Gen Z ‘in person’ problem
This paper is in three parts.
Part 1) The problem and what you need to know.
Part 2) A now solution for this emerging problem.
Part 3) Proof points and research that proves the extent of the problem.
(Including sources from World Economic Forum and Forbes)
Making sense of the Generations
Boomers = Radio
Gen X = Television
Millennial = Internet
Gen Z = Social Media
Next Gen = AI
Part 1 The problem and what you need to know.
There’s a significant demographic change occurring now. The world of work will skew towards Millennial Executives and Gen Z talent. Gen X and Baby Boomer generations will continue to influence power on Boards and as CEOs of multi-nationals. For the latter, as their numbers dwindle, expect their personal power to be increased. Don’t be surprised if this power is random and punishing. Workforces with four generations wielding personal and collective power will be something to see.
Most simply, expect the workplace to be dominated by the Internet and Social Media generations.
To think this change will play out in the space of technology and data is to misread it. The clashes and heat will be in social belief, ideology and human rights.
What’s intriguing is how expectations and ways of working will change with a generation that leans left in its ideology and acts right as it relates to individual freedoms.
But, to think it’s as simple as left and right is to underestimate its complexity.
Gen Z currently makes up 30% of the world’s population and is expected to account for 27% of the workforce by 2025.
Boomers, Gen Xers, Millenials and Gen Zs are not great friends. There’s a real divide. Just listen, even a little, and you’ll know that Gen Z are already being described as “the entitled generation”. That’s a bad reputation to start from. What do people do with the entitled? They undermine, sabotage and avoid. When what’s needed is support, role modelling and genuine care. If you have a graduate population at work, act right now.
Three things you need to know:
1. Expect to feel the weight of the collective power of Gen Z more than any other generation. They are a force for social good, ready to bump up against a 100 year old industrial capitalist system. Work has to have meaning and this is a generation that will prove it. There will be no false loyalty in this generation. This is a generation that doesn’t see having a life long mortgage as desirable. They will be mobile, fluid and issues driven. They are cynical about large institutions and enterprises. They will care about what they care about and the way they work will reflect this authentically.
2. The current problem presents as “this generation of social media natives, who’ve just experienced a global pandemic, just don’t communicate with others humans well (except for online)”. Even a phone call can be a considered an act of micro-aggression. They know their human rights and they are prepared to act on protecting them. This generation is driven by purpose and meaning. Without this, their loyalty is fleeting. This can be assessed as entitlement, but that is to undersell it. As a cohort they’re understanding and accepting of human frailty, but with this comes emotional fragility at a level yet unseen in workplaces. This problem is the first presenting problem. It’s likely to evolve and expand. The organisations that act now buy a lot of goodwill and minimise harm and disruption.
3. Good luck using traditional methods of training to solve the problem of person to person interaction. Ironically it will be almost impossible to solve in person. It must be a technology solution. And it better be a good one. This generation knows all the tricks of the on line world.
The problem is
IS GEN Z WORK READY? BOTH SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY?
AND
IS WORK, GEN Z READY?
CAN A CAPITALIST SYSTEM OF PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY THRIVE WITH AN EMOTION LED WORKFORCE.
AI will not help. It will only exaggerate any human flaw