Finding Your Place When the Workplace Changes Around You
After 25 years, the company you know can disappear overnight - but that doesn't mean you have to disappear with it.
A longtime employee recently shared their story: nearly 25 years with the same company, just a few years shy of retirement. But something’s changed. New managers have arrived. Young employees are everywhere. New ideas and approaches, like AI and crypto currencies, are flying around that feel completely foreign. And underneath it all is this nagging fear: Are they trying to push me out?
For anyone who’s nearing the twilight of their career, this probably sounds familiar. That uncomfortable sensation of the world moving on without you, like being a square peg trying to jam into a round hole that keeps getting rounder.
The good news? Anyone facing this situation has more control over how this story ends than they might think. The world is changing quickly, and yes, it can be hard to keep up. But there are concrete ways to navigate this challenge.
The Reality of Long Tenure
Let’s be honest about what’s happening. After giving a massive chunk of life to an employer or industry - 25 years is no joke - it’s natural to feel anxious about the homestretch. The company of even a decade ago isn’t the company that exists today. The new employees coming on board could literally be their children. Quite possibly, some of these new workers probably weren’t even born when those looking to retire first started.
That’s disorienting. It’s supposed to be.
The instinct is to resist. To dig in and say, “This isn’t how we do things.” But here’s the hard truth: resistance is exactly what can make those fears come true. To finish strong and go out on a good note, embracing the changes - not fighting them - is essential.
This doesn’t mean abandoning everything learned over decades. Expertise, experience, and institutional knowledge are valuable. Really valuable. But holding those things lightly, and being willing to let new ideas coexist alongside them, makes all the difference.
Watch Your Language
Pay attention to what’s being said. Phrases like “Boy, it’s not the same as it used to be” or “What we used to do do is…” are red flags. Those comments mark someone as checked out or stuck in the past.
Instead, try this: “Help me understand why we’re doing it this way now, because I want to understand so I can adapt.”
See the difference? Same curiosity, completely different message. One says “I’m stuck in the past.” The other says “I’m still here, still contributing, still part of the team.”
It’s not about being fake or swallowing opinions. It’s about signaling openness, willingness to learn, and commitment to remaining a productive member of the organization.
Get Off the Island
Here’s a challenge for veteran employees: interact with the younger workers. Don’t just exchange pleasantries at the coffee maker. Actually sit with them. Eat lunch with them. Get to know who they are and where they’re coming from.
When doing this, remember the golden rule: be more interested than interesting.
Listen to what they have to say. Ask questions. And whatever happens, don’t pull out the “in my day” card or the “when I was your age” speech. They don’t want to hear it, and honestly, it doesn’t help anyone.
The more genuine interest shown in younger colleagues, the more they’re treated as equals rather than kids who need educating, the more they’ll reciprocate. Instead of being “that old person who sits by themselves,” someone becomes approachable, engaged, and relevant.
Don’t Silence Experience
This doesn’t mean becoming a doormat. Experienced employees have knowledge to share. They’ve seen things work and fail. They understand the history of decisions that shaped the company.
Don’t be afraid to question things or offer perspective. Employers should absolutely want to tap into that experience—it’s an asset they’d be foolish to waste.
Remember, everything that has been the standard up to this point was, once upon a time, new as well. Past changes occurred for legitimate reasons. Treat new ideas and approaches the same way - as something meant to to correct or improve something. Experience usually means being able to more readily understand the value of a correction or improvement due to having greater insight into the various reasons that the current way of doing things is as it is.
The key is how this knowledge gets shared. Coming from a place of collaboration, not correction, works best. Offer insights without attaching them to “the way we used to do things.” Help younger colleagues understand context without making them feel like they need to earn approval.
A Word to the New Generation of Employee
For new managers or young Gen Z employees reading this: older colleagues aren’t obstacles. They’re not dinosaurs taking up space. Many of them feel genuinely threatened as the company gets younger while they get older.
Use their expertise. Mine their institutional knowledge. Make them feel like they’re part of the company’s future, not just its past. Sit with them. Be more interested than interesting - yeah, the same rule applies here too.
The results can be amazing when an experienced worker feels valued and included rather than tolerated and ignored. They’ll contribute in ways that surprise everyone. They’ll support changes they might have resisted. They’ll become allies instead of roadblocks.
The Bottom Line
Change is inevitable, especially in today’s workplace. But feeling left behind isn’t. Whether someone is the veteran trying to navigate a new landscape or the newcomer building that landscape, the answer is the same: connection, curiosity, and respect.
Everyone is just trying to do good work and feel like they matter. That doesn’t change with age, title, or tenure.
So reach across those generational divides. Learn from each other. And remember that the best teams aren’t built on uniformity—they’re built on people who value what everyone brings to the table, no matter when they sat down.