The Change Dude’s Blog

THIRTY IS THE NEW TWENTY-ONE

Recently I’ve seen various pieces discussing why people don’t want to work anymore.  Is that true?

When I review the articles, they offer a list of circumstances that drive the perception that folks don’t want to work.  The reasons go from not enough pay to the rise of entrepreneurship.  Really!

In my experience interacting with clients, local universities, and just plain folk I don’t get the impression people don’t want to work anymore.  I do find that new graduates are much more selective about the roles and companies they choose to contribute their talents to for their work.  As is commonly the case with media of any type, social or print, hyperbole rules the day. 

Work drives self-confidence. Contribution to a cause or a goal in achieving a mission makes getting up every morning worthwhile. It’s just that these days young people want more than a paycheck. They have been so accustomed to the abundance of their childhood there’s a feeling that things continue status quo forever. 

I was chatting with a group of young associates the other day and they all were focused on discussing their next adventure in an exotic location or their personal fitness goals and preferred diet.  Of course, in their late 20’s none is married or has children.  Most live in rented apartments and drive older vehicles. So, I commented to them that the age of thirty is the new twenty-one. Boy was there an uproar.  “What do you mean?”  Well, being a baby boomer, the answer was clear. At the age of thirty most of my generation had a family, a mortgage, two cars, and had never been to Borneo on holiday.

The point here is that the impression that no one wants to work anymore is driven by the reality that work is a sideline to life for the generations succeeding baby boomers.  While boomers, like me, are in the waning stages of dedicated work lives. Hence, employers find it challenging to hire and retain a consistent workforce.

Culture, as described by language, rituals and artifacts of a civilization are changing in our time. No longer are the rituals of marriage and family associated with youth. The artifacts of success have changed from material wealth to a wealth of experiences and selfies. The language of work has been replaced by the language of health, fitness, and travel. 

Employers must be aware of the cultural change and adapt appropriately.

• Clearly articulate the underlying mission of your organization so aspiring employees know what to expect.
• Offer multiple accession tracks with off-ramps to accommodate a stop-out period for travel or mid-career maternity/paternity.
• Be open to the virtual vagabond employee through planning where new hires may have an on-premises work requirement for a determined period before remote options are available.
• Purposefully create cultural norms that represent the business to both internal and external stakeholders.

This cultural change is a tough nut for management.  It’s a 180-degree flip from what we as a culture have been accustomed to for over a century.  It’ll take time and effort to achieve the productivity desired of employees while meeting their intrinsic needs. Remember our friend Maslow?  Today’s workforce places self-actualization achievement over basic needs, they assume they will have their basic needs met somehow.

April 23, 2024 Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized | baby-boomers, Business, culture, Leadership, management | Leave a comment