Gen X is Unhappy at Work

Workers in their 30s and early 40s, otherwise known as Generation X, are growing unhappy with corporate life and planning a retreat, says Tammy Erickson, an expert on generational work force issues.

That's bad news for their employers, who are looking to this cohort as next generation leaders.

Why are the Xers so cross? In her blog, Erickson provides 10 possible answers. Here are three of them:

X'ers are the most conservative cohort in today's workforce â€" and you're surrounded by "shake 'em up" types on both sides. In your personal lives, X'ers are not particularly keen on rules, but you had to follow them in the workplace â€" and you resent it when others now don't. It seems unfair to be rewriting corporate etiquette when you've had to toe the line for so long.

Many X'ers' are guarding a closely held secret: you're not all as comfortable with the technology that is changing the way things are done as everyone seems to think you are. While it's perfectly acceptable for Boomers to feign ignorance and ask for help, it's embarrassing for X'ers to do so.

Your own parenting pressures are at a peak. You're deeply committed to spending more time with your kids than your parents did or were able to spend with you, but juggling is getting more and more difficult.

Does this strike a chord with you? Are you an Xer looking to move out of the corporate world? What would you do next if you could punch your own ticket?

And for Gen X employers, what are you seeing inside your own organizations? Are you leaking Xers? What should you be doing to keep them?

Updated May 20, 2008: Another headache for Xers? Managing those darn Gen Y kids. For help bridging the generational divide, see our feature package Managing Millennials: A BNET Survival Guide.