Aussie business owner reveals his millennial management style

An Aussie boss has shared the text message he sent a staff member and the small detail in the text that reveals his a millennial

What it means to be a millennial boss in 2024.

“Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend! Hopefully, you’ve recovered from Laneway.”

This is a text message sent by David Zwier, 29 - not to a mate, but to one of his employees, and it perfectly encapsulates the way he and a cohort of millennial managers are shifting workplace culture.

Gen Z have entered offices with their baggy jeans and blasé response to work boundaries and people can’t shut up about it, but their older and more senior millennial colleagues also have a distinct approach to the workplace.

They are getting older and moving into management roles, and there’s been a big shift in office culture as a result.

Mr Zwier, founder of premium and trendy Melbourne doona brand Bonny is one of these newly minted managers navigating the difference in approaches to work between his generation and one below.

Message exchange between David and his Gen Z employee. Picture: Supplied

Although he had team experience working for a kid’s toy company, starting his own company in 2022 was his first time in management as the boss.

So far, he has one employee, Alida, 22, and he calls the relationship a “delicate dance”. He wants to be fun because he wants to have fun at work, but he also has to demonstrate authority and make sure the work gets done.

So, yes, he’ll text her to ask if she enjoyed a festival, and she’ll joke back that she’s “fresh as a daisy,” but he told news.com.au that when required, he can also be “firm”.

“I aspire to be approachable and empathetic. I start with the approach of thinking about others and I think everything else follows,” he said.

The pair have fun together at work. Picture: TikTok/chillwithbonny

David admits he is a very typical millennial manager. Picture: TikTok/chillwithbonny

Online, Mr Zwier posts about his managing misadventures on TikTok, sharing relatable content about still feeling young but now being in charge.

“I’m a millennial manager, of course. It is okay that you’re running five minutes late; I am, too,” he jokes.

Millennial managers are sandwiched between two generations, they are not as conservative as the boomers of Generation X, but they aren’t quite as woke and freewheeling as Generation Z.

For instance, Mr Zwier jokes that he’ll always “support working from home” but only if he wants to work from home.

See? Millennials aren’t allergic to WFH, but their careers began during a time when being in the office was the way to build relationships.

Don’t you dare call David old. Picture: TikTok/chillwithbonny

David loves to add LOL onto the end of his text messages. Picture: TikTok/chillwithbonny

He jokes that because he is a millennial manager, any feedback he gives must come as a compliment sandwich.

He admits that he ends every text message with the acronym LOL, hat he is incredibly desperate for feedback as a manager but also sensitive, and he’ll always approve your six-week European trip annual leave request.

Ultimately, the worst thing you can call him is not a bad manager but something much worse: “Don’t you dare call me old,” he joked.

David says he can be ‘firm’ with staff when needed. Picture: Supplied

She often shares her own perspective as Gen Zer. Picture: TikTok/chillwithbonny

Mr Zwier said that his management style stems from wanting work to be a fun place to be that doesn’t need to feel strict.

“There’s a fine balance. I am the boss, and I want to have fun in the office just as much as she (Alida) does,” he said.

The manager thinks part of being a boss is prioritising fun, “having a laugh,” and knowing when a situation doesn’t need to be hierarchal.

“There are moments where it is like, we are co-workers right now, not I’m the manager,” he said.

Online fellow millennial managers commented that they could completely relate to Mr Zwier’s management style.

“Relatable,” one wrote.

“I feel attacked,” another joked.

“I’m a millennial manager and all the feels,” another commented.

Dr Vivek Eranki is the chief executive of two cosmetic businesses, Cosmetique and Yooli, and he said millennial managers distinguish themselves from previous generations because they aren’t traditional.

“Unlike the more traditional, hierarchical style typical of Boomers, our younger leaders foster a collaborative and agile workplace. They take the time to look at skills, interests and organisational fit rather than focusing on hierarchy or simply qualifications alone,” he explained.

Dr Eranki said that he deals with millennial managers often and finds their ability to “embrace and understand the ability of technology” crucial to his businesses booming.