Just cleared last Sat's newspapers and found an article in Recruit, on how employees have changed by generations. It wrote that most senior management belong to the "baby boomers".

Baby boomers

• See work as a reflection of their personal success
• Believe in office hierarchy
• Expect long hours and 'paying your dues' before u get what u want
  

• Value time over money and status i.e. work-life balance is key.
• Believe that career is not everything
• Value entrepreneurship, free agency and diversity more than loyalty
• See self as equals and look for friendly employers
• Employer must show commitment to fun, society and the environment too.

Seeing that the bosses in my workplace belong to the 1st group, and us staff to the 2nd group, it's no wonder staff turnover is so high. I like these paragraphs:

"With such different values and work styles, a flexible management style is needed.

The truth is, if managed properly, Gen Ys do clock longer hours, just not within the constraints of an 8-to-6 schedule. They demand a work-life balance and if it doesn't happen, they quit. (hooray!) On average, they change jobs every 18 mths to 3 yrs.

Some successful strategies to recruiting and retaining talent across the age groups is to create a collaborative work environment, accommodate work to lifestyles and open up dialogue channels to keep the discussion going."

What the article says is actually very much common sense that we already know. But when printed in words, it somehow validates how I feel and why I am quitting.

Also makes me ponder if it's my boss' upbringing that made her so inflexible i.e. not her fault, or whether she's just a bad manager.

Labels: Concrete Jungle