Dear White Collar Workers,
A note aimed at helping millennials and gen-Xers with the new wave of gen Z in the workforce.
The gen-z, just like technology, are quite a disruptive group in the defined corporate day-to-day life thus far, and just as important are the initiatives you put in place to accommodate them.
With millennials now getting into management positions, there’s a lot of friction between the two generations. Millennials grew up in economic expansion, everything was exciting, contrary to popular opinion, gen z have grown up in hard times, experiencing the realities of terrorism, global economic struggles, and thanks to technology, worldwide discrimination. What most term as rude is a survival instinct, they’re not gunning for your job, they’re just competitive by nurture.
Seated across the mahogany desk, or on the other side of your zoom call is a young, bold gen z demanding what has mostly been given as perks for a norm. There they sat again after 3-6 months for the probational review, unbothered by the no-nonsense act you’ve placed on such meetings. An article by the Insider states that “By asserting new norms in the workplace, Gen Z is eschewing the ones implemented by millennials before them. They’re demanding a better work-life balance, and it’s scaring their millennial managers.”
This led me to the crowded streets of Instagram, seeing that I myself connect to the phygital trait of Gen Z’s, if this is the first time you’re coming across this word, it means not knowing the difference between physical and digital. I took a poll with 41 random participants from my peer group at the Instagram stories hub, and it went a little something like this.
Since their entry into the workforce is inevitable, we have to come to a compromise. Analyse that which is vital to the company and the areas in which there’s wiggle room. I suggest starting with a shift from dictatorial to democratic management, from creating a harsh environment with incentives to a supportive work culture…
I could list 10 maybe 100 other starting points as I click away on my QWERTY keyboard, but the intention of this article wasn’t to direct but to turn to paste what was once solid. Perhaps this will become the first of many conversations on the integration of Gen Z to white-collar jobs.
Regards,
Konyu.
