Let’s stop analyzing generational differences for a few minutes

Lots of mindless chatter over the past few years about generational differences, especially millennials (“They need feedback, Gary!”) vs. Boomers (“They’re holding on until retirement, Neil!”). Most of this is trifling garbage. I myself am guilty of contributing to the noise, however. To wit on generational differences:

• Millennials probably are not the trophy generation
• The “millennial mindset” is largely horse manure
• No, work martyrs can come from any generation

Now we’ve got some new research and context on how overrated generational differences are.

Generational differences and the job search

This feels like an important topic. If you look at unemployment numbers, one of the concerning elements is guys who simply dropped out of the work force. Usually it’s someone who was making X-amount of money pre-2008, then couldn’t get a job at that level again. Second issue: job-hopping is pretty much the only way in modern business to make more money. Yet, HR departments tend to have a stigma associated with job-hopping. So if you hop a few times to get 3–4 better salaries for your family, some HR flak will eventually deem you “unstable” because you did that. It’s a nice little cycle out…