Changing Employee Values: Deepening Discontent?

A consensus is emerging that there has been a shift in the attitudes and values of the U.S. work force and that this shift has been accompanied by increased dissatisfaction with many aspects of work. The evidence for this shift and disaffection has emerged from two camps: systematically recorded observations from case studies and surveys and from autobiographically based observations.¹ Many of these observations are, however, isolated case studies or personal reminiscences. Also, there is little documentation of actual increases in dissatisfaction over time. Thus the core question “Is this shift in attitudes and resultant dissatisfaction a myth or is it a reality?” remains to be answered.