Baby Boomers in the Workplace: Work Ethic, Loyalty, & Advice for the Next Generation
August 14, 2026
Four Baby Boomers sat down with the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce to talk about their work ethic, their leadership style, and what loyalty on the job really means to them. This is the first episode of Generations in the Workplace, a new docuseries produced by the Chamber in partnership with Big Boy Media Group, built to close the generational gap in the modern workforce by sharing lived perspectives and values directly from the people who hold them, instead of being defined by stereotypes.
Why produce Generations in the Workplace?
The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce represents more than 800 member businesses, and the challenges of a multigenerational workforce come up constantly in conversations. Hearing directly from each generation is valuable for Chamber members and beyond, since understanding what drives each generation can change how a business hires, manages and retains its people.
The first four episodes each feature a single generation talking candidly about the moments that shaped how they show up at work. The fifth and final episode brings the voices of all four generations together to talk about the modern workplace and their interactions with one another.
This episode focuses on Baby Boomers: Alice Christner, Anthony Diaz, Landra Wormack and Mercedes McCall.
What shaped these Baby Boomers' work ethics?
Mercedes McCall was the only child of an older couple in a small town outside Havana, Cuba, and grew up in a family that ran a restaurant. She says she was "raised pretty much as an adult." Alice Christner's parents were a school teacher & principal and a salesman, and they believed in hard work: both of them worked, chores were expected around the house, and lawns were mowed for money. Landra Wormack's family tied the idea of work to something bigger than a paycheck: "You're really not working for the person you're working for. You're actually working and God is looking down on heaven and watching you."
Across all four stories, the throughline is the same: work was a family value, and it was expected of everyone.
What were their first jobs?
Landra Wormack's first job was chores at home, for which her parents rewarded her. Mercedes McCall worked at her family's restaurant, where her dad had her balance her own apron at the end of every shift, "just like if I was another employee." Alice Christner went to work with her father five days a week starting in sixth grade. Anthony Diaz's first job was inserting the Sunday papers at a candy store. He wasn't thrilled about the early wake-up call, but he was excited to get paid.
What does loyalty mean to this generation?
Mercedes McCall described loyalty as being "part of the DNA of the company that you work with," something you have to feel passionate about or you won't be good at it. But this group doesn't romanticize the past uncritically. Anthony Diaz talks candidly about how choice has changed loyalty entirely: with so many Diet Coke varieties to choose from where there used to be one, brand loyalty has given way to personal preference. "That's not my responsibility," he says of the shift. Alice Christner reframes loyalty less as a length of time and more as a level of commitment: "Whether it's going to be loyalty for three years or loyalty for 30 years, it's the same thing. It's the same commitment."
What cultural moments shaped this generation?
Anthony Diaz remembers watching the assassination of Robert Kennedy on TV at nine years old. Landra Wormack recalls growing up during the Nixon era, when sugar prices spiked so high her mother boycotted it outright. Mercedes McCall shared one of her hardest memories: the militia taking over her family's restaurant in Cuba and declaring it property "of the people." Alice Christner remembers the Vietnam draft, and the luck of the draw that kept the young men in her family from being called up while so many other families weren't as fortunate.
They also grew up without the technology that defines work today. Anthony Diaz points to Atari, Nintendo, and Pong as "about as high-tech" as it got. Those moments, and that gap, show up directly in how this generation approaches change at work, and they express real admiration for how younger generations manage it.
What Advice Do They Have for Younger Generations?
Landra Wormack wants younger workers to keep thinking outside the box, but not to write off the people who came before them. "They do have things that they can teach you, that you can learn from," she said. Mercedes McCall's hope is simpler: she wants the workplace to be a little better by the time her seven-year-old grandson enters it.
Generations in the Workplace is produced by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Big Boy Media Group. Have a story about navigating generational differences at work? Share it in the comments on YouTube. We'd love to hear it.