Building on my last post, I thought I would highlight a bit of commentary on the next generation up the food chain, Generation X, who are now in many cases, managers of those “dumb” Net Geners. One of the leading thinkers and authors in the area of generations in the workplace is a fellow nGenera colleague, Tammy Erickson, whom I had the pleasure of meeting, and hearing speak, at nGenera’s Talent 2.0 conference held in Toronto last week.

Tammy is in the process of completing what she creatively describes as a trilogy of “love letters” to three of the generations in the workplace right now – the Boomers, the X’ers and the Net Generation. In her most recent letter (read: book), Retire Retirement, Tammy explores the new paradigm of life beyond retirement and how “the last 30 years of your adult life are as important as the first 30.”

Next up, Tammy will be taking a look at Gen X’ers in the workplace and her recent post on Harvard’s Across the Ages blog provides a sneak peek of what may be to come – and from the X’ers’ perspective, Corporate America isn’t a very happy place to be (but hopefully this will change).

Tammy delves into the “10 Reasons Gen X’ers Are Unhappy at Work”, which are abbreviated below:

1. X’ers’ corporate careers got off to a slow start

2. When X’ers were teens, they witnessed adults in their lives being laid off from large corporations

3. Most corporate career paths “narrow” at the top

4. Just your luck – the economy was slow when you entered the workforce

5. And then there are those pesky [Net Geners]

6. X’ers are, in fact, surrounded by a love fest – and not feeling the love

7. X’ers are the most conservative cohort in today’s workforce

8. Many X’ers’ are guarding a closely held secret

9. Boomer colleagues are annoying

10. Your own parenting pressures are at a peak.

Is this what some authors may go so far as to coin “The Unhappiest Generation”? I think not – and I am pretty certain this will not be Tammy’s take, either. Any X men or X women out there with an opinion?

I am excited for the following two letters to complete the trilogy and I am particularly interested in reading Erickson’s take on the Net Generation. I can’t help but wonder, though, what is the workforce coming to… “dumb” workers and unhappy bosses…should we be concerned that “the sky is falling?” I think not – but I’m only one person – what do you think?