen Z want their organizations to adopt new technologies and ways of working, compared to just 40% of Boomers. They’re not wrong to push — innovation often comes from discomfort. But here’s the catch: Work isn’t adult daycare. At the end of the day, we’ve all got a job to do — deadlines to hit, clients to satisfy, revenue to generate.

Newer generations are motivated to make changes for the better, and have many great ideas. However, executives can’t just nod along to every new idea. They need to balance the hunger for change with the reality of results.

The HR Leader’s Tightrope

If you’re in HR like me, you’re walking a tightrope. On one side, you’ve got Millennials and Gen Z clamoring for a seat at the table, at times, ready to call out anything they see as unfair or outdated. On the other, you’ve got Gen X and Boomers who’ve put in decades of work and don’t want to be sidelined. And above you? Executives who just want the numbers to add up.

It’s tempting to pick a side or play peacemaker by papering over the cracks. But that won’t work. Research from Harvard Business Review suggests that generational conflict doesn’t resolve itself — it festers unless you address it head-on. So how do we bridge this gap? I’ve found it comes down to two things: listening with grace and creating space for growth.

Grace: The Art of Cutting Some Slack

Let’s start with the younger crowd. Millennials and Gen Z can (at times) be a lot — vocal, idealistic, and sometimes unpolished. They may interject during a meeting to question a policy or send you a TED Talk about “reimagining work.” It’s easy to roll your eyes and mutter, “They’ll learn.” But here’s the thing: They’re not wrong to speak up. Decades of research on organizational change show that fresh perspectives drive progress. A study from MIT found that companies with diverse teams — age included — outperform their peers by 35% in innovation metrics.

The catch? They need grace as they learn. Being professional isn’t intuitive — it’s a skill. I once mentored a Gen Z employee who emailed the President of an organization directly with a “suggestion” that sounded more like a demand. I pulled them aside and said, “Your idea’s solid, but let’s workshop how to pitch it.” I loved their enthusiasm! However, they didn’t know what they didn’t know — and that’s okay. Grace means meeting people where they are, not where you think they should be.

Now flip it. Gen X and Boomers deserve grace too. They’ve built the systems we’re all tweaking, often without the safety nets younger workers take for granted. When they resist change, it’s not always stubbornness — it’s experience talking. A Boomer manager once told me, “I’ve seen a few ‘revolutionary’ ideas come and go. A lot of them failed.” He wasn’t wrong to be skeptical. Listening to that perspective doesn’t mean stalling progress — it means building on a stronger foundation.

Space: Room to Grow, Room to Contribute

Grace sets the tone, but space makes it stick. For Millennials and Gen Z, that means giving them real ownership. Don’t just nod at their ideas — put them in charge of a pilot project. Whether the project succeeds or fails, the end result will be growth. This kind of space also helps them develop the “figure it out” skill. Space to fail and fix the problem is how they learn what “professional” really means.

For Gen X and Boomers, space means unleashing their expertise. It’s not just recognition — it’s purpose in action. Pair them with younger workers on cross-generational teams, like a company I studied where Boomers guided Gen Z to streamline processes, while Gen Z taught data tricks. The result? Both sides thrived, and costs dropped 15% — proof experience isn’t just a trophy, it’s a catalyst. Space isn’t about stepping aside; it’s about stepping up together.

Helping Executives Hear the Wind

Here’s where HR steps up to the plate: by helping executives tune into this generational remix, not just lead the orchestra. The newer voices — Millennials and Gen Z — can come on strong (at times), tossing out ideas that clash with the status quo executives have long leaned on. It’s easy to bristle or dig in when that happens. But instead of shutting it down, try this: Ask, “Why do you feel that way?” It’s a simple question, rooted in curiosity, not defense — and it can unlock a goldmine of insight. This can help with a workforce set to be 75% Millennial and Gen Z by decade’s end, according to ManpowerGroup. HR directors have a delicate job here — coaching execs with a gentle nudge to embrace the shift without letting the ship drift off course. It’s less about forcing change and more about hearing the wind — and adjusting the sails together.

The Call to Action: HR, It’s Your Moment

This generational mash-up isn’t a problem to solve — it’s an opportunity to seize. HR leaders, you’re the DJs of this workplace playlist. Your job isn’t to pick favorites or silence the loud ones. It’s to mix the tracks so everyone hears something they love — and the beat keeps driving forward.

One word of caution before we charge ahead: Not every generational label fits neatly. I’ve met Gen Z employees who hustle like Boomers — clocking late hours, skeptical of flashy trends — and Boomers who act like Gen Z, chasing flexibility and questioning the status quo. In HR, we love our tidy boxes, sorting people by birth year and slapping on a stereotype. But research backs this up — studies from the Journal of Organizational Behavior show individual differences often outweigh generational trends. So, wield that broad brush with care. The real magic happens when we stay open, seeing each person not just as a Millennial or a Gen Xer, but as a unique voice ready to contribute. That’s where the gap starts to close.

So here’s your call to action: Start tomorrow. Pick one team. Listen — really listen — to what each generation is saying. Give the newbies grace to stumble and the veterans space to shine. Then take what you learn to the top. Encourage your executives to embrace the changing winds without losing sight of the shore. It won’t be perfect. It’ll be messy, human, and worth it.

Bridge the Gap

Let me take you back one last time to that summer of 1997. As the four of us — me, Bo, Bobby, and Scottie — packed up our tools at the end of each hot summer day, we’d pause and glance back at what we’d built. A smooth new sidewalk. A sturdy patio. Maybe even a long, winding driveway. We were a Mötley Crüe, no doubt — bickering over music, bumping heads over how to swing a sledgehammer safely — but we had a job to do, and we did it. That quiet sense of accomplishment has always stuck with me. It’s the same feeling we can chase in 2025 and beyond as we bridge this generational divide. There is still a job to do each day. The noise, the differences, the push-and-pull — they’re real. But once we figure out how to row the boat together, blending the boldness of the young with the wisdom of the seasoned, there’s no limit to what we can build-together. So, HR leaders, let’s get to it — listen with grace, carve out space, and watch what happens when every generation pulls in the same direction. The gap’s not a barrier; it’s our bridge to something extraordinary — let’s cross it together.