As we all know, Generation X is stuck in the middle of the two largest generations in history (the baby boomers and the millennials). At the "Rally to Restore Sanity" this past weekend, Jon Stewart used the example of cars merging into the Lincoln Tunnel as proof that people make compromises every day in order to get things done. He highlighted a "you go, and then I go" philosophy that enables us to navigate through our lives. Just as with Stewart's congested tunnel, the modern workplace is jammed with three generations cramming to move forward, but sometimes it feels like there's simply too much in the way of our meager little Xer generation to merge.
1. X Sandwich
A few weeks ago a column out of Richmond, VA,captured the generational debate: youngsters want the ol' fogeys out of the way, while the boomers want to keep on working, taking offense at the mention of yielding to their children. Between these perspectives are Gen-Xers. Boomers are staying put--either exercising their own sense of entitlement by indifferently coasting in tenured and senior positions without fears of being fired, or legitimately hustling through the onset of their golden years to squirrel away enough cash to retire. While the Government Accountability Office reported in 2006 the expectation that many boomers would work beyond the retirement age, few could have anticipated that scores of boomers would face the end of their careers without enough money to exit.
On the flip side, millennials seem impatient to advance up the corporate ladder, occasionally being slammed for their own sense of entitlement. As both groups jockey for position, Gen-Xers are left to alternately fend off overeager newbies and patiently wait to earn a rare opening at the top. Either way it's a battlefield, and no-man's land is an uncomfortable place to be.
2. Latchkey managers
Many Gen-Xers grew up as latchkey kids, having to care for themselves and in some cases their parents and siblings. Similarly, some Gen-Xers have surpassed their boomer counterparts in the corporate hierarchy, finding themselves in an equally awkward position and asking: "How can I manage someone who is ten to twenty years older than I am?"
In Managing the Older Worker, authors Cappelli and Novelli rightly point out that Gen-Xers' perceptions of older workers are part of the problem, as we might wrongly assume that they are less than adequate workers simply because we have advanced past them. But boomers play a part too, sometimes resisting the direction of a junior boss solely because of age or shutting down to become retired-on-the-job, collecting a paycheck by doing the bare minimum. At the same time, Gen-X managers are showing millennials the ropes, while often finding that this younger set values the end product more than they value the time they spend at the office and that they may not expect to sacrifice their highly prized work/home-life balance in order to advance their career.
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As time goes on, the business world is going to change as companies will continue to adapt to the times that they are functioning in. Gen Xers are favorable for changing times because they are the most familiar with the latest business practices. They work with others their own age and are able to relate to them on many different areas. Consulting and seminars relating to the subject should help build relationships between the age gaps.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the United States ranked 19th in the world in trust somewhat surprised me. True, many scandals have occurred in the work place, but I think people need to have positive attitudes toward each other in order to reach their work goals. It can be tricky since the older workers may be reluctant toward younger workers shaking things up, and the younger workers probably do not want to stick with the same old routine. I feel as though Americans should try harder to embrace a diverse workplace. Older individuals, younger workers, and those in between could learn a lot from each other if stop viewing each other skeptically. Also, being open to helping one another learn about new technology or older work ethics can go a long way to bridge the gap.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in why our ranking of 19th surprised you? What experiences that you had growing up would lead you to believe it should be higher (or lower).
ReplyDeleteTo your second point, I agree - we need to do a better job of embracing diversity in the first place. And the workplace is as good of a place to start as any.
I think this was a really interesting blog post. There were a few things I agreed with and even some I did not agree with. As stated in “X Sandwich,” I definitely agree that millennials are impatient to advance up the corporate ladder. Even I expect to be a major name in a company when I get older. Our generation is power hungry and has a certain standard we uphold for ourselves and we see nothing else but this final goal. In “Latchkey managers,” I feel the statement about how these younger generations are valuing the end product more than they value the time spent at the office is true but do not agree with the idea that they do not expect to sacrifice their home-life in order to advance. I personally know all my friends and I realize if we plan to be successful in our careers sometimes the work/home-life balance may be slightly off. The final idea I thought was very true was the “tech comfort zone.” Millennials definitely understand how to embrace technology and use it to its fullest, but at the same time abuse it. We rely on Facebook and Youtube everyday. Although, most people don’t understand what we put onto these sites could ruin our lives and careers.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about "sacrifice" is interesting, as many believe the millennials, as a group, would not sacrifice personal time to advance up the corporate ladder. Do you think that the "experts" are off base on their analysis, or are you and your friends unique as compared to your peers?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't completely agree that Gen-X are stuck in the middle and put in an "awkward" position. Many could agree that Gen-X has a lot more in common with Gen-Y and connects in the workplace well, therefore seeing eye-to-eye on more issues.
ReplyDeleteI think that we need to find a middle ground to do business on. Young people would be able to adapt to older peoples way of doing things but vice versa might be tricky. I'm not sure how this would work out but it might be beneficial to allow the older personnel to work 10 years behind the times. I am not suggesting that this would work in every application but it would give older people an easier transition into learning how to operate the new technology. This might be especially beneficial in the future as we see technology increase exponentially over the years.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that might work is to decrease the retirement age as a society. This would boot the older people out of the work place faster which would give them more retirement time to what they want all those years that they couldn't do cause they had to work.
This ideas might be too radical for what we are looking for but besides forcing them to change how they have functioned at their job for decades, I'm not seeing a clear alternative.
I understand that there is a diversion between the different generations but I think that it is just giving everyone something to complain about. If you are capable of leading and managing and you have the credentials, it shouldn’t matter what generation you are in. There shouldn’t be the fear of “managing the older worker”. Yes, elderly people deserve respect but just because you are leading someone and you are credited doesn’t mean that you can’t respect them. Older ages don’t make someone more qualified and younger ages don’t make someone less qualified. We all need to just accept that we are going to be in the workforce with many different age groups and leave it as that.
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