"Ya quitter..."

Just quit. Just give up, don’t keep going. You’ve given your best, and the best has already been, so the next bit is not what you expect. Just quit.

I should quit, I hear in my mind. It’s a recurring theme. But then another voice tells you to maintain resilience, pick yourself up, and just keep forging a pathway forward.

Do you ever think about giving up?

You’re out for a run, let’s be honest, a jog, or need to stretch to reduce tension, but you can’t be bothered, or you're too tired, or you begin and then give up.

It’s like younger workers frequently swapping jobs with gay abandon and what appears to be little care for their futures.

Once upon a time, quitting was never an option, a good steady steady-paying job was sacrosanct, but now there’s a smorgasbord of jobs, particularly for those with a qualification.

If you’re unhappy or you don’t work in a rewarding field or don’t wish to travel, then don’t take the job at all and wait for another opportunity. Or take the job, see what it’s like, and if it’s not for you, just quit and move on.

There used to be an unwritten rule passed down through the generations about not quitting your current job until you had secured a new one. Haven’t heard that advice in a very long time!

Perhaps I’m too harsh. I thought I’d only have one job – a teacher – but then that changed.

When I first graduated from university nearly thirty years ago, I was headed to the West Coast to teach a multi-level grade group.

I was offered a job closer to home the following day – relationships remained intact.

For the generation of teachers before me, there was very little choice. They were placed in schools and colleges with their appointments read out in a crowded lecture theatre.

The excitement, tension, and edginess must have been palpable. I don’t know if it was a ballot or luck of the draw, but half the new graduates were overjoyed while the other half were left in tears, sent to what must have seemed obscure and isolated parts of Van Diemen's Land with zero recourse, a punishment of sorts which would have left you questioning the decisions of your masters.

Of course, many returned saying it was the making of them.

With more opportunities and fewer workers comes choice. Young people are far braver than my generation. If they’re not happy with an employment situation, they adjust it.

Some say that the result of this rapid decision-making is that when the going gets tough, the tough don’t get going… They don’t embrace difficult decisions because they have choices, they don’t try to resolve matters because they have choices, and they don’t tough it out because they have choices…

But perhaps that’s a very old way of thinking, ingrained thought patterns that harken back to a different era, yet they still drive our decision-making out of respect to our forebears. Many of us (not me) are the children of baby boomers. We are Generation X (1965-1980), and our parents, if you’re still lucky enough to have them both, are Baby Boomers I (1946-1954), Baby Boomers II (1955-1964).

Increasingly, our knowledge of the generations is being used in business to make employment decisions. Particularly as we engage with younger Millennials (1981-1996), which is sometimes used as a derogatory term, and Generation Z (1997-2012).

For my generation, market research like the Generational Power Index (GPI) informs us: “According to some research, individualism is a defining feature of Gen X—this is exemplified by the generation’s pronounced entrepreneurialism. After all, Google, Amazon, YouTube, PayPal, Tesla, and other iconic companies wouldn’t exist without Gen Xers.”

And for those we are employing who have struggled to accumulate wealth due to rising costs of living: “Millennials are the first digital natives and their early lives were shaped in part by the rise of the internet, social media, and smartphones.”

And again: “Of the generations covered in the GPI report, Gen Z is unquestionably the most diverse and digital-savvy, having access to modern technology since birth. Because technology and instant communication have proliferated around the globe, Gen Z is sometimes regarded as the first-ever global generation.”

As you delve into the significant research available, you learn that the diverse nature of generations often explains behaviour in a work context.

No longer is buying a house the great Australian dream. Purchasing a house is seen as a necessity rather than a dream for older people who have experienced life. Maybe we need to accept that our children may never own a home, preferring to rent to free up capital and make it far easier to move on.

As an employer, young people will quit if they are unhappy. They don’t tend to suffer like my generation, who saw it as their responsibility to hold down a job, a nod to our parents’ sacrifices, and a demonstration of respect.

Alas, perhaps it’s those of Generation X who need to learn from the future