Do Generation X employees live to work, or work to live?
Recent studies reveal that a flexible work-life balance is more important for Gen-X employees between the ages of 25 and 40 than generations before them, yet employers are not yet recognizing its importance in retaining talent .
In a survey of 17,000 jobholders ranking important job characteristics, all workers under 41 listed flexibility as a top-ten factor in their decision to stay with a job. Yet only 35% of employers feel it is very important.
Affording employees some flexibility to balance their own priorities often leads to better performance as well as higher retention rates. These Gen-X employees "want work to be only one component of a balanced portfolio of meaningful life experiences that include family, friends, fitness, and fun".
Gen X-ers are far more inclined to leave a job if their needs aren't met. With turnover so costly -- 1.5 times salary to recruit, relocate and train a replacement -- employers aiming to hold on to their emerging talent might give alternative scheduling some serious thought.
Further reading:
What Gen X Women Want
On Retention: "Love'Em or Lose 'Em
The 2005 Spherion Workforce StudyFull Article from CareerJournal.com
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