Comments on: Gen X vs. Gen Y Smackdown: Should You Look to Your Job for Fulfillment? http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/05/gen-x-vs-gen-y a blog about the connected age Sun, 23 Nov 2008 10:22:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Dan Creswell http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/05/gen-x-vs-gen-y#comment-1087 Dan Creswell Mon, 14 May 2007 09:16:58 +0000 http://www.annezelenka.com/testbed/2007/05/gen-x-vs-gen-y#comment-1087 I agree with Penelope that happiness from work is likely to come second best to happiness from relationships. Some balancing remarks: (1) Having spent a lot of time on the road alone even with "modern conveniences" like Skype to keep me in touch, I can say that face to face work interactions whilst not as good as relationship time are considerably better than nothing. (2) Given the number of hours work consumes in our lives I think it's important that workers and business strive to make it as fun as it can be (whilst accepting there are limits to what can be achieved). My two cents, Dan. I agree with Penelope that happiness from work is likely to come second best to happiness from relationships. Some balancing remarks:

(1) Having spent a lot of time on the road alone even with “modern conveniences” like Skype to keep me in touch, I can say that face to face work interactions whilst not as good as relationship time are considerably better than nothing.

(2) Given the number of hours work consumes in our lives I think it’s important that workers and business strive to make it as fun as it can be (whilst accepting there are limits to what can be achieved).

My two cents,

Dan.

]]> By: Ric http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/05/gen-x-vs-gen-y#comment-1086 Ric Sun, 13 May 2007 12:36:04 +0000 http://www.annezelenka.com/testbed/2007/05/gen-x-vs-gen-y#comment-1086 A year or so ago, we had a one-day seminar at work about working with Boomers/Genx/GenY, where we discussed the generalised characteristics of the various generations. My take: today's GenY kids sound just like me when I was 19 ... and the GenX people sound just like I did about 30 ... and I reckon they'll all sound like me when THEY'RE 50! I also made the point that I can't complain about the GenY attitudes to authority etc, - because that's how I brought my daughters up, and how I wanted them to turn out - questioning, confident, not over-awed by other peoples' titles/positions, ready to learn different things ... A year or so ago, we had a one-day seminar at work about working with Boomers/Genx/GenY, where we discussed the generalised characteristics of the various generations. My take: today’s GenY kids sound just like me when I was 19 … and the GenX people sound just like I did about 30 … and I reckon they’ll all sound like me when THEY’RE 50!

I also made the point that I can’t complain about the GenY attitudes to authority etc, - because that’s how I brought my daughters up, and how I wanted them to turn out - questioning, confident, not over-awed by other peoples’ titles/positions, ready to learn different things …

]]> By: Penelope Trunk http://www.annezelenka.com/2007/05/gen-x-vs-gen-y#comment-1085 Penelope Trunk Sun, 13 May 2007 04:35:13 +0000 http://www.annezelenka.com/testbed/2007/05/gen-x-vs-gen-y#comment-1085 Hi, Anne. Thank you for being the great synthesizer of this conversation. From my point of view, having work that is fun and fulfilling is important no matter where you are in your career. It makes for a nicer life. The problem is that work cannot actually make you happy in the same way that relationships can make you happy. So if you look for that happiness from work, you will have an emptiness. We actually know this instinctively -- we know that when we die we won't wish we worked more. So I am sort of just saying what we all already know. That work is not what really matters in life -- realtionships are. Penelope Hi, Anne. Thank you for being the great synthesizer of this conversation.

From my point of view, having work that is fun and fulfilling is important no matter where you are in your career. It makes for a nicer life.

The problem is that work cannot actually make you happy in the same way that relationships can make you happy. So if you look for that happiness from work, you will have an emptiness. We actually know this instinctively — we know that when we die we won’t wish we worked more.

So I am sort of just saying what we all already know. That work is not what really matters in life — realtionships are.

Penelope

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