{"id":82669,"date":"2023-11-21T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.talogy.com\/?p=82669"},"modified":"2025-11-28T15:46:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T15:46:51","slug":"understanding-gen-x-in-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talogy.com\/en\/blog\/understanding-gen-x-in-the-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Gen X in the workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\nX seems to be the flavor of the day, what with the rebranding of a certain social network and all. But Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1980) tends to keep a lower profile. We don\u2019t often grab headlines as much as the generations we are sandwiched between, with the much larger numbers of baby boomers that come before us and millennials after. However, we can be like a bridge between the two in many ways. When it comes to understanding generational differences in the workplace<\/a>, the characteristics of Gen Xers can best be described as a hybrid between the styles and preferences of working with millennials<\/a> and baby boomers.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up as a Gen Xer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the things that makes Gen X unique is that we are the first true generation that straddles the analog and digital worlds natively. We are also known as the first generation of \u2018latch-key kids\u2019 \u2013 kids who got home from school to a house where both parents were out working and at times there was no extended family to watch after us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generation X grew up in a very brick and mortar, meet and greet \u201870s and \u201880s time period, and became the first generation in our formative young adulthood to be confronted with having to adapt to personal computers, mobile phones, internet, and social media when they became available in the 1990s and 2000s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact of this analog childhood is why Gen Xers are mostly comfortable \u2013 or at least trained \u2013 to connect and communicate in person. Most of us were taught to behave in the presence of adults and authority. Imagine picking up your date as a teenager in the \u201880s and early \u201890s; ringing the doorbell, saying hello, and even making courteous small talk with sometimes pretty inquisitive, if not intimidating, parents. This is unlike later generations who can now just call or text their dates to come outside once they\u2019ve arrived. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Characteristics of Gen X in the workplace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nWhen it comes to Generation X in the workplace, this has translated to an appreciation of in-person face time and voice calls \u2013 especially with leaders and teams \u2013 even as we have embraced text messaging and emails. As an adult in an organizational environment, a certain decorum is expected and maintained in the presence of others. In private settings, we like to let our hair down and slap each others\u2019 backs like juveniles with similarly juvenile pranks and jokes.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generation X and technology in the workplace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nWith our experience as early adopters of information technology, the internet, and social media, we are also more tolerant of things that don\u2019t work well, from the blue screens of early PCs to the long dial-up tones of early internet. My traditionalist father once questioned how I could accept paying so much for an early PC that breaks down so often. This is probably what shaped Gen X\u2019s tolerances of imperfection and openness to tidal changes in the workplace \u2013 from pagers to mobile phones and faxes to emails, for example.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of Gen X in the workplace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today, apparently 74% of Generation X says social media is an essential part of our lives<\/a>, which is very similar to millennials and Gen Z<\/a>. This speaks of the adaptability and early adopter mentality of our generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional positive characteristics of Gen X in the workplace is that we work with things not just based on how we expect things to operate, but also how they actually<\/em> operate. When that fails, we work around them. Our latch-key days taught us to be autonomous and resilient. Without the internet and social media, many of us were hobbyists, spending hours tinkering with new gadgets that we didn\u2019t quite understand. Therefore, self-reliance and resourcefulness were traits we learned by playing and exploring without adult supervision or communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexibility and pragmatism are likely how Gen X manages problems. Gen X managers are more focused on either finding ways to make it work or taking over from their team to get things done themselves. On the other hand, Generation X in the workplace may not have the loyalty of baby boomers and are more willing to challenge the established norms of the work world, such as taking time off for family and defying career-household gender roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen X\u2019s career world views are very much shaped by the \u2018can-do\u2019 maverick attitudes of young self-made billionaires that splashed across headlines in our youth. Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, and Larry Ellison, to name a few. But fellow Gen X\u2019s, like Larry Page and Sergei Brin, were the epitome of how we scoffed at the traditional world at large. The Google co-founders employed \u2018Do-No-Evil\u2019 as a company motto, took a risk with a very uncommon Dutch-auction IPO (which was the largest of the time), and displayed uncommon humility by stepping down to bring in a much older CEO when they believed they had hit their limit. Thus, Gen X in the workplace has a healthy respect for expertise, but only those who have passed the credibility test, which is not always easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By and large, we have shown that it is possible to chart our own paths and compete head-on with the big boys of the time. With this self-efficacy, we expect trust and autonomy, but also recognition and the clarity of knowing our place \u2013 or having a place \u2013 in the grand scheme of things. When these expectations are not met, Generation X is more than willing to seek out another gang of kids to play with. After all, exploring the neighborhood or tinkering alone was not so bad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my work with different organizations, one of the common challenges faced is a succession plan for key senior roles<\/a>. In many organizations, there seems to be a gap between the incumbents and their successors. Many Gen X employees simply do not have the patience, loyalty, or trust in the goodwill of the organizations to wait their turn to be picked for the top jobs. We prefer to move on to other opportunities or to drop out of the rat race altogether. When we are tapped for these coveted roles, negotiations may go to less-familiar trajectories beyond traditional rewards of titles, pay packages, and benefits. What motivates Gen X in the workplace is prioritizing areas such as work-life balance, shorter work weeks, and how it fits into their family needs and life aspirations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of Gen Xers also embrace the idea of continuous work post-retirement age, as their subject matter expertise allows them to provide immense value without a full-time engagement or limitations due to traditional work age or work locations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While baby boomers may be comfortable delegating operations of complex equipment of their time (such as typewriters back in the day) to younger staff, Gen Xers are more likely to remain hands-on and explore and adapt, like how we used to tinker as kids. In reality, our success rate at this \u2013 like our tinkering \u2013 may be mixed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In much of Asia where I mostly operate, it is very common to see Gen Xers as first adopters, from mobile-first at work to social media, from communication tools such as WhatsApp and WeChat to cashless payments. Similarly, Gen X tends to make these new tools our own, so you will see curious behaviors such as using WhatsApp as voice-notes instead of typed messages (especially for Asian languages), and keeping with familiar social media such as Facebook, Twitter\/X, and YouTube that we adopted in their infancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges of Generation X in the workplace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like other generations, there are a number of shortcomings when it comes to Generation X in the workplace. While many Gen X leaders make great mentors and view younger co-workers as equals who bring different strengths to the table, others may struggle because they can\u2019t grasp why someone couldn\u2019t \u2018see it\u2019 or \u2018learn it\u2019 when it was so obvious to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The noted self-reliance and resilience characteristics of Gen X can sometimes present themselves in the form of stubbornness. Self-efficacy can become distrust of others and difficulties in collaborating. Independence can make us look at baby boomers in the workplace<\/a> as helpless and clueless, and millennials and Gen Z as fragile and na\u00efve. When we were young, we embodied the \u2018not everyone gets a trophy\u2019 mentality because we had to actually win to get medals. Yet when it comes to Generation X as parents, we are often also the same who cry foul about our children\u2019s mental health and being psychologically scarred at the slightest things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We put on a strong, brave face because that was how we were conditioned to behave in public. But at least some of us can really be juvenile at heart and in private, just wanting to be left alone to explore until it is dark and time to go home for dinner. Nobody ever really knew where we went, except ourselves. And there wasn\u2019t CCTV, GPS, or any other way to verify for sure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder members of Gen X in the workplace have their eyes fixed on a year in the not too<\/em> distant future where we can turn in our work credentials, shut off that alarm clock, and ease into retirement (if they haven\u2019t already done so). But for a good portion of us, there\u2019s still a lot of time left and a lot of ground to cover in our careers. As we watch the remaining baby boomers at work hand over their company credentials for greener retirement pastures, Gen X is ready to use our adaptability and resourcefulness to lead our organizations into the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: As with most thought leadership content, its purpose is to share perspective and generate further discussion. Because everyone\u2019s individual experiences vary, not all experiences and opinions will be the same for each member of Gen X. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing success criteria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What will be important and why?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The world of work is constantly evolving: from the digital disruption of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the seismic impact of the recent pandemic, to a long overdue focus on building diverse and inclusive organizations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To deal with this continuous disruption and change, your workforce will need to be able to cope, adapt, and perform in different ways to be effective, and your hiring strategies need to align.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

In this report, you\u2019ll learn:   <\/p>\n\n\n\n