“Gen Z and Millennials make up the bulk of our workforce. So we must tailor our workplaces toward them. Right? Wrong.”
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP
The post from SHRM ‘s CEO this week hit the nail on the head, but raises wider questions.
Mr Taylor points out that contrary to the general narrative, Gen X, Boomers, and Traditionalists still make up more than half the workforce in the U.S. And workers over 55 are expected to take half of all new jobs in the next decade.
This is especially important in the administrative profession.
The average age of an assistant globally is 48, and 50 in the US. Most aren’t 23-year-olds fresh out of college. They’re experienced, resilient professionals in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. And too often, they’re told they’re “past their prime” just as they hit peak expertise.
The truth is that older workers bring:
💡 Deep institutional knowledge that prevents repeated mistakes.
💡 Reliability and resilience under pressure.
💡 Mentorship that younger colleagues crave.
💡 Perspective grounded in decades of business cycles.
But here’s my take. This shouldn’t be an either/or conversation.
We need to support both strands.
👉 Gen Z and Millennials bring digital fluency, fresh thinking, and a demand for workplaces that prioritise wellbeing.
👉 Gen X and Boomers bring wisdom, stability, and strategic experience that steadies the ship.
Which means the real challenge is twofold. We must attract younger assistants into the profession while retaining and valuing the older ones already here.
And before anyone shouts – yes, I know that’s a generalisation and I also understand that plenty of you older ones are awesome at tech. But my point is this.
When assistants in their 20s sit alongside assistants in their 50s, both grow stronger.
The future of work won’t belong to one generation. It will belong to the organisations that know how to unlock the best of every generation.
And we need all the energy and innovation and wisdom and perspective that a multigenerational team brings.
