Really, there are some things boomers do at work because they’re just following traditions and doing what’s always been done, but they don’t necessarily make a lot of sense. Each generation has its own distinct way of doing things that’s easy to identify. As the oldest generation that is typically still found in the workforce, boomers are known for being a bit old-fashioned and not keeping up with new trends the way that millennials and Gen Z do.
Content creator Danny Fisher, who proudly proclaimed in his TikTok bio that he quit his nine-to-five and now helps others do the same, shared some of these things that don’t make much sense in a post on the app. He described the habits he talked about as “absolutely ridiculous corporate policies created by the older generation that need to change immediately.” And, really, when you think about it, he may just be right.
Here are 3 things boomers do at work because that’s just the way it’s always been done, even though they don’t make much sense:
1. Holding everyone to strict PTO standards
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“Companies will flex a work-to-life balance while offering, like, two weeks PTO your first year, and then saying you can accrue more hours of PTO the longer you stay here,” Fisher explained. “No, I think everyone should have the same amount of PTO. Doesn’t matter when you start.”
Another issue Fisher pointed out about PTO was the way companies tend to encourage their employees to hoard it like treasure. “You shouldn’t be guilted out of using your PTO,” he said. “If you have it, you shouldn’t be denied, and you definitely shouldn’t be guilted by your boss or co-workers when you do actually go to use it.”
Researcher Karen Tan conducted a study to determine why American workers felt guilty about taking time off. She found that one in five felt “vacation guilt” that made them reconsider their plans or shorten their vacation time. There’s really no explanation for why this feeling occurs other than the fact that this is the culture that has been cultivated in the American workforce. Boomers might be fine with doing things this way, but younger generations are questioning it.
2. Sticking to the standardized work week
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We all know the “rules” of the workplace. You go to work every weekday from nine to five. But, according to Fisher, we only do that “just ‘cause that’s how it’s been done the past hundred years.” He argued, “We shouldn’t be seeing our co-workers and our bosses and our computer desks more than our families, right? We should be doing a four-day work week and a three-day weekend.”
Despite the fact that only working four days a week sounds like a dream come true now, the five-day work week was actually a pretty good deal for workers back in the day. History.com contributor Dave Roos said it was a result of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which was passed after American workers spent over 100 years fighting for better working conditions, including shorter hours.
While workers may have been thrilled with the standardization of the five-day work week, as Fisher said, that law was passed almost 100 years ago. Shouldn’t we advance even more now? Just because boomers are used to working eight hours a day, five days a week doesn’t mean it’s the best or most efficient way to go about getting work done.
3. Not normalizing working from home
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“If you have a job that is done on a computer, you should not be required to sit in an office,” Fisher stated. “Tell me how that makes sense … It doesn’t. If you can get your job done online from Wi-Fi effectively, you’re a grown adult. You should be able to do it from wherever.”
As Fisher noted, not every job can be done from home, but many can. Still, boomers resist allowing employees to actually have freedom and autonomy over where they work. This is despite the fact that a Pew Research Center survey found that 71% of people who work from home say it helps them maintain a better work-life balance. 56% also said it makes them more productive “at least some of the time.” With the way technology is evolving rapidly, it would make sense for workers who can work effectively from home to be allowed to do so.
Boomers hold many management positions in the workforce as they’ve been working longer and hold seniority. As such, they make a lot of the decisions about how things are done at work. Unfortunately, some of those decisions and the traditions they cling to just don’t make a lot of sense for the quickly transitioning world we live in. It’s time for jobs to truly keep up with the times.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
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