In his first few months at his first job, Arya had made some lifelong friends. Unlike many work friendships, his just happened to include a nearly three-decade age gap.

It all began when Arya, a multimedia producer, decided to join a TV news company. Shy and new to the city, he looked around to see if there were people of his age. There was nobody in his newsroom in their twenties except him. “Initially, it was a bit daunting,” Arya says. “But slowly, we became friends. Honestly, we are all the same, despite the age gap. That was a wonderful feeling.”

After all, as of 2024, there are four generations in the workplace – baby boomers, Gen Xers, millennials, and Gen Zs. There is a fascinating body of research that shows that an ideal work friendship with someone senior to you can help you thrive at the workplace. They can deliver honest assessments of how you come across on the job. Especially, without any competitive rivalry you would otherwise experience with work friends of the same age group. It’s never been more essential to forge intergenerational friendships in the workplace.

Do you have a career question we can help you to solve? Share a note with the host at [email protected] or take this form and let us know. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform.