“This whole generation’s thing is just an excuse!” “These kids just need to grow up and fly right!” For some of the Baby Boomers in the workforce, the idea of generational issues is hard to accept. They look at the 20 and 30’somethings sharing their cubicle and think, “If they want a paycheck they had better learn to behave.” Unfortunately, this archaic way of thinking can cost Baby Boomer bosses the best and brightest in employees, because chances are Gen X will leave for better opportunities.
So how did this situation evolve? What are the generations, and why is it expected that Baby Boomers should change their mindset and not the other way around? How can a Baby Boomer boss come to terms with this new way of working and thinking?
First, A Quick Review Of The Work Ethics In Each Generation.
Baby Boomers were raised to believe that success was based in being successful at work. Doing his best for the employer, getting the job done no matter what the cost and working his way to the top was how a Baby Boomer typically defined a successful career, and in some cases, a successful life.
For the Baby Boomer, a sixty hour work week to pay his dues was the norm as he worked up the chain, and he expected everyone else to work just as hard as he had. Then came Gen X, seen by Baby Boomers as the original slackers.
Instead of a willingness to do whatever it took to get the entire job done, this group got in, got the part of the job assigned to them done, and got out. What Baby Boomer managers often didn’t realize was that this group defined success by the amount of time they had for self and family.
Fiercely independent, members of Generation X are known for leaving the corporate world at the drop of a hat. In the July/August 2007 Harvard Business Review, Neil Howe and William Strause state, “Gen X’ers will want to be free agents -- negotiating their own deals, seeking incentives ranging from commissions to options, and switching employers at a moment's notice.”
As more Gen X’ers are moving into positions of authority and management, Baby Boomers need to be aware that this Gen X mantra of independence will not change. In the “Don’t Treat Them Like Baby Boomers,” article in the August 25, 2008 article in Business Week, Tamera Erickson points out that unlike Baby Boomers, who want to reach the top job, Gen X wants options in their career path.
So What Is A Baby Boomer Boss To Do?
How can the Baby Boomer boss reconcile the challenges presented by the Gen X work ethic with their own expectations? By beginning with understanding there are differences in the generations and how each group defines work and success.
- Focus on what the Gen X’er brings to the workplace rather than what he leaves to be desired.
- Instead of assuming your Gen X employee leaves early to avoid having to work, acknowledge that he is getting his tasks done promptly and then challenge him by asking if hew would like to take on additional projects.
- As independence is vital to the Gen X’er, trust he is capable of working with little to no guidance.
- Be willing to communicate and learn what the Gen X’er wants from the workplace, rather than assume his needs are the same as yours.
A Baby Boomer Boss who is willing to take the time to understand what employees want can create a workplace with happier, and therefore, more productive, employees.
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