Managers born before 1960 have two battles to fight daily - the war for talent and the generational war with workers born in the 1960s and 1970s, not to mention the up-and-coming nexters.
Because there are 20 million fewer Generation X-ers than baby boomers, retaining 21- to 41- year old workers has become a crucial priority for most companies, especially since boomers have begun to retire.
Differences between boomer and X-ers have been thoroughly documented for two decades, but frustrations continue. Boomer managers still complain that X-ers are slackers who won't pay their dues and insist on doing things their own way. Many X-ers see boomers as inflexible, technologically backward, overly political and as one-dimensional workaholics who need to lighten up.