QUESTION: It is difficult to manage a subordinate who is senior in age.
REALITY: One should manage a subordinate based on his work, not his age.
One needs to be courteous, irrespective of age. Here the problem is that you, as the manager, have to take a tough stand across the board, but hesitate to do so because of a few people in the team who are senior to you in age. You may then feet handicapped. A senior person may sense this weakness and respond in various ways, He could be appreciative of your treating him differently. He might also exploit the situation arid take the easy route of doing the bare minimum to stick on to the job. Either way, it is not good for the larger team as other members would get puzzled by the inconsistent approach of the manager.
A company expects its manager to deal with such cases properly and smoothly. When confronted -with an issue, a manager should focus on it rather on who caused it. No employee should be made to feel that he is somehow ‘above the law’ or that he can ‘get away with anything’. That would reflect poorly on the manager. When a new manager joins a company and finds it difficult to rein in a senior person who has been with the company for long, he may have to give this person some time to adjust to the new reality. It might be that the senior person is miffed because he didn’t get the manager’s position. Anyway, a good manager should consult each and every team member based on their area of expertise. Through this inclusive approach, all team members will feel valued.
It’s really up to the senior team members to support the new manager. They can make it easy for the manager to treat them equally by displaying a great sense of motivation and maturity. And as for the senior person who had himself applied for the manager’s post, he should reconcile quickly to the new structure and provide support to the manager wherever he finds that things are not going to plan Or if the manager requires help. Any issues between a manager and a senior person ought to be sorted out between themselves, in the best interest of the team..
WHAT CAN YOU DO? Respect everyone, irrespective of age , and be courteous. Age should not be a criterion for making exceptions at work. If a tough message has to be communicated, it should be communicated to all. If a stretch goal is given, do not skip an elderly worker but treat him as an equal. There are chances of a senior person’s getting offended if you treat him deferentially, because then you would be guilty of discrimination based on age.
