Bridging age-old generation gap in the workplace

Strategies include making it easier for staff from different age groups to interact

Kitchen worker Yeo Seck Eng (left), 56, and service worker Jessie Leu, 33, work at the Sushi Express outlet at Sun Plaza. Both said it takes understanding and respect for younger and older employees to get along with each another, and the simple act
Kitchen worker Yeo Seck Eng (left), 56, and service worker Jessie Leu, 33, work at the Sushi Express outlet at Sun Plaza. Both said it takes understanding and respect for younger and older employees to get along with each another, and the simple act of having meals together has helped their team grow closer. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
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Service worker Jessie Leu knows all too well that younger employees like herself do not always see eye to eye with older workers, especially in the stressful environment of a busy restaurant.

When Ms Leu, 33, joined the Sushi Express outlet at Sun Plaza last year, she was occasionally scolded by the mostly older kitchen staff if she did not know the name of a dish or placed an order with the wrong person.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 08, 2019, with the headline Bridging age-old generation gap in the workplace. Subscribe