The Sandwich Generation – Going Stale?

We’ve talked a lot here about how to best recognize, manage and benefit from generational differences in the workplace. This was just one of the issues that the HR Raging Debates experts tackled, and you can check out their take here. On the whole, the experts weren’t convinced that the generations needed to be managed differently and that it was more about meeting individual needs.

With that in mind, I did a bit of a double take when I saw a recent article in The Associated Press, titled “Recession Intensifies GenX Discontent at Work“. At first I thought it was a misprint, but indeed the article focuses on Generation X, defined as “32- to 44-year-olds who are wedged between baby boomers and their children.”

The article explains how Gen Xers feel strongly unappreciated at work:

“All of a sudden, we’ve gone from being the young upstarts to being the curmudgeons,” says Bruce Tulgan, a generational consultant who’s written books about various age groups, including his fellow Gen Xers.

The article mentions how this recession is the second this generation has gone through in just two decades of their working lives, and how they feel as if they just can’t get a leg up at a time when they should be progressing positively through their careers. But instead, they’re feeling stifled and stalled at work; held down by Baby Boomers who are not leaving their jobs due to bottomed-out retirement funds, and followed too closely by eager Gen Yers who will work for less, often with more tech savvy.

And this is creating a culture of quiet resentment and a lack of loyalty among Gen Xers. The article outlines results of a revealing survey:

One survey done this year for Deloitte Consulting LLP, for instance, found that nearly two-thirds of executives at large companies were most concerned about losing Gen Y employees, while less than half of them had similar concerns about losing Gen Xers.

The assumption is often that Gen Yers are the least loyal and most mobile, says Robin Erickson, a manager with Deloitte’s human capital division.

However, she points out that a companion survey of employees found that only about 37 percent of Gen Xers said they planned to stay in their current jobs after the recession ends, compared with 44 percent of Gen Yers, 50 percent of Baby Boomers and 52 percent of senior citizen workers who said the same.

That poses a serious consideration for HR practitioners. It’s a cautionary tale – warning that we shouldn’t just be looking at our Gen X workers as the strong and steady workhorses of our employee base. So while it isn’t necessarily about looking for major differences between each generation, we should keep in mind what the people in this group need as individuals. When dealing with employees that fall into Gen X, we need to remember what these employees are dealing with in their personal lives — many with aging parents and young children – as well as the value of their experiences. We need to find ways to appreciate and compensate them for their efforts or possibly risk losing them en masse when the opportunity arises.

The Deloitte study warns of a “resumé tsunami” once economic recovery begins, especially among Gen Xers, and notes that many executives were largely unaware of employee complaints unrelated to money.

What are your thoughts on how Gen X are experiencing this recession? Do you have lots of Gen X employees, and if so, how are they weathering the financial storm? Share your stories with us! Or better yet, comment on this topic over at HR’s Raging Debates.