The inherent danger associated with applying a label to something as diverse as a generation is that such classifications can ultimately disappoint, failing to live up, or down, to expectations.
The inherent danger associated with applying a label to something as diverse as a generation is that such classifications can ultimately disappoint, failing to live up, or down, to expectations.
A case in point is Generation X, which has been subject to sweeping generalisations and stereotypes since the term was first used.
People mostly outside Generation X brand it as the ‘want it all and want it now’ generation, which revels in a life free of responsibility but struggles to find satisfaction through its ambivalence, hedonism and consumerism.
Being born between 1963 and 1980 will earn you a spot in Generation X, a term first used in Douglas Coupland’s 1991 book Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture.
The term struck a chord and has been widely used since by all manner of social commentators and marketers, among others, to describe the generation that seemingly lacks definition but does so with a sense of entitlement.
The tendency to refer to entire generations by homogenous labels may seem simplistic, but marketers, the media, advertisers, and even government agencies propagate the use of those labels to characterise generational personalities, formed by collective experiences.
And if the number of websites is anything to go by, a lot of people don’t mind defining themselves by their generational label.
Wedged after the ‘Baby Boomers’ (1945 to 1962) and before Generation Y (after 1980), Generation X is a rising force in society, politics, the economy and in business.
As the young people who make up Generation X are now becoming 30 and 40 somethings, the term Generation X is starting to encompass more than just ‘young people’; it is becoming the next crucial generation of workers and leaders.
As well-educated Xers find places in board rooms, management, and the senior ranks of professions, their demands for flexibility and lifestyle choices – and a lack of loyalty that means they will go elsewhere to find what they want – is changing the dynamic of many workplaces.
Employers are realising they need to reshape their organisations to cater for their employees’ needs.
Add the problems of an ageing population and skills shortages across most professions, and Xers are most certainly in a position to negotiate what they want, meaning massages, in-house catering, gym memberships, extended leave and personal development days are becoming de rigueur in workplaces.
WA Businesses News recently invited 11 members of Generation X from a variety of professions and backgrounds to a boardroom lunch to share their thoughts on what defined them, what they wanted from their careers, what they enjoyed in an environment, and hear their thoughts on Perth.
With opinions as diverse as their personalities and careers, one conclusion that can be reached about Generation X is that generalisations provide nothing more than a crude overview, and that insights into what drives an entire generation require a little more depth.
Not that 11 people can provide that depth, but perhaps a sample of their opinions can contrast to the opinions most often proffered by the likes of analysts, market researchers and academia.
When asked what defines their generation, the 11 members of Generation X proved somewhat reluctant to define themselves, but managed to do so while avoiding the more obvious stereotypes.
Engineer with Maunsell, Branden Walton, said he believed that change was the thing that defined his generation.
“Our generation is willing to embrace change more than people who are set in their ways,” Mr Walton said.
“A lot of us here would like to work overseas or on high-profile projects, but because Perth is the most isolated capital city in the world it is difficult to get that exposure here. There is big draw cards outside Perth, to Sydney, Melbourne, South-East Asia or Europe, and I think this helps contribute to the skills shortage.
“What defines us also has a lot to do with watching our parents. Our parents stayed in the one job, worked until they were 65 and then retired with enough to get by.
“With the information that we have, the education and the opportunities, we can say we don’t want to do it that way and have more control over what we’re doing and work towards that.
“We have seen how our parents have struggled through and it’s not what we want.”
Minter Ellison lawyer Troy McKelvie said Generation X seemed more aware of itself and the opportunities available.
“From my point of view, and I’m sure this applies to the post X generation too, Generation X seems more self aware, and more aware of what is out there, and sees that there is a whole big world that can be experienced, and think, why not?” Mr McKelvie said.
“There is no necessary reason they are in one place and in one job.
“They think, ‘this is my life and I’m going to experience it to the fullest’, and I think that is a sentiment which is more common in GenX than it might have been in prior generations.”
Acknowledging the widely accepted assertion that Xers are tending to have children later and have fewer of them, architect Nicky Brennan from Parry & Rosenthal Architects, said that, especially from a female point of view, Generation X tended to delay settling down.
“A lot of women from that generation are waiting to have children and working for longer,” Ms Brennan said. “But this is also linked to traveling and working overseas for a period of time.
“Whereas the earlier generation would have settled down earlier, I think we are leaving it later and wanting to experiment more, see more things, and hopefully bring some things back to Perth and bring a bit more life to what is a very small business community.”
• Participants were all members of FutureNet, a networking and business skills development group for professionals under 35 established by ACEA (Association of Consulting Engineers Australia ).
GENX ROUNDTABLE ATTENDEES
• Michael Coombes: FutureNet, chairman; GHD, consulting engineer.
• Michael Rudd: MinterEllison, lawyer.
• Rachael Westheafer: Public Transport Authority, project officer.
• Donna Griffith: Smart-Software, operations manager technical support.
• Joanne Wyne: RSM Bird Cameron, accountant.
• Patrick Simpson: Bullet Sign Shop, managing director.
• Richard Di Perna: Pritchard Francis, structural engineer.
• Troy McKelvie: MinterEllison, lawyer.
• Braden Walton: Maunsell, engineer.
• Alisha Ludbrook: Keisha, executive director.
• Nicky Brennan: Parry & Rosenthal Architects, architect.
