October 30, 2003

Youthful attitudes, sobering realities among Gen X, Gen Y workers
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 9:23 AM -

From our parent publication The New York Times, a report on "the attitudes of America's newest labor force, 30-something workers — the so-called Generation X — and their 20-something counterparts, Generation Y":

They form "a dramatically different labor market that is changing not just the way people are hired and fired, but also how they view their jobs, their employers and their careers," said Peter Cappelli, the author of "The New Deal at Work: Managing the Market-Driven Workforce" and a professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Because of an unsettled economy and an employment market that has not been kind to these workers, they think there is no reward for loyalty and are reluctant to make long-term commitments. Though they have been called disloyal and unwilling to pay their dues, the reality is that they are adapting to a workplace in which "corporations broke the old arrangement unilaterally," Professor Cappelli said. "They've seen what's gone on with their parents' generation, and a lack of trust in the corporation is a perfectly rational response to that."

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