Myths About Millennials

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It is difficult to define an entire generation as having the same traits.  People are the ultimate variable which leads to vastly different traits amongst millions of people in a generation. Some of the early descriptions of Millennials may not be entirely accurate. There are a handful of findings from this Human Resource Executive article that cut against the conventional wisdom regarding Millennials.  Some things are timeless while other factors are somewhat surprising. The desire to advance within a company is well documented with the younger generations.  The Millennials often start a new role with their eye already on the next promotion.  However, they seem to have an ulterior motive… Read More

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The Leadership Revolution of Gen X

Derrick MoeNo Comments

We’re at an interesting place in our country’s generational gap. The large Baby Boomer generation is flowing out of the workplace daily while the largest generation, Millennials, are ascendant.  However, before we turn the leadership keys over to the Millennials, there is a generation with something to say…Gen X. Gen X now accounts for 51% of leadership roles globally according to this CNBC article.  In fact: With an average of 20 years of workplace experience, they (Gen X) are primed to quickly assume nearly all top executive roles. Now isn’t that interesting?  The forgotten generation will be in charge so what does that mean for everyone?  Here are some highlights… Read More

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25 Fastest-Growing Job Titles for 2016

Derrick Moe

From Monster.com, I doubt you would guess what is number 1…Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers.  Seriously, there are 13% more of them now than 1 year ago.  Number 2 you might actually get – Registered Nurses which makes sense with the aging Baby Boomer generation. Sales Managers made the list, but you will have to follow the link to find out at what spot they landed.

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The On-Demand Economy

Derrick Moe

More and more workers are moving away from traditional jobs and towards the “gig” economy of on-demand roles that have a finite time frame.  Some of the startling trend from the Yahoo article (emphasis mine): The report said the number of independent workers in America is expected to grow from 30.2 million to roughly 37.9 million in 2020, in part due to businesses seeking flexibility and also because young adults are more comfortable in the lifestyle. Adding occasional independents, the projected number of US adults working independently will grow to an estimated 54 million or nearly 45 percent of the private, non-farm workforce, the group said. I’m not sure what… Read More

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It Is All About Communication

Derrick MoeNo Comments

From today’s Herman Trend report (emphasis mine): The other highlights of the study are fascinating: the least happy of the generations is the Baby Boomers. They expressed the strongest discontent with their employers and the greatest frustration that their loyalty and hard work have been neither recognized nor rewarded. “Almost one-third (32 percent) of Baby Boomers surveyed say a lack of trust in leadership is a top turnover trigger—the highest ranking by any workforce generation.” Employers are most vulnerable to lose their Generation X workers. Lack of career progress is their top exit trigger (65 percent). Only 28 percent of Gen X employees surveyed expect to stay. This intention to… Read More

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Talkin’ Gen X, Gen Y

Derrick MoeNo Comments

BusinessWeek.com provides a good article for adjusting your communication for Gen X and Gen Y employees.  I can’t speak to the Gen Y suggestions, but I find the Gen X piece to be spot on. A sample: TECHNOLOGY Generation X: Keep it up-to-date and motivating. Music at work, BlackBerrys, IM, and fast computers will help Gen X stay productive. Generation Y: Encourage suggestions and don’t fear change. Gen Y is more comfortable with technology than any other group. Learn from them and stay on the cutting edge. COLLABORATION Generation X: Limit in-person meetings. Offer alternatives like conference calls, video, and Web conferencing when collaboration is truly needed. For face-to-face meetings,… Read More

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Generations 101

Derrick Moe1 Comment

The Wall Street Journal provides an article that does a nice job of laying out the upcoming shortage of workers.  The focus is upon the different generations and the general drive behind each.  The article is rather rudimentary, but it provides a clean view of the problem. First: Americans of childbearing age simply are not producing enough kids to meet the economy’s future need for workers, notably in fast-growing fields such as medicine and engineering. The shortfall is coming largely because the fabled baby boom generation was so huge—75 million Americans born in the 18 years from 1946 to 1964—that no other generation can be expected to match it any… Read More

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Recareering Baby Boomers

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The retiring Boomers and the lack of X’ers to replace them is a well-documented problem in the labor force.  The Herman Trend Alert speaks to this problem, and more importantly to a solution, in their latest newsletter: Many Baby Boomers retirements are, in fact, often “recareering” instead. See our previous Herman Trend Alert http://www.hermangroup.com/alert/archive_5-23-2007.html. All of the major players: Adecco, Manpower, Kelly, and Spherion now offer their clients the options of rehiring their retired employees as “consultants”, thus protecting them from certain legal liabilities. Many recareering Boomers are looking for project-based work, giving their employers the advantage of not hiring them as full-time, permanent employees on the payroll. The bottom… Read More

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A Different View Of The Video Game Generation

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Last week I posted on an article that discussed generational trends and specifically Gen Y and the effect of video game playing on their work habits.  Steven Rothberg from CollegeRecruiter.com added a comment to that post that I wanted to share.  Steven provides the most insightful commentary on Gen Y that I have read so I always consider his expert-level commentary. I thought his comment on my post was as good or better than the original article: Some may argue that video games are ruining the minds of this generation, but I feel that they’re not ruining the minds but instead changing them. The mind of someone of Gen Y… Read More

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