Lazy. Slackers. Unmotivated. Drifters. The 45 million Americans currently trading kick-back college campuses for entry-level careerdom's corporate cubicles certainly haven't had a lot of positive press. Members of Generation X, those Americans born between 1965 and 1977, have been getting a bad rap for the past 10 years. But are the labels true? Are America's youngest workers truly a lost cause? Strangely, as the MTV generation moves from fringe to respectability, many employers are discovering that the early reviews were wrong. Generation X might have what it takes, and then some.

Just ask Betsy Rice, vice president of Human Resources for Tops Staffing Services. She disagrees with the negative conclusions mainstream America has drawn about Generation X. "They're just really different," she says. "I don’t think people understand how different they are. And I think they've got huge potential."     Potential? The Slacker Generation? Aren't they just a bunch of nose-pierced kids with bad haircuts and attitudes to match? Rice doesn’t think so, and a lot of recent research supports her view.     "I think people have really done a disservice to young people today with all the negative press," she says, "and I think it all came out of a lack of understanding. These kids grew up in a really different world than the Boomers did, or the Boomers' parents. Of course they're different than their parents. But I think they're often better."     So what world did Gen-Xers grow up in? Well, for starters, it was fairly unstable.

Betsy Rice, vice president of Human Resources for Tops Staffing Services.

Raised in an era of high divorce rates, more than 40 percent of America's first latchkey kids spent time in a single-parent home while growing up. And the economy wasn’t any more reliable. Xers spent their formative years watching recessions and corporate downsizing. Between 1979 and 1995, business downsizing eliminated more than 43 million jobs, lots of them belonging to the kids' parents. It also effectively eliminated Generation X's trust.
    "I can remember watching TV reports when I was in high school about how CEOs were making millions, and the grunt workers were getting fired," recalls 24-year-old Kirsten Smith, an assistant communications coordinator. "I learned a good lesson from that, because I have absolutely no faith in my longevity with my company. If there's another recession, I know I’ll be fired. Why wouldn't I be? That's today’s reality."
    This pessimistic outlook is at least partly responsible for the reputation Gen-Xers have as lazy and unmotivated. Many don’t feel obligated to make an extra effort for a company they know won’t reciprocate. "When I came to interview for the job I have now," recounts 26-year-old Robert Amos, "I had to sign a paper that said that I understood they could fire me without notice at any time. It was one of the first forms they made me sign. That kind of thing sticks with you. If they don’t feel any loyalty towards me, why should I feel any towards them?"
    Attitudes like this explain why many younger workers don’t arrive early or stay late, which in turn helps explain why Gen-Xers are perceived as unmotivated.
    The absence of company loyalty is widespread; a recent nationwide survey found that 80 percent of Generation Xers did not expect to be working for the same company in two years. Says Rice, "It used to be if you had a resume with lots of jobs on it, that was a bad sign. Now, it’s normal. It’s not unusual to see workers jumping jobs for salary raises, and no one thinks any less of them for it." No longer content to wait for in-company promotions, today’s workers often promote themselves by switching jobs and employers.
    In fact, job-hopping has not only become acceptable, but necessary, if you listen to Xers talk. Paralegal Dionne Dockendorf says she's changed jobs three times in the past two years. "My first job didn’t offer dental coverage or vision, so I moved to one that did, and then I moved to one that offered a 401K," she says. "I’ll move again if I can find one that offers something better. It sounds like I’m materialistic and greedy, but really I’m just practical. I have to look out for my future because no one else will."
    Evidence suggests that Dockendorf is not the only young American worried about the future. According to the U.S. government's 1997 Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS), only 5 percent of Xers believe Social Security will be an important source of retirement income (compared to 21 percent of Baby Boomers), while 64 percent believe that Medicare will no longer exist, in any form, when they retire.
    "It’s frustrating to pay taxes for something I know I’ll never see," says Amos, who speaks for the 61 percent of Xers concerned they will have to rely completely on personal savings for retirement. Tellingly, 26 percent of Xers already have a retirement goal, compared with only 24 percent of Baby Boomers. And since company-sponsored pension plans are almost non-existent, today’s workers must follow the cash trail if they want to achieve that goal.
    This practical materialism combined with record- low unemployment has forced companies to come up with creative ways to retain employees. Benefits like tuition reimbursement are big hits with younger workers, who often have little use for extensive health care plans. "I'd rather have no health benefits and total tuition reimbursement," says Smith. "I can pay for private health insurance on my own. It’s not that important to me. But tuition is expensive, and if I take the right classes, I can guarantee myself a raise, or a better job."

