To find it very hard to deal with a very young senior manager?

[ForBoldMintBear]

I’m 36 and I’m a general manager of a restaurant that is also part of a large chain. A few months ago we got a new area manager who is only 22! I just find him very hard to deal with because he is so young and in my opinion lacks experience. I’ve never known an area manager to be as young as he is either. I find him very difficult to deal with because he is so young. He also won’t take on board any suggestions or advice and he thinks he knows it all, including when I know that some of what he wants to do won’t work for the restaurant and that it will make things worse! AIBU to find it so hard to deal with an area manager who is this young? I don’t even know how he got the job when he is only 22.

I agree. I’m in a similar industry and it’s very odd to be an AGM at that age. It takes a good few years of operational experience then GM experience to move up to that level and manage several businesses.

This is what I mean. It’s very unusual for him to be an area manager so young. He’s not related to anyone as far as I know.

This is what I mean.

22 is very young to be a senior area manager. I cant see how anyone that age could possibly have the maturity or experience to do that job well. People will tell you that you are ageist but at 22 you know very little about managing people as you just don't have the life experience!

This! This is exactly what I mean.

He claims his “unique life experience” (his words not mine) makes him “perfect for the role” but I don’t agree.

You sound like you have a bias considering his age and have instantly decided he doesn’t have the experience and won’t manage to do the job

are there actual examples of him doing wrong or is it all opinion based from yourself?
you say he thinks he knows it all but then go on to say you essentially know exactly how it will play out so a bit ironic. Maybe he’s been brought in to try make actual changes and not keep everything the same

just of it is - you sound a tad jealous and like you have made a decision on someone already based on age and are not willing to take on board anything he says or does because of this

But but .., he has got the job. So there is no point complaining about it, it won’t make any difference except make you look unhelpful.

if he is shit then he will get sacked or demoted.

I used to waste so much time on how things ‘should’ be. This guy is taking up too much of your brain already

Is he on a grad scheme? I was massively out of my depth for my first few grad scheme roles and am sure I had people roll their eyes at me but I was a fast learner and accelerated quickly. Is he on some sort of fast track? I’d have thought it would have been very hard to get that level of job otherwise.

Why didn't you apply for the job if you can do so much better

I guess your attitude is why he behaves the way he is, he feels he has to prove himself. He probably got the job because of his confidence.

This! I’m the youngest in my team by at least 10 years and often have some of the older colleagues look down on me even or make out I don’t know what I’m doing, even though I most definitely do, I worked really hard to get where I am.

I think OP needs to seperate her issues with his age and thinking he’s too young (he may have been working in restaurants since 16 for all we know) and his ability to not take on any advise or criticism. I think you feel maybe a little bit jaded that someone younger is in that position, which is a feeling you’re allowed to feel, but it seems to be massively clouding your judgement over him.

That's fair enough and I'm sure if he's that incompetent it will become apparent soon enough
But that could apply to any manager regardless of age.

Sounds like someone’s career is stagnating and someone’s isn’t…

Many people who claim to have 10 years' experience of something really have only 1 year's experience, but ten times.

Repeatedly doing the same things, "because that's how we've always done it", isn't always a good thing; businesses always need disrupters to help them thrive/evolve and not just stagnate into oblivion.

Presumably this young man has been identified as having the required qualities, enough experience, and the right personality to take this role on so has been given the opportunity to do so.

He’s there whether you like it or not. Deal with it. He will sink or swim on his own merits. 🤷‍♀️

That isn’t your decision to make, though. Whoever gave him the role clearly thought he was the best candidate.

@ForBoldMintBear Have you tried working with him rather than against him and giving some of the ideas a chance?

It sounds like you may be combative in your nature.

You say that you find him very difficult to deal with because he is so young and that he won't take on board any suggestions or advice.

Why not try to work with him, listen to his ideas and implement them with positive intent rather than giving him advice? He's a few months in. He doesn't know you. I suggest you don't challenge and make things difficult for him, I suggest you strive to build a relationship with the man and he may come to you for suggestions in the future.

You say you can’t leave him to make his own mistakes. But that’s all you can do because he’s your boss.

If he is as bad as you say his bosses will soon realise the mistake they made in employing him. Failing that, the f you can’t stand working for him, you’ll have to resign

Maybe his family ran restaurants and was dragged up from the age of 6 in them - you haven't come up with anything to say why he isn't experienced in the role. I was 19yo and very senior management for 147 staff aged significantly older than me but it was a 'young' industry - think IT - back in the mid-late 1990's and it just worked. Ageism is just as bad as racism and sexism IMHO.

I started working in restaurants at 15, I was an assistant manager at 18-19 but essentially ran the place because my GM was both shit and absent, I made some real improvements to both costs and turnover/profits. Then I went off to uni, a lot of the people I worked with in chain restaurants were either transient in their career path or not particularly dedicated to the industry, it was just a job. I know if I'd stayed I could've been promoted fairly quickly, my AGM offered me a GM role if I didn't go to uni. I went.

At 22 he could've been in the industry at least 6/7 years and who knows maybe he grew up in a family run restaurant chain and had lived and breathed it.
If he's incompetent he's incompetent it's not about his age. I have worked with plenty of very incompetent people who've been working in their field for decades.

It sounds like one of the grad schemes. Tbh the people who get area manager level roles straight out of uni are INCREDIBLY talented - there’s a lot of competition for them. The company makes a bet that throwing them in the deep end will pay out for them in the long term, and normally they’re correct.

FWIW I had a similar role around that age, I got the best numbers in the company and the employee satisfaction surveys for the people I line managed (and who they line managed) were also above average, leading to quick promotions. I worked very well with almost everyone. A few people got the hump I was so young and queried every single decision I made, it was draining and obviously petty and made them look terrible. Try and forget the age, take a step back and breathe. If you’re a general manager you shouldn’t need a whole lot of input anyway? Just stay out of his way and try not to let anyone see your attitude or that you’re being agist, that’s not a good look.

Seems like this might be a reverse.

He’s definitely not on a grad scheme.

Then yes, you are being completely and utterly unreasonable. It’s totally unacceptable to have a problem with someone’s age in a professional setting. There’s no debate to be had here - you’re being discriminative in the workplace, which is always unreasonable.