So, here’s an interesting trend we’ve been following, one that will no doubt play a role in the workplace in 2023: The Revenge of Gen X. Gen X is sometimes called “the forgotten middle child” because it is smack-dab in the middle of the two largest spotlight-grabbers in the workplace, the Baby Boomers and Millennials.
Quietly working away without any fanfare, this generation of leaders lies at the top end of mid-career with many stepping into roles made vacant by retiring Boomers.
In 2019 HBR reported that “that in the past five years, the majority of Gen X leaders (66%) had received only one promotion or none at all — significantly fewer than their Millennial (52%) and Baby Boomer counterparts (58%), who were more likely to have received two or more promotions during the same period of time.”
With “The Great Resignation,” “Quiet Quitting” and Boomers retiring, businesses can’t afford to overlook anyone. It’s time to pay more attention to Generation X.
Overworked, burnt out from the pandemic, and nearing retirement age, many of these senior leaders are stepping back and considering opting out of their organizations. And, if they do, there’s a void they leave behind as their business savvy, experience and knowledge walks out the door.
This is where HR and L&D teams need to think about mentoring programs to trickle down that intellectual capital to the Millennials, as well as ways to really retain this overlooked generation.
In 2023, forward-thinking organizations prioritize tapping into their Gen X workers’ wisdom and engage Gen Xers leaders and meet their needs and desires through professional development and mentoring programs.
