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.
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.
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.
Are you laying off talent, trying to hire for specific positions or hoping to just hang on to your best people during all the uncertainty? Or are you doing all three at once?
