Young bosses may be viewed with hostility and great resentment by their older peers. This may stem from the view that they are too 'wet behind the ears' to have the experience required to make important decisions.

It may feel very demoralizing and demeaning for an older member of staff to accept instructions and direction from someone who may be half his/her age. This puts a lot of pressure on a younger boss to prove that he/she has the capabilities to manage a myriad of doubting senior employees. In turn, the relationship between employer and staff can become very distant if the young manager is forced to crack the 'virtual whip' in order to stand his ground.

In some instances, employees become riled if they feel that a young manager has climbed to an esteemed position by using ulterior motives to rise to prestige, perhaps by using contacts within the organization to gain a position which should have gone to someone with more experience. This form of angst produces an environment laden with hostility. It can seriously jeopardize the advancement and progression of a company which spends more time back stabbing and less time working together as a team.

In order to make the sum parts become a whole, both sides need to form a consensus for working together to create a united team focused on the same goals. At the end of the day, everyone has to work together so there may as well be some camaraderie to make the work day as enjoyable and rewarding as possible for everyone.

A young boss needs to feel and exude a lot of respect for his older team members and needs to talk to them in a manner which will complement their extra years. They also need to show that older employees are valued for their experience and contributions towards the company.

Assumptions always cause problems. A young boss may automatically assume that his older employees are going to have prejudices against him. Likewise, younger bosses are not always deemed inadequate and incapable. The best way to iron out any creases is to take some valuable time out to bond with your team as soon as a management position has been accepted.

Be patient with older employees who may need a little more time to adjust to having a younger boss. It is likely that they have become accustomed to doing things a certain way and may dig their heels in when it comes to accepting change.

Young managers are definitely a new phenomena for older employees who, in the midst of the recession are opting out of retirement and staying in their jobs longer. It is during these unstable times that staff in their senior years may feel redundant, outdated and inferior. This is where tact, diplomacy and respect are the essential skills that a young manager needs to master.

Changes are the norm for young people who welcome new development and the chance to progress. However, when two opposing generations are forced to work as one, the two differing viewpoints can be strongly oppositional.

A young manager was raised in a completely different educational environment to his older staff and has experienced life from a whole new angle. Older employees were taught a different way to do things and may have relied on these practices for years. It is often difficult for someone old enough to be the boss's father to be told that his way of doing things is not practical any more.

A typical example can be observed when it comes to time management as older staff believe that punctuality is vital and always arrived bright and early for the start of the day. They often work through lunch to complete projects and stay behind late at night to keep ahead or on schedule. However, the younger (laptop) generation will equally complete their schedule on the train, at home when the kids are in bed, at a café...anywhere, at a pace which fits in with their lifestyle.

This leads on to the internet age and older staff. Never has there been such a great divide between the two generations as with the advancement of technology. A young boss will rely on his PC to manage his time effectively. For example, he is more likely to send an email to a potential client rather than meet in person.

The younger generation do have an advantage over their older counterparts when it comes to mastering computer applications and web-based projects. In turn, this can make older employees feel frustrated and outdated.

Clearly there is a way that both sides can meld as one and benefit each other. This can be achieved by capitalizing on each other's strengths and weaknesses. For example, a younger boss could train an older employee not to shy away from the world of technology and teach them how computers can cut time and make projects much easier to complete. By upgrading the IT skills of the whole team, the business can benefit from streamlined processes and online collaborative working. Older employees can share the benefit of their years by offering advice and suggestions on future plans and ideas and help a young manager develop their softer business skills.

As a result, when two great minds come together, young bosses can introduce new methods and techniques for completing projects in half the time and older employees can use the benefit of their knowledge to increase the continued success of the company.

By taking the time to understand the viewpoint of older staff, working hours can be spent more productively and a good bond between both the generations can yield positive results all round!