Kitty Egger is manager of Business Development for the Eastridge Group.

Stock options and profit sharing also are popular. Many companies, says Kitty Egger, manager of Business Development for the Eastridge Group, now offer bonuses tied to the company’s profitability. Such incentives make workers feel connected to the company. "Incentives like profit-tied bonuses help workers, especially young ones, feel valued. And they also encourage that employee to stick with the job." Egger also recommends that companies clearly describe promotion channels. "Companies need to show their employees how they can move up through the ranks," she says, "especially if they've put a bright, educated person in an unchallenging position. These workers need to be able to see the light at the end of their tunnel."     Entry-level blues are nothing new, but Egger thinks Generation X suffers more than previous generations in dull jobs. First, she says, today’s college career counselors present students with unrealistic expectations. "We see graduates daily who expect to earn $40,000 right off the bat, because their counselor told them to expect good things if they write a good resume and have a high GPA. Well, it doesn’t work that way. Everyone starts at the bottom."

    But, says Egger, Gen-Xers often lack the resilience to start at the bottom. Baby Boomers grew up children of depression-era parents, and learned a strong work ethic from their parents,Egger says, Boomers were more lenient and more absent as parents. The combination created a more spoiled generation of workers. "It’s not that Gen-Xers aren’t capable of working hard," she says, "but they were never forced to do it. Boomers had chores and responsibilities, Gen-Xers had TV and no supervision. So when they get to jobs that are boring or mundane, they walk away more easily than their parents would have."
    Rice also thinks younger workers are frustrated by the technological weaknesses of their superiors. "These kids are incredibly comfortable with technology," she says. "They were the first generation to grow up with computers, and they're not scared at all. A lot of their bosses, though, just barely know how to turn on a computer. I think it creates some frustration in the office."
    Kirsten Smith agrees. "My boss is a great guy," she says, "but he's so slow with computers. If I just create a database on Excel, he acts like I’ve discovered the cure for cancer." Many Xers resent accepting low pay while working under bosses they perceive as inept or incapable. Egger again attributes this to Generation X's youth. "They don’t realize that experience counts in the world," she says, "They think they already know it all, and they lack patience."
    So they're indifferent, detached and impatient. Is there anything positive to say about the Xers? The HR experts think so. "This is a generation with a lot of potential," says Egger. Rice agrees. "I think they're idealistic and energetic, which is a great combination," she says. "They take risks. They're responsible for a lot of the start-up companies we’re seeing right now and a lot of the energy in the country. People need to accept that the old management styles just don’t work with this new generation. Give them respect, show them they matter, and they'll do great things."

    "I got my nose pierced to celebrate getting a job," says 24-year-old Sarah Barca, an assistant manager for a ceramic tile shop. "I guess I didn’t think it was a big deal."
    But it was a huge deal for Barca's boss, who found the nose ring presented an unprofessional image to his clients. "He called me into his office and told me that I could express my individuality on my time, but not on his," she remembers. "I wasn’t offended, but I was a little surprised. I mean, it’s just a little piece of metal in my nose. He allows earrings. What’s the difference?"
    This potentially philosophical question may be familiar to employers of younger workers. Fresh from lax high school and college environments, some Gen-Xers and their younger colleagues seem confused by corporate America's stodgy insistence on "professional attire."
    "I follow their rules," says Tony Hauckle, a paralegal, "but it seems stupid to me. I don’t deal with the public, so why do they care if I have on a T-shirt or a shirt with buttons? I get the job done exactly the same."
    Lynn Gillespie's tattoo got some raised eyebrows from her superiors. "It’s just a little frog on my ankle," she says, " but my boss insisted I wear dark nylons, so it wasn’t visible. I felt like telling him, 'If you'd quit staring at my legs, it wouldn't be very visible at all.' But I just wore the nylons. It seemed to make them happy."
    While not all Xers sport nose rings or tattoos, most do seem amused by the conservative nature of their employers.
    "My boss showed me this picture of him as a hippie," says Barca, "and I was thinking, 'What happened?'"

—Wendy Warren