Like most Gen-X I typically mind my own business and don’t jump into the whole Boomers vs Millennials vs Gen-Y & Z palaver over… well, much of any of those generation wars. However, I was dragged into one by an older colleague who was insistent on my sharing “my perspective” in the hopes I’d agree with them against a group of younger colleagues. My perspective was/is this…
To my boomer co-worker I said, “There are actually too many working these days not too few. The whole idea of a worker shortage is bullshit. You, and others like you, have been bitching about how everything was better back in YOUR day. You drone on about it constantly… ad nauseam… and you know what? You’re 100% right. You know what else? You’ve convinced them. They heard you… and they actually agree. For that matter, so do I.”
Stunned silence from both corners at first. Then some quizzical looks and a somewhat reserved but arrogant expression of approval from the numb-nut who dragged me into this mess in the first place, so I continued, still addressing said numb-nut.
“My question is this… you’ve won, why are you so pissed about it?”
Confusion sets in all around except for one kid who either gets where I’m going or is just happy for some office drama. Regardless, he’s clearly getting his mental popcorn ready.
“You’ve won. You’ve convinced them… and now that’s exactly what they want. They want to be able to roll out of high school, with no experience, and into an entry-level position that pays them enough for rent/mortgage, utilities, food, transportation, and at least a little fun money on that single income… EXACTLY the way you did. Almost no competition for employment… they are buying. You convinced them that one spouse, without needing a college degree and all the debt that comes with it, should be able to support a non-employed spouse, 2-4 kids, a couple of pets, 2 vehicles, with some family vacations thrown into the mix. Many want pensions now and not a 401k which could be near worthless come retirement. They want to NOT be hyper-connected to work communications 24/7. Fat one hour lunches during a standard 8 hour day not mobile ordering some grub to woof down in transit or at their desks while they work.”
Boomer is indignant, wounded, betrayed, flabbergasted all at once. Wide eyes everywhere else except popcorn man who is clearly just delighted.
“There is no employee shortage. The kids aren’t generationally lazy. There are just far too many shit businesses that exist because their business model is dependent on exploitation… and it’s YOUR tales of the ever great yesteryear that have helped opened their eyes to this fact. You won. You just don’t like the prize you’re gettin though you basically begged for it. Now please don’t bother me again, I have shit to do.”