How old are you?

To what generation do you belong?

Based on the answers you give to those two questions, you probably are being treated a certain way in the workplace. Because of when you were born, your manager or co-workers may talk to you differently, react to you in specific ways or have preconceived notions about what you like and dislike.

For some, that may be OK. But for the majority? According to Kathy Lynch, they "hate it."

Lynch, director of employer engagement at the Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College, said employers must understand that they have to look beyond an employee's chronological age and the generational stereotypes that go with it or they can't begin to really engage employees. If they can't engage employees, productivity and innovation will suffer — and top talent will go elsewhere.

Lynch said individuals also must understand that their age and generation may not truly define who they are, and they can become more "empowered" if they look at their lives in a different way.

For example, while baby boomers may be thought of as nearing retirement, the truth is that many in their 50s have begun new careers in new industries and may be more than 20 or more years from retiring — if they retire at all, Lynch said.

Lynch said that's why her organization believes it makes more sense for individuals and companies to look at age and generations in the workplace in terms of:

1. Life stages. "This is where you are in life, such as being married or single, or having children," she said.

2. Career status. "Are you defined by your relationship with your employer? Do you have a job or do you have your own identity?" she asked.

Lynch said people who defined themselves as "early career" ranged in age from their late teens to mid-60s. But no matter the age, those in this career stage tended to say they were "less satisfied" with the meaning of their work. On the other hand, those who said they were "late career" ranged in age from their early 20s to their 80s and found "more meaning" in their work when at this stage, she said.

What employers can learn from these answers is that an employee's decision to leave a company may not have anything to do with age or satisfaction with work, but rather on career status. Lynch said that a worker in his late 20s who says he is "late career" may be saying that he is ready to move on.

"Many people in our workshops have these 'ah ha!' moments when we help them look at where they are in their career, no matter what their age," she said. "We ask them to define their age in a more holistic way. It gives them a real sense of empowerment because they learn to ask themselves what's most important to them right now, at this stage of their lives and career."

Write to Anita Bruzzeseher c/o: Gannett ContentOne, 7950 Jones Branch Drive McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.