The generational contract

"Nobody wants to work" is 130 years old. What actually changed is the deal, and what a fair one looks like now.

1. 01Generational ContractThe Broken Ladder: Why Every Generation Renegotiates the Employment DealThe employment deal is not a tradition handed down; it is a contract each generation re-prices against what employers actually deliver. When the ladde… 4m
2. 02Generational ContractFrom Loyalty to Liquidity: How Tenure Lost Its MeaningTenure stopped measuring loyalty when employers stopped paying for it; workers converted an illiquid asset (years at one firm) into a liquid one (skil… 4m
3. 03Family Rhetoric Vs Adult ContractLoyalty Theater: Rituals That Replace TermsCulture rituals become theater the moment they substitute for terms: they are cheaper than changing pay formulas, hours or information access, and the… 4m
4. 04Family Rhetoric Vs Adult ContractOpen Books as Respect: Transparency Against PaternalismPaternalism protects employees from information; open books burden them with it, and the burden is the respect. Semco's fixed profit share with verifi… 4m
5. 05Generational ContractWhat a Fair Employment Contract Looks Like in 2026: Hours, Numbers, ExitsA fair employment deal in 2026 can be specified concretely, and its load-bearing clauses are three: honest hours, open numbers, and dignified exits. E… 4m