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about the members of
Generation X: They’re
slackers, even now,
even in this economy,
and even with kids
to feed and mort-
gages to pay.
But a closer look
suggests a differ-
ent exp l anat i on .
According to a raft
of academic research
that examines sociological
trends among generations,
Gen-Xers aren’t qui ers—they’re family-
oriented. Unlike their boomer parents,
who admi ed in one study to feelingmost
at home at work, they want to go to work
and then go home so they can cook dinner
for their kids and put them to bed.
“For [GenerationX], it’s about efficiency:
‘What is actually needed in this situation,
and how do I get the most from it?’”
says Neil Howe, a historian, economist,
demographer and co-author of numer-
ous bestselling books about generational
differences. This adeptness is important
because of how involved they are in their
children’s lives, Howe adds. “That’s one big
defining characteristic of Gen-Xers.”
The emphasis on hearth and home
may come from what li le of it Gen-Xers
found in their own childhood years. They
remember the lonely a ernoons and early
evenings, their late-working parents too
harried to be heavily involved in lives other
than their own. “In someways, it’s a return
to the ideals of [Gen-Xers’] grandparents’
generation,” says James Chung, president
of ReachAdvisors, a researchfirmfocused
onshi s in the consumer landscape, which
has spent time studying the surprising
behavior pa erns of Generation X.
Gen-Xers’ family time is doubly pre-
cious in large part because it’s so scarce.
Howe’s research shows that Generation
X employees are, paradoxically, working
more hours than their parents did at this
age—and just to make the same money.
Paul Kershaw, an associate professor at
the University of British Columbia, calls
today’s parents “Generation Squeeze”:
They le college carrying debt that was
an order of magnitude greater than what
their parents shouldered; they entered
the workforce right before the Internet
bubble burst; their wages, if they were
middle - class employees , remained
stagnant therea er; and if they had the
means to buy a home, the housing bust
ensnared them. (Chung’s research shows
that 50 percent of Gen X homeowners are
now underwater, owing more on their
A California outfit that specializes in
job placement found that 76 percent of
employees had “no interest” in gaining
their manager’s position.
FLEX TIME
Howone firmgot
more from its
employees by
demanding less
Forget the
corporate lad-
der—what Gen X
and Gen Y employ-
ees really want is a
corporate lattice. The
accounting firm Deloitte
LLP first noticed this about a
decade ago. Though the firm
offered dozens of flexible work
programs, employee satisfaction
kept declining. The problem was
Deloitte’s corporate structure,
which was still patterned on an
Eisenhower-era model in which
moms stayed at home and dads
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