Are You a Middlescent?

If you hate the boss, feel bored and frustrated at work, and want a new start but dare not try to find one, you are not alone.

You are suffering from middlescence, a malaise similar to adolescence, except that it affects grown-ups.

Researchers in the United States have given the name to the negative feelings which descend on millions of workers aged from 35 to 54.

Rather like being a teenager, being a middlescent is a frustrating, confusing and exasperating experience. They find themselves leaving work feeling "burned out, bottlenecked and bored."

They are also likely to ask themselves questions such as, "Have I achieved in life the sort of things that I expected to achieve?"

Asked their opinions about their jobs, those in the 35-to-54 age group are the least likely to describe their office as "congenial and fun."

They are more dissatisfied with their managers than other age groups, and have little confidence in senior executives.

One in five is looking for an escape route, but 85 percent know a career change is difficult, if not impossible, at their age.

Huge financial pressures, such as their mortgages, school fees or paying for the care of elderly parents means they are unable to quit their jobs for a different lifestyle, or less well-paid job.

To add to their misery, they usually work longer hours than any other age group, typically putting in at least 50 hours a week -- 13 more than the average.

"In short, many mid-career employees are working more, enjoying it less and looking for alternatives," according to the report, Managing Middlescence, published by Harvard Business Review.

One of the biggest problems is that most bosses do not have a clue how resentful their workers of this age are feeling. This is a serious problem.

Middlescent workers have a "hunger for renewal," but rarely dare tell their bosses how they are feeling, says the U.S. report.

This means their bosses bank on their loyalty and assume they are doing fine.

Experts say there is no shortage of middlescents in Britain.

London-based life coach Dr. Sally Ann Law said, "Middlescence sounds
just like a ton of my clients. They have the dissatisfaction of a
teenager, but they also have the fear of mortality and the consequences
of change." She said putting a name to the condition could be useful as
it helps its victims realize they are not alone in the way they feel.

The report suggests a sabbatical can help staff break the routine and rejuvenate.

It also suggests giving middlescents a new job in the same
company, asking them to mentor younger staff and sending them on
training courses.

Telltale Signs of a Difficult Age
Career disappointment: Your job and the impact of your work on society fails to measure up to your youthful ideals and ambitions.

With employer: You bitterly resent the enormous gap between your boss's pay and your own.

Work/life tension: You are being pulled in all directions with a
long list of commitments, typically children and elderly parents, and
huge responsibilities at work.

Lengthening horizons: You worry that you are going to have to work forever because you are a lavish spender, but sparse saver.

Skills obedience: You have lots of skills, but they are less and less relevant to your company's new way of working.

Burnout: You have been working incredibly hard for 20 or more years, and now you find your work unexciting and repetitive.

You are stressed, low on energy, and often struggle to cope.

Career bottleneck: Too many people are fighting for too few top
jobs at your firm. The company is also getting rid of staff, which is
making you feel even more vulnerable.

Source: Daily Mail (London). Powered by Yellowbrix.