Starting Work
Do I anticipate employers will still be able to find workers willing to toil away 60 hours per week? Sure. Workaholics will always exist. Employers should begin to prepare, however, for a growing segment of workers who are likely to make the trade-off of more moderate rates of compensation for less onerous work-loads.
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More on NEXT, Part II
May 07, 2007
Last week I reported on two recent events where I spoke on Generation NEXT, people born after 1982, who just now entering the work force. One of the values that define this generation is work-life balance. In my presentations, I suggested this newer generation will likely demand that workplaces find ways to accommodate their younger workers’ desire to spend more time with family and friends.
What’s worth noting is that at least some of the young folk recognize that more time with family and friends probably means limits on what they’ll be paid for work . . . and they’re willing to accept that.
After one of my presentations, a law firm recruiter with a mid-sized law firm approached me with his own anecdote. Reportedly, earlier this year, when the major NYC law firms announced pay raises for their associates, his firm decided to ask the associates what they wanted: an increase in their annual salaries, which would require the associates to work more hours, or retain the same annual salaries with no increase hours. Two committees of associates were charged with talking to their colleagues and drafting a recommendation. Both eventually reported a collective preference for foregoing additional pay.
Do I anticipate employers will still be able to find workers willing to toil away 60 hours per week? Sure. Workaholics will always exist. Employers should begin to prepare, however, for a growing segment of workers who are likely to make the trade-off of more moderate rates of compensation for less onerous work-loads.
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