How has the concept of the “job” changed in the last 25 years, and how will it affect your employment?

Question

? Thanks!

Answer 1

25 years ago, employees were committed to working for the same company for their entire career.

Benefits, pension, retirement, etc. were provided by the employer. Employers respected employees and gave them ample opportunity to put in 30+ years with the same company.

Following mergers and layoffs of the 80'-90's, employees were viewed as being disposable. CEO's were driven by the bottom line and bringing maximum dividends to the stockholders.

This meant that if you had dead weight employees that had worked 25 years, they were let go.

From the 1990's on, the new work force (the end of the baby boomers and Gen X) realized that corporations would cut your feet out from under you in a heartbeat if they had too. So, employees no longer felt the "family" obligation to gut it out with a company and would split for a nickel more an hour.

As companies were bought, sold and liquidated, it became the norm for an employee to seek new ground after 2 years of employment.

Today, there is a great deal of turnover as employees try to work their way up the company ladders by moving from company to company as opposed to working up the ladder within the company.

As the aging workforce retires, there will be great opportunities for the Gen X and Gen Y kids to make better careers than their parents. But, it will have several stepping stone companies in the work history as opposed to their parents one or two company choices.