Reverse Ageism When 30 becomes the new 65...

When I was in my early 20s, “millennials” were it. We fascinated the professional world with our attitudes toward work — making our own schedules? Asking to work “from home”? — and every company had a think piece on their blog trying to crack the code: were millennials irresponsible, lazy workers, or were they visionaries?

Even today, data is showing that our generation is most likely to switch jobs; very open to new job opportunities; and is the “least engaged” generation in the workplace. Depending on who you talk to, these traits could either be seen as inspirational, or as indicators that the world is falling apart. 

Anecdotally, I can tell you that the millennial reputation has followed me throughout my career. At my first job, people often asked if I agreed with my generation’s approach to work (I lied and said no, for fear of seeming my age). My grandfather’s voice was always in my ear: “You get a job, work hard at it for 30 years, rise through the ranks, and then run the place.” Easy, right?

Never mind the fact that working somewhere for 30 years made me want to vomit and hide in a hole. I’d only been alive for 20 years! 

I was born in 1993, placing me in the millennial range. And, while I lied to my older coworkers and my grandfather and pretended to be fine with strict nine-to-five roles in cubicles, I had dreams of more — dreams of getting to work in time for my first meeting and leaving whenever I felt the commute would be easiest. Working from my house on days when I didn’t feel like socializing and hovering over those doughnuts my coworker John left in the kitchen. Where I worked, and when, didn't matter to me, so long as I completed my work on time and got to go to pilates class at 4 pm. (The 5 pm class was always booked.)

I suppose the pressure I felt to resist being a product of my generation was “reverse ageism”: hiring younger workers to save on salaries, and not treating them like equal, valid participants in the company.  I worried if I leaned too hard into my youth, people would think I wore diapers. But it didn’t matter — my face and incredible metabolism gave me away. I remember attending meetings at one of my first jobs and saying really insightful things… only for someone older to repeat those things and get all the credit. I was doing my job and doing it well. Why did my age matter?

What I felt at 20, I’m now starting to feel at 30, but in the reverse way. I know, I know — I’m a spry, childless 30-year-old who pays for two therapists because she” likes the variety.” But, in Los Angeles (where I’ve lived for nearly seven years), 30 is the new 65. LA operates in dog years. And I’m an old pooch.

I’m the Head of Editorial at a successful underwear company. My job straddles copy, visual storytelling, and social media. And while I’m an avid social media user, I’m never quite “on it.” Trends come and go so quickly that I have trouble keeping up. “Wait, last week ‘clean girl aesthetic’ was in, but now it’s ‘mob wife aesthetic’?” Some of my slowness is due to the fact that I’m a nerd. The rest is because I’m just not hip anymore.

Today’s jobs — especially at popular brands — want people with “the cool factor.” They want people who not only know about trends but also start them. You’ve got to have a proven track record of making things go viral in order to be considered a valid content creator. And while there are a few exceptions, people ages ten to 29 still make up most social media users. You’ve got to know your audience to relate to them, and being part of that audience gives you a leg up.

We have a lot of employees in their early 20s at my current company. They offer insights into “youthful” things that some of us just can’t grasp. Why would my 50-year-old boss know how Saltburn swept the nation via Tiktok? He needs people to tell him what’s cool, and the people with that power are young. 

If you want to be a relevant brand that never misses a trend, then you need to put young people into influential positions. You then need to treat them more like SMEs, and less like someone’s kids visiting the office. Gen Z young adults grew up with social media and internet access in a way that no other generation did. Gen Z knows how to work TikTok like I knew how to use a wooden yardstick — we’re just not comparable. In fact, social media is the top-ranked industry of interest for Gen Z and below. They’re primed and ready to keep your brand or company relevant. They know what’s in, what’s out, and how to use technology to tell stories. We may make fun of their obsession with trends and media, but at the end of the day, we need it. Older, more experienced employees bring years of management, business, and general work experience; but the younger generation is the special sauce.

It’s one thing, as a business, to say “We need cool talent.” It’s another to attract and retain it. Older generations have a very different idea of what constitutes “work” than younger ones, and companies are scratching their heads trying to figure out how to attract young people. For starters? Flexible work schedules (remote, hybrid, etc.) Room for growth. An emphasis on health (especially mental health). And a real reverence for what they can bring to the table. No young person who grew up watching Millennials and survived a pandemic (which forced many of them to learn remotely) is going to understand a five-day in-office schedule, or intro jobs that start at $35k. The world is changing, and so are people’s expectations. 

I believe change is a great thing, but it doesn’t need to come at the expense of what’s preceded it. As a mid-range Millennial, I understand those above me and empathize with those below me. I want flexible work arrangements that account for my autonomy and personal needs, but I also want to work hard, grow my career, and respect the needs of the business. I don’t think a hard-line approach to anything is advisable. There’s got to be a happy medium, right? Why can’t we help people learn and grow without putting down how they do it? The method doesn’t matter as much as the result. And at the intersection of those who think they “know best” — both the older and the younger — is magic, innovation, and truly great storytelling.

I guess my conclusion is very “kumbaya”: try to please as many people as you can at all times. Someone will always disagree or be disappointed, but if we value people’s talents and skill sets above their generational associations, we’ll set ourselves up for impressive results — and results don’t lie.

Sophie Spiers is a Los Angeles-based writer, marketer, and stand-up comedian. She has over a decade of experience creating content for a range of B2C and B2B brands. She's currently Head of Editorial for MeUndies, an LA-based underwear and loungewear company. Sophie loves telling human-centered stories and believes that any brand can benefit from self-awareness and a dose of lighthearted humor. As a stand-up comic, she takes lightheartedness to a whole new level - a level where nothing's off-limits. If it's a good story, it'll end up on stage.