Gen X Lawyers in the Legal Workplace

richtung X Lawyers in the Legal WorkplaceGen X Lawyers in the Legal WorkplaceIf theTraditionalistswere the loyal builders, and theBaby Boomerswere the competitive, self-actualizing, workaholics, Generation X is the misunderstood slacker generation. Characteristics of Generation X Generation X was born between 1965 and 1980, and its members are currently 34 to 49 years old. The least wanted, least parented generation in recent history, Gen X is both 25% smaller than the Baby Boomer generation that preceded it and 25% smaller than the Millennial/Gen Y generation that follows it. Gen X is the product of the economic bust that followed the post-World War II boom, resulting in a generation with lowered expectations, but- arguably- a more realistic understanding of the world than the idealistic Baby Boomers. Gen Xers grew up in a world wheredivorce was becoming normal,women were entering the workplace in record numbers, globalization was accelerating, and downward mobility was commonpl ace. Workplace loyalty was a relic of the past - Gen Xers knew better than to rely on one company or employer for a lifetime of employment. That simply wasnt going to happen. Because they grew up as the latchkey generation, Gen Xers came to rely on friends as family, and, eventually, demanded work-life balance in ways that were foreign to the workaholic Boomers and Traditionalists, who worked long hours, but were richly rewarded for their efforts. Gen Xers saw things differently- why work long hours and dedicate your life to a single employer when the factory might close and get shipped overseas, or the company might decide to downsize to increase profits? Gen X was also a generation raised on technology, making them potentially a bridge between Boomers and Traditionalists, who tend to view technology with suspicion, and the Millennials, who are so steeped in it that they cant imagine anyonenotknowing how to use the latest gadgets or apps. A typical member of Gen X remembers seeing email and the internet for the first time- and rapidly realizing the possibilities for what it could do (including reducing the need for dreaded face time and meetings). How Gen X Values are Impacting the Legal Workplace When Gen X entered the workplace, they were immediately, and not entirely fairly, stereotyped as slackers. The reality, from the Gen X viewpoint, was simply that they saw through the game, and werent going to work long hours and do what they were told when there was no realistic prospect of advancement. The economy had slowed down dramatically by the early 1970s, andwage growth decoupled from productivity gains, meaning workers werent benefiting from increased productivity as they had in years past. At the saatkorn time, inflation and interest rates skyrocketed, as did consumer and student debt. (Student loans almost doubled between 1977 and 1990 and more than 40% of the graduating class of 1990 had a job that didnt require a college degree or no job at all.) B ecause the Baby Boomer generation was so much larger than Gen X, opportunities for advancement were slim, meaning lower-level employees often had to jump ship to advance. Law firms also closed ranks and upped the requirements for partnership (especially after theAmerican Lawyerstarted openly publishing profits-per-partner numbers in 1985.) Gen X wasnt eager to put in the face time that Boomers and Traditionalists valued, and tried to negotiate new work-life balance options (not entirely successfully, given their relatively small workplace numbers). Gen Xers also found themselves frustrated at the seeming inability of law firms and other legal employers to use technology to streamline work and increase flexibility. These trends have continued, as the newMillennial/Gen Y generationenters the legal workforce and reshapes it in their image.