One thing that I have noticed during conversations about work with people aged fifty and over is how employer-centric they are. By that I mean that their assessment of how the job is going is driven to a large degree by how they see themselves being treated by their employer.
I see that their reality, which has been deeply reinforced over decades, is that employees are fundamentally dependent upon whatever benevolence is provided to them by the employer. Operating under this assumption can turn work into a game of trying to please the boss, which is fine if you and the boss have a closely aligned mission and vision — but really, how often does that happen?
In contrast, I see the younger generation of workers establishing a different viewpoint. They seem less tethered to their employers than their parents’ generation. There is an attitude that expects more of a symbiotic relationship — that is the employee provides value to the employer in exchange for compensation and respect.
By which is meant respect for the employee’s career goals, their desire to achieve career-life fit, and for the quality of workmanship provided. The old employee/employer approach of, “shut up and do what you’re told”, is not likely to fly much longer.
This relationship change implies that more of a negotiated deal needs to be reached between workers and management. As companies move toward building project-based and on-demand workforces, then it should be noted that many of the skill and knowledge providers companies need are increasingly developing an independent contractor approach.
A pan-industry career skill among employers and employees is becoming the ability to negotiate a work arrangement that satisfies both parties as something closer to co-equals functioning with mutual respect. For the vast majority of still working Boomers, this is not the way we have operated, largely because we hoped for long-term employment with its long-term stability and security. (For the record, I am 57 years old).
Younger workers are realizing this paradigm is changing. The art of continuous deal making, and a much more resilient and changeable work life, is becoming the new normal.
Although less predictable, perhaps than in the past, this trend has some benefits for career development. The principal one being that individual workers will grow to be more independent minded and less reliant on single employers for employment security. As if we did not need reminders of the risk of employer dependency, the current Recession reminds us that the only one we can trust with anything approaching work security should be ourselves.
Other advantages include an individual’s need to constantly define and communicate their value to others, honing negotiation skills, expanding industry networks, keeping a finger on the pulse of industry trends and opportunities, and staying sharp and contemporary with best practices while avoiding complacency and inertia.
Extended employment with a single or limited number of employers has certainly provided compensatory benefits that have retained workers and to some degree engendered loyalty. Shifting that burden to individual workers can create anxieties, uncertainties, and challenges which can be unsettling and risky. Mitigating this downside while capitalizing and taking advantage of the upside can result in a career in which you feel more in the driver’s seat.
