2013-07-11 08:02:15
Lauren Leader-Chiv e knew it would probably take years to reach a senior
position at her employer Credit Suisse or at any major company for that
matter.
She wasn t sure she wanted to wait. So as her 30th birthday approached,
Leader-Chiv e jumped ship and joined other Generation X refugees from big
corporations at the outsourcing firm OfficeTiger. She became OfficeTiger s
human-resources leader, working extensively in India and travelling the world.
When I have chosen to go with smaller employers, it s because I knew I would
get to lead and assume more responsibility, said 37-year-old Leader-Chiv e,
who is now senior vice president at the Center for Talent Innovation, a
research organization, as well as a partner at the consultancy Hewlett Chiv e
Partners.
Increasingly, she sees other Gen Xers following her path or at least wishing
they could.
Virtually every one of my friends is doing something entrepreneurial, either
starting a business or going to work for a start-up, she said. Xers are drawn
to flatter, less-hierarchical firms. They want to take their destinies into
their own hands.
Gen Xers ... are a technology savvy, self-reliant group that doesn t require
the constant guidance.
Sandwiched between the larger baby boomer and millennial generations, Gen Xers
are feeling quite frustrated by both groups. Born between 1965 and 1979, they
continue to find boomers blocking their way to the top as older workers delay
retirement.
Nearly half of Gen Xers say they feel stalled in their careers, according to a
2011 study by the Center for Talent Innovation (then known as the Center for
Work-Life Policy).
At the same time, ambitious, impatient millennials are trying to jump ahead of
their forty-something middle managers. Although Gen Xers are in their prime
career building years, the pace of promotions had slowed for Gen Xers, while
the rate for millennials had held steady, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers
study of the workforce in the Canadian banking industry between 2008 and 2010.
There s clearly a Generation X squeeze, but it was still surprising to see the
decline for that generation, said Karen Forward, director in the people and
change practice at PwC, the global accounting firm. The study warned of the
strong possibility of disaffection among Gen Xers who will increasingly be
needed to provide leadership stability and absorb the organizational knowledge
of retiring baby boomers.
Out of focus
Despite that need, employers continue to focus more heavily on their boomer and
millennial employees. Such neglect is nothing new to Gen Xers, who have long
been used to getting little attention, much like the middle child in a typical
family. Back in the 1970s, they became known as latchkey kids because many came
from households with two working parents or a single parent, and they often
returned to empty homes after school. This experience helped make Gen Xers an
independent bunch, but they still would appreciate more recognition in the
workplace.
Gen Xers, though, may be contributing to their own invisibility. Because the
term Gen X has carried some negative connotations slacker, cynical,
distrustful people see the label as a stigma and avoid it altogether.
They don t want Generation X to be something that defines them because they
feel it always limited them, said Sean Lyons, associate professor of
leadership and management at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. They
were written off as underachievers even before they got out of the gate.
A Gen Xer himself, Lyons does generational research and found in a 2011 study a
high level of career dissatisfaction and unmet expectations among his peers.
There s sort of disgruntled acquiescence that we re never going to win against
the baby boomers, who control the resources, said Lyons, who always draws a
crowd of commiserating Gen Xers when he speaks about his research. The
appetite just doesn t seem to be there for much of a Generation X imprint on
the workplace before the millennials take over. There s a feeling they won t be
there that long kind of like Prince Charles who s just in the way between
Queen Elizabeth and Prince William.
But regardless of how long they re in charge, Gen Xers bring valuable assets to
the workplace. They are a technology savvy, self-reliant group that doesn t
require the constant guidance and positive feedback that many attention-seeking
millennials demand. Their parents weren t as involved in scheduling their lives
as millennial parents, so they learned early to figure things out on their own.
Yet because many Gen Xers possess this independent, entrepreneurial streak,
they clearly could be a flight risk for companies looking to groom future
leaders. More than a third of Gen Xers said they planned to leave their current
employer in the next three years, the Center for Talent Innovation study found.
In addition, 70% said they prefer to work independently, and of those who like
being their own boss, 81% cited a desire for control over their work.
Keeping valued employees
To keep their most valued Gen Xers, companies can try to tap into these
entrepreneurial instincts and find ways to give these employees the freedom to
be innovative. Employers also must provide some mobility within the
organization preferably movement up in terms of both pay and status. But many
Gen Xers would settle for even lateral moves that help them develop their
skills as long as they see promotions on the horizon. Rather than make
nebulous promises, employers should start handing over the keys by including
Gen Xers in discussions about management succession and the future of the
company.
Employers also can retain restless Gen Xers by offering greater workplace
flexibility, something they value highly as a group perhaps as much as
millennials do. Many have families, but even childless employees want more
freedom to balance their lives another possible motivation for starting their
own businesses. Even if they re never going to be in the spotlight, Gen Xers at
least want to control how and when they work.
While Gen Xers may yearn for a major career change, companies can take some
comfort in the fact that they may not be able to afford the risk of starting a
business or moving to a lower-paying, but more satisfying job. Several recent
studies have found that Gen Xers are struggling more than other generations to
pay their bills and to save for retirement. From 2007 to 2010, for instance,
Gen Xers lost 45% of their wealth, significantly more than baby boomers,
according to a study this year by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Many Gen Xers graduated into weak job markets, carrying hefty student debt.
Then, along the way, they lost ground in recessions, the dot-com bust, middle
management downsizings and the housing market collapse.
The constant theme for Gen Xers is that they were thwarted at every turn in
trying to get established, Lyons said. There s always a lot of head nodding
when I get to the point in my presentation about Gen Xers being disadvantaged.
It s a sore spot that just won t go away.