Workers' pet peeves

Here's a top 10 list of what drives workers crazy. I picked it up at a seminar for human resource and diversity trainers.

Workers hate:

10. Tiny raises.

9. Insincere thanks.

8. Being thrown into jobs without the necessary qualifications or training.

7. Disorganized, messy workplaces.

6. Bosses who share the stress of visits from their bosses.

5. "Do it because I said so" management.

4. Supervisors who overlook unacceptable behavior.

3. Management that ignores ideas from employees.

2. Failure to give consistent feedback or recognition when it's due.

1. Micromanagement.

Does that hit your button?

How old are you?

According to a training video, The X Factor: Managing and Motivating Generation X, that's the pet peeve list for Gen X, the work set younger than baby boomers.

Funny, I like that list. And, judging from other nodding heads at the seminar, so did my fellow boomers. The older-than-boomer bunch was bobbing in agreement, too.

It seems to me that meeting the needs of Gen X in the workplace is, or at least should be, the same as meeting the needs of everybody else.

The only difference is that Gen Xers have been brave enough to broadcast their demands.

Boomers and boomer-plus workers were too busy keeping their noses clean and being loyal to employers. Oops. Too late. Many found that the objects of their devotion didn't return, much less reward, that loyalty when it came time to make important decisions.

The Gen Xers, who grew up watching their parents regroup and rebuild their work lives, are left to insist, "You need me. You need my skills. So here's what I want. I want you to recognize me B and pay me well B for doing it."

Claire Raines, a consultant who specializes in Gen X research and whose video we viewed, says workers in their 20s and early 30s are blunt about their wants. They say:

* Appreciate me and show it. My regular paycheck is not enough.

* Give me flexible hours so I can accommodate my outside interests. Work is not the only important thing in my life.

* Train me. I need portable, marketable skills to take from job to job.

* Listen to me and involve me in planning and decision-making that affects me. I will work better if I feel "ownership."

* Walk your talk. I can spot phonies and despise them.

* Lighten up. Work can be fun, even under pressure.

Once again: Does the list strike a chord?

How old are you?

Pinning labels on groups, be they segmented by age, race, gender or ethnicity, is a convenient but dangerous thing.

Beware of building monoliths. It's not that easy.

But if Raines, or any other consultant, wants to share basic and sound workplace advice for any group, so be it.

And if the Gen Xers, who are said to be good at handling change, comfortable with technology, not intimidated by authority, and creative, can help create dynamic, rewarding workplaces for themselves, then maybe the rest of us can wade in their ripples.

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