Tammy Erickson has recently posted a couple of interesting blogs about the challenges we’re currently seeing in the multi-generational workforce.

As we know, Gen X’ers are not thrilled with corporate life. They tend not to trust institutions in general and resent the Boomers’ confident assumptions about life. Here are Erickson’s 10 Reasons by Gen X’ers are Unhappy at Work:

1. X’ers’ corporate careers got off to a slow start.

2. X’ers witnessed adults in their lives being laid off from large corporations.

3. Most corporate career paths “narrow” at the top.

4. The economy started to slow just when they entered the workforce.

5. The pesky Gen Y’s are impossible to manage.

6. X’ers are surrounded by a love fest between the Boomers and Gen Y’s.

7. X’ers are the most conservative cohort in today’s workforce.

8. Many X’ers’ are not as comfortable with technology as everyone seems to thinks they are.

9. Boomer colleagues are annoying.

10. Parenting pressures are at a peak.

In, The Baby Boomer - Generation Y Love Fest, Erickson talks about the challenges and successes with multi-generational mentoring. From her research, she is finding that Boomers and New Mils (Gen Y) actually enjoy and mutually benefit from working together. Obviously through their 30+ years of work experience, Boomers have accumulated a lot of experience and want to share their knowledge and pass on their learnings to the future generations. The New Mils are eager to learn and and don’t feel the need to figure everything out on their own, to prove something to the world. They are thirsting for knowledge, and the Boomers are thriving on giving it!

As a result, Gen X is being squeezed out — caught in between these two. Of course, the reality is that most Gen X’ers prefer it this way. They are very independent and not particularly interested in getting involved with mentoring others. They believe they have had to learn things the hard way and so should others. Still, it’s obvious that some may Gen X’ers may find themselves in situations where their direct reports are being mentored by their superiors!

As the saying goes, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” HR should think about various ways to set up and organize mentoring programs, such as pairing Boomers and New Mils together. Trying to force Gen X’ers to participate in such programs may only force them out the door. Provide options and let people self-select the when, how, and who. The best mentoring occurs with both individuals have opted to work together on their own, rather than when they have been “assigned a mentor” by HR.