Employers overlooking Generation X as workplace focus shifts from boomers to Generation Y
It is easy to forget that many of the assumptions and stereotypes surrounding Generation Y are similar to what was being said about their slightly older counterparts, Generation X, only 10 to 15 years ago. You may recall there was a great deal of hand-wringing in the media at the time about Generation X, and how they were supposedly an unambitious, cynical lot who were still living at home and unable to find meaningful work.
Many people at the time failed to realize Generation X was largely shaped by the harsh economic realities of the early and mid-1990s, when the prevailing philosophy in the workplace was: “You are lucky to have a job — any job.” Many bright, educated people at the time were forced to take what some people labeled “McJobs” just to make ends meet.
Most of these children of the 1970s grew up in the 1980s, a time of relative wealth and prosperity, fully expecting that prosperity to continue. Once the recession of the early 1990s hit, the opportunities for young people were few and far between. No wonder then, this group was labeled as “cynical” at the time.
The term Generation X, when used in relation to the group of people born roughly between the years of 1966 and 1979, was probably coined and popularized by Canadian writer Douglas Coupland in his 1991 novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. The characters in that novel led a fairly bleak existence, mainly working at menial “McJobs” (another term popularized by Coupland) in the service sector.
Most Generation X workers long ago moved out of their parents’ basements. These people, who on the whole are a highly educated group, now have meaningful careers and many have started businesses of their own. They have settled down, started families and bought houses. The media no longer frets about this group, wondering if they will ever amount to anything, yet many members of the Generation X cohort still wonder if they are not to some extent a “lost generation” in one way or another.
The media is still full of stories about baby boomers, just as it was back in the 1980s, but the focus is now on the impending mass retirement of the boomers and the resulting labour shortage. Organizations seem to be bending over backwards to attract and retain Generation Y employees and fast-track them so they can eventually fill vacancies for senior leadership positions created by retiring boomers, yet Gen X-ers wonder where they fit into all of this.
Generation X employees sometimes feel envious of their younger counterparts. In the 1990s there were not nearly as many meaningful opportunities available to young people in the form of co-op placements, internships, management training programs and graduate recruitment initiatives. At the time it seemed the baby boomers still controlled the world of work, and now the emphasis is shifting to Generation Y. What happened to Generation X?
There is an important lesson for employers in all of this. In creating meaningful opportunities for younger employees and new graduates, which of course is a noble pursuit, organizations must remember not to overlook existing employees for promotions, for fast-tracking or for special training, coaching and mentoring programs.
Employers must always be wary of “typecasting” employees based on the kind of work they have done in the past. It could be that the employee labeled as “unambitious” is capable of much more, and is simply stuck in a fairly low-end job due to reasons of demographics and economic realities that prevailed in the past.
Brian Kreissl is the managing editor of ConsultCarswell. He can be reached at (416) 298-5886 or [email protected]. For more information visit www.consultcarswell.com.
Many people at the time failed to realize Generation X was largely shaped by the harsh economic realities of the early and mid-1990s, when the prevailing philosophy in the workplace was: “You are lucky to have a job — any job.” Many bright, educated people at the time were forced to take what some people labeled “McJobs” just to make ends meet.
Most of these children of the 1970s grew up in the 1980s, a time of relative wealth and prosperity, fully expecting that prosperity to continue. Once the recession of the early 1990s hit, the opportunities for young people were few and far between. No wonder then, this group was labeled as “cynical” at the time.
The term Generation X, when used in relation to the group of people born roughly between the years of 1966 and 1979, was probably coined and popularized by Canadian writer Douglas Coupland in his 1991 novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. The characters in that novel led a fairly bleak existence, mainly working at menial “McJobs” (another term popularized by Coupland) in the service sector.
Most Generation X workers long ago moved out of their parents’ basements. These people, who on the whole are a highly educated group, now have meaningful careers and many have started businesses of their own. They have settled down, started families and bought houses. The media no longer frets about this group, wondering if they will ever amount to anything, yet many members of the Generation X cohort still wonder if they are not to some extent a “lost generation” in one way or another.
The media is still full of stories about baby boomers, just as it was back in the 1980s, but the focus is now on the impending mass retirement of the boomers and the resulting labour shortage. Organizations seem to be bending over backwards to attract and retain Generation Y employees and fast-track them so they can eventually fill vacancies for senior leadership positions created by retiring boomers, yet Gen X-ers wonder where they fit into all of this.
Generation X employees sometimes feel envious of their younger counterparts. In the 1990s there were not nearly as many meaningful opportunities available to young people in the form of co-op placements, internships, management training programs and graduate recruitment initiatives. At the time it seemed the baby boomers still controlled the world of work, and now the emphasis is shifting to Generation Y. What happened to Generation X?
There is an important lesson for employers in all of this. In creating meaningful opportunities for younger employees and new graduates, which of course is a noble pursuit, organizations must remember not to overlook existing employees for promotions, for fast-tracking or for special training, coaching and mentoring programs.
Employers must always be wary of “typecasting” employees based on the kind of work they have done in the past. It could be that the employee labeled as “unambitious” is capable of much more, and is simply stuck in a fairly low-end job due to reasons of demographics and economic realities that prevailed in the past.
Brian Kreissl is the managing editor of ConsultCarswell. He can be reached at (416) 298-5886 or [email protected]. For more information visit www.consultcarswell.com.
