I recently asked a 25-year-old friend what kind of effect she thought the recession has had on her career expectations. The answer: sobering.
For many years, her generation had been promised a lifetime of opportunity. Skills shortages, mass boomer retirements and talent wars meant there would be a feast of choices, and being passionate about her work would be a basic right. Now she figures she’s lucky just to have a job, and she’s worried about the future. Expectations of being passionate about her job aren’t even on her mind any more. She “just wants to find a place to hide, which also pays the bills.”
My friend’s comments are fairly typical.
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We’re halfway through 2009, and employees are still experiencing hard times. Indeed, the economy has wrought widespread feelings of fear, anxiety and hopelessness. These emotions are reflected in how people feel and act at work, with serious repercussions on morale and performance.
Here are some of the common ways these emotions will show up in the workplace, and what can be done to combat the pervasive malaise.
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When I think of key trends that will play out in this and coming years, I am struck by how so many of today’s hottest corporate mantras, such as management development and succession planning, are reminiscent of the 1970s.
And many of those trends are apparently contradictory. For example, organizations still cry the talent-shortage blues — and yet young people without specialized degrees are having difficulty finding work, and many older workers are still experiencing age discrimination. These are contradictions that still need to be worked through in the years ahead.
Here are a number of trends that will continue next year and beyond. Continue reading » »
An unexpected consequence of the economic downturn: An increasing number of women who had hung up their professional togs now find themselves having to dust off their resumes and are being forced to returnto work.
There have always been women who have found themselves suddenly needing to produce an income as a result of unfortunate circumstances, such as a divorce or the death of a partner. But with massive layoffs, women who didn’t think they would be on the job search path are back in the market. And they will encounter significant challenges. Not only are they facing one of the most inhospitable job markets in years, but many of these women may have rusty skills and outdated experience, have lost their sense of confidence and are ambivalent, if not resentful, about having to work, and are in competition with people who have more recent experience working. Continue reading » »
