Guest Blog:
Cinda Daly, HDI’s Business Content Director
As a Baby Boomer and someone who recently chose to rejoin the corporate world after twenty years as an independent consultant, I’m curious about job market dynamics. For the Boomers, at least, our motivations have changed. We’re no longer reaching for that glass ceiling (for the women in our midst – I’ve crashed there before) or the position with the most power. Status and influence are fun, but they’re not the whole story. Remember studying Maslow’s hierarchy? Self-actualization is at the top. After many years of “been there, done that,” I have come full-circle, and I think I’ve come to understand what that really means.
A couple of years ago, I spoke with Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com. He said, “Based upon my knowledge of the Boomer’s work life, a desire to stay connected, and a career in service-oriented jobs rather than more physical manufacturing ones, I have decided that this generation is not going to retire. As you look out across the cubicles, you see a graying workforce sitting next to the younger set. There is a pretty good argument for increased loyalty, productivity, and salary savings in this multi-generational learning environment.”
At HDI, we have embraced this new attitude and careers-for-life. We have young, smart webmasters, designers, social marketers, and salespeople working right alongside those of us who are holding up our end of the bargain on the other side of the generation continuum. We have virtual teams and employees scattered across the country because we want the best people for the job at hand. We rely on a responsive IT organization so that we have the latest tools that let us work across time zones and geographic boundaries with minimal technical disruption.
Like many others in our space, I have more than twenty-five years of experience in the technical support and customer service industry. That’s what our generation brings to the table: experience and perspective. We want to mentor. We want to make a difference. We are doing what we love to do. We’re part of this community, this service industry, this greater space. We want to communicate and work together, to focus on the larger goals of personal growth, professional maturity, business acumen, and the satisfaction of knowing that every day counts.
How are you doing in your multi-generational world?
