The boss. The big cheese. The head honcho. Whatever you call her, she can not only make or break your career, but also determine whether you’re happy in the office on a daily basis. Most people have something to complain about when it comes to their manager, whether it’s because of the tasks she gives you, how much she pays you, or how often she asks you to work late. But sometimes, the reason for the tension with your boss comes from the fact that you were born decades apart – not because she doesn’t like or appreciate you. Instead, the problem is much more basic: You’re technology savvy, have a rather casual attitude in the workplace, and are always ready to speak up and share your thoughts. If you were her daughter, she’d be thrilled. But as an employee? That makes her a little more nervous.

As Generation Y begins to enter the workplace in earnest, more offices and companies are noticing generational tensions between their workers—particularly between the Baby Boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1964, and the Millennials, or Gen Y members, who were born roughly between 1982 and 2001 (the firm boundary years—and official generation name— haven’t been established yet).

Today, the Baby Boomers are in their mid-40s to early 60s and are pretty much running the corporate world. And they haven’t completely adjusted to the Generation Y employees they have started hiring in recent years: A survey from Lee Hecht Harrison, a career services firm, found that 60 percent of employers are dealing with friction between their older and younger employees. With tension noticeable in many offices, it’s important for Gen Yers to know how to work the generational gap in their favor. Understanding your Boomer boss and adjusting yourself can go a long way to making your office life more pleasant—and, eventually, making your career more fruitful.

For the most part, the tension stems from the way that we Gen Yers were raised—by the Baby Boomers themselves, no less. We were taught to value teamwork, multitasking, and diversity, while emphasizing our own talents. Boomers, on the other hand, had to be hypercompetitive to succeed in the workplace. Those differences cause the generational clash, says David Stillman, the co-author with Lynne Lancaster of When Generations Collide. Stillman and Lancaster run BridgeWorks, an organization that seeks to help people from different generations understand each other.

Chuck Underwood, founder of The Generational Imperative, works with large companies to help them overcome generation-gap difficulties. He has found that Y-ers have “often-unrealistic expectations” about their lives and careers, which often causes trouble for managers.

Differences and Similarities. Boomers, who have a strict sense of hierarchy, are also startled by the casualness of many Yers in the workplace, says Stillman. When Boomers entered the office, they called their boss “Mr.” or “Mrs.” while Gen Yers are comfortable calling just about anyone by their first name. Boomers value face time with their manager, but Gen Yers are just as happy to communicate over the phone, e-mail, or even through instant message. We’re even content to work outside of the office environment, heading instead to the coffee shop or a desk at home.

And most of all, Gen Yers speak up. Boomer bosses worked in a very different environment when they first put on a suit and showed up at 9. In those days, new employees were expected to keep quiet, listen, and learn until they had proved themselves. The boss made the decisions. But today’s entry-level employees (and even interns!) have no problem giving their input, even during a big meeting. And then there’s the technology gap. We grew up with AOL and IMing, while our parents—and current bosses—didn’t have cable.

These differences in experience and preference trickle down to every aspect of the work life. Boomers tend to see the office as the office and home as home, while we’re comfortable mixing the two—by using Gchat while we’re at work and by checking e-mail on nights and weekends. We multitask, working on several different projects at one time, which many Boomers see as a sign of a short attention span and an inability to pay attention to detail. And the pace is very different. Boomers, says Stillman, “are used to being on a project for six months. Millenials would like 12 of those going on at one time and get it done in one month.”

These differences can be frustrating for both boss and employee. Kristen, 25, was aggravated by the time she spent a brief period working at a small insurance company in the Midwest, where she was the only employee under the age of 55.”I found that I was always picking up the load for the other employees as I was faster at doing everything,” she says. Eventually, she left the firm to become a freelancer. “When I left there, I was actually replaced with two employees, both in their 50′s, because one could not keep up with what my work load had been. I felt a little underpaid after I found this out.” Sonia, 23, had a similar experience while working as a temp for an oil field services company. “It was a disaster, because we had very different expectations about multitasking. I’d say we’re just as productive, but we work in spurts,” she says.

There are some things that you can do to lessen the generational tension:

Show respect. Perhaps the biggest thing you can do, according to Stillman, is to make a conscious effort to demonstrate to your boss that you respect him or her. “Show that even though you’re speaking up and even though you’re expecting to be part of a big decision, that you still respect and understand that the boss gets to make the decision,” he suggests. Taking the time to ask them about themselves is one good idea. Ask them what their career path was like and find out how the field has changed.

Stop by their office. Boomers value face time, so try to have regular in-person conversations instead of communicating solely via e-mail.

Demonstrate loyalty. Bosses want to know that you’re in it for the long haul. Resist the temptation to surf to job-hunting Web sites (better yet, minimize the personal surfing altogether). Put in long hours. Show that you think you have a future in the company. “Employers who are ready to make a serious commitment to [Y-ers] spend a lot on training them, only to then see them leave on a whim,” says Underwood. Think of it as the beginning of a romantic relationship. You and your boss are learning to trust each other. That’s bound to cause some discomfort at first, but the relationship will be more solid in the long run if you put work into it.

Use common sense. Underwood sums it up neatly. He says that Y-ers “with the best interpersonal skills—courtesy, motivation, respect, ability to lead the team, mastery of the English language, persuasion, and other such skills—will climb the management ladder fastest.”

These tips also apply if you get promoted and find yourself supervising someone who is older. It might be tempting to demonstrate your new authority, but resist the urge and continue to show them respect. They’ll value it in the long run.

Most important of all, remember that eventually, Baby Boomers and Gen Yers will have to work out their differences. They’ll be running the show for years to come.