There was a bit of a backlash to my post, How Not to Act Old, Especially in the Workplace; I heard quite a bit of grumbling. The book I reviewed took older folks to task for not trying harder to be young and fit in. Maybe my boomer peers are tired of hearing about these supposedly over-indulged younger people?

I remember supervising Gen X social work graduate students on a work site. While I enjoyed their enthusiasm and curiosity, their lack of real-world experience made me grumpy. But I was still able to communicate with and direct them as we weren’t that far apart in age or ideology.

Much has been written about how to interact and communicate with Gen Y. One book, Bruce Tulgan’s Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y, has some valid points, especially the fourteen myths about Gen Y in the workplace (Myth 12: Gen Y Won’t Do the Grunt Work). But the overall media message is that WE must adapt to THEM, not the other way around.

Here are a few tips for Gen Y if you’re interested in co-existing with the oldsters:

1. Stop texting. It’s distracting and rude if someone is trying to talk to you.

2. Don’t feel you have to verbalize every idea you have. Believe me, not every one of them is a winner.

3. Don’t use the word “awesome.” Ever. Again. (This goes for ANY age group.)

4. If you went clubbing on a Wed. night till 4 a.m., got wasted and went to Denny’s for breakfast before work, keep it to yourself.

5. Quit wearing stilettos to the office. They’re trampy. (I must have just channeled my mother, sorry.)

6. “My bad” is probably not the best way to communicate to your boss that you forgot to do a report. Try speaking “older.” There are probably translators available.

This is a guest post by Nancy LaFever. You can read more from her at the Centre for Emotional Wellbeing blog.