Generation X's Demand Balance but Aussie Bosses Don't Understand

60.3% of Gen Xers (aged between 27- 41) say they will not sacrifice their personal time for their career unlike their parents and grandparents before them according to a survey of 1998 people by Australias leading HR firm, Talent2.

Gen Xers also believe their bosses do not understand their needs nor have the ability to manage them properly. To back this up, 29.8% of respondents to the survey say they agree that Gen Xers are far harder to understand than any other age bracket. And bosses say employees in this age bracket deliver a high dose of skepticism which is very hard to manage.

Mr. Matthew Bristow of Talent2 says "In reality, some bosses run scared when it comes to delivering on Gen Xers expectations and as a result start experiencing high employee turnover rates and productivity downturns. Simply selling the benefits of the business and the role to a Gen Xer during the recruitment process and not delivering on it in the reality of the job just wont work. Gen Xers are not afraid to leave a job if it or their managers are not living up to their expectations."

"Gen Xers do not plan on staying with one company or staying within the one career during their lifetime. They have grown up seeing their parents laid off, many of them grew up as latch key kids and are products of divorced or single parent families so their attitudes to employers/work is completely different. It is more about what you can do for their career, when that currency is de-valued due to mismanagement, they seek it out elsewhere."

"Whilst their work ethics are vastly different, Gen Xers love technology and are early adopters, they love learning and change and get frustrated if they are not provided up to date technology."

"While pay parity is often a key driver, it isnt the only motivator. The relationship a manager has with their staff and Gen Xers having direct access to decision makers is very important. Being part of the decision making process and being heard is really important and so is understanding the big picture for the company."

"The take away message needs to be that a companys most valuable asset is the relationship it has with its people, not simply the people themselves."

Talent2