When Generations Collide

As members of Generations X and Y face a workplace dominated by boomers, they are all starting to chafe. Some colleges are having trouble attracting, managing, and sometimes retaining people younger than 35. Members of the younger generations grew up watching their parents sacrifice for their careers, and they want something different: balance and freedom and autonomy. And they won't hesitate to switch jobs or leave academe if it means more-palatable working conditions. Many baby boomers, meanwhile, don't understand why someone would leave the office at 5 p.m. when there is always more to do.

Full-text article by Piper Fogg is available via the Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.18.08. [Subscription required.]