Category Archives: Overcoming the Odds

Being a Gen-Y employee working for a company that still lives in the 20th century and where senior managers mistake Blackberries with Star Trek Tricorders can be a towering challenge.

Old company doesn’t mean that they’ve been in business for hundreds of years. Longevity here is not a factor, what I refer to is the way that business is done. There are companies that have been around for ages but their culture has been forged with cutting edge knowledge and tech. On the contrary, some start-ups’ organizational cultures seem to be founded on some medieval scriptures. Somehow, old companies tend to be a retention magnet for “old people” (leave age aside!).

Old companies often move at a pace that to you, may seem like bullet time. It’s not infrequent to see people complaining about how certain tasks consume their entire weeks. Strikingly, you can get those things done in 2 hours, which leaves you wondering if you are either Flash or there’s a time dilation field surrounding your desk.