Boomers and the old reality

Thinking about this New York Times article Generation B - Keeping the Plates Spinning by Michael Winerip, about the career of Nina Lentini, an editor of a number of weekly e-newsletters.

The story tells us that, in a shaky economy with high unemployment, workers are asked to contribute more, sacrifice personal time, and expect no additional compensation. 

As a member of the Boomer generation, I understand and accept that the modern workplace is different, we are 'always on' and the work/life demarcation line is blurred. In fact, I'm one of the early adopters, happily trying out every new tool or application that promises to save time or improve my life in some small way. And when it's crunch time, I'm there, thrilled to be part of a meaningful project, working with a great team, meeting the deadline and delivering exceptional work. Reschedule that root canal? Sure, it's not like it will get worse... Work late? No problem, my Mom will be in town again in a few months...

But I am reminded of a time in the '80s, when many women were entering the workplace as professionals and managers for the first time. We were told we could have it all: a career, a child, a marriage. But soon we discovered that we needed a support system to make it all possible; people to help care for the child, clean the house, prepare the meals, manage the budget: all the tasks that were traditionally handled by the housewife (or maids and butlers, if you had them). Lesson learned? You can have it all, but only if you have help.

Organizations need the same wakeup call now. Downtime is necessary: to creativity, effectiveness and long-term success. And we need help. As workers and as organizations, we all need the chance to take a breath, consider what worked well and how to improve for the next time. And organizations, especially must pay attention. What is the cost of sustaining a frenzied pace? How burned out are your people? Has the quality of your products and services declined? What technologies are available to help?

I'm not asking to bring back the old reality, I'm just asking organizations to embrace today's technologies to help. To give workers the ability to do it all, have it all. To work remotely, asynchronously and be creative, then sync up via videoconferencing to coordinate goals and deadlines. 

The new reality is different, but needn't be bleak. Smart organizations will figure this out, and workers in not-so-smart organizations will move on.

Originally posted: February 21, 2010 at 12:26 PM