Back in my school days, when I used to read stories, both as part of syllabus and pass time, there were individuals in the western world who lived many work lives in their one life. Would read about stories of persons or authors, who would be a pilot for a few years, soldier, agriculturists, farmers, businessmen (women included), lecturers and such changing professions. I used to dream and be drawn to such varied professional lives in one life given by God. Came my late teens and as I stepped into my twenties, these dreams and desires seemed to be an imaginary and fictitious folklore for me. I started reconciling to the fact that more or less one linear career is what I have to aim, aspire and settle for. Guys of my generation would perhaps echo with many of my generation. The big names back those days such as engineering, medical, civil services, defence services, etc. meant joining or taking up a line of profession and making a career out of it, living through & by it.
We also found very many baby boomers, their predecessors, Gen X & Y, who passed their entire active career time in one or at best two or three organizations. They joined in their early to late twenties and stay put in those organizations till they hung their boots of active career. They loved, hated or simply passed on their lives in these jobs and professions in the same or at best a few organizations, pursuing with joyfulness, whining, anxiety, excitement and many a time the commitment to stay put in these would be “Continuance Commitment” and “Normative Commitment”, as we call it in organizational psychology and organizational behaviour. Theses generations built their life a lot around it with concomitant needs of personal and family life being met through it. They felt it as the pillar to lean against and nurtured their married and family lives. These were true to the myriads, by & large, back then.
Fortunately, as what I envisage today is that the days are not far away, when the young workforce of today, particularly, in India, of the Millennials and Gen Zs, and the emerging Gen Alpha α would bid bye-bye to linear career paths which many of the former generations followed with full faith, passion and aspiring to climb the ladder in their chosen path of career.
With the entry of the Gen Z, Millennials, and now the emerging Gen Alpha α, on whom the shadows of the regulatory and licence raj of India has not touched even by a barge pole, and given their pampered childhood with all or most of their childhood desires being fulfilled by their elders; the paradigm of work world has undergone not a shift but altered the plane altogether. These generations are seeing today the world in a state of flux with every passing day, plethora of dynamic opportunities, abundance of snippets of information, making it very different, challenging, even daunting at times unlike the straight line career paths which their parents, grandparents and elders experienced. They can do a qualification in commerce and pursue a career in technology, do a full drawn course in design and become a motivational speaker, or commence a start-up with no background in business either by education or family history. After slogging for a few years in such chosen lines, they can alight and board a different career altogether.
Indeed, this has put these youngsters in a very different world in the same planet which the immediate prior generations of theirs never or seldom experienced. There are opportunities galore and no compulsion, needs or desires to pursue a single career option in a single organization or at best a few organizations, the luxury of dabbling with many careers. Hence, in the last 10 years or so, there is introduction and pursuit of multi-disciplinary studies in many educational institutions. This is surely, a big – big opportunity.
The flip side is that this constant state of flux in the world around them, increasing global world which is causing ripples across nations, glut of information, technological hyper activism / disruptions and what exists today, may exist or vanish by tomorrow, and so on. This is giving rise to impatience too though the same not being the only reasons. These are causing mental stress to these new generations which is just in the fledgling stage of their work life. Hence, the imperatives of mental health’s well-being, greater control on their desires for instant gratification, enhancing their accommodative abilities, overcome resource myopia, etc. is requiring greater attention.
The elders today, by whatever generation name, we may call, have greater responsibility of fostering these new generations and develop abilities to relate with them and coach or mentor them wherever possible. If required, the older generations, as many are already doing, need to hold hands for reverse mentoring. I wish strongly that these new Gens no longer are compelled or limited by career opportunities and realize their full potentials by pursuing jobs and careers of their choice, with changing biological age, and lead a very enjoying all round life.
Glossary of Terms
*Continuance Commitment: refers to an awareness of the costs associated with leaving the organization. Employees whose primary link to the organization is based on continuance commitment remain because they need to do so. Profit associated with continued participation and a “cost” associated leaving it.
*Normative Commitment: refers to a feeling of obligation to continue employment because of the recognition and identity that they have got and are getting by remaining with the organization. This form of committed employee considers it morally right to stay in the company.
*Affective Commitment: refers to the employee’s emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organization. Employees with a strong affective commitment continue employment with the organization because they want to do so on account of their attachment to the job, profession rather than only the name or benefits associated with the organization.
Read Also : When HR “Produces Nothing”: A Response to Jennifer Sey’s Anti-HR Vision
The Fine Balance: Navigating Work, Life, and Mental Wellbeing
Mind the Leadership Gap – From Learning to Real-World Impact
How the Adecco Group is empowering its employees for the future of work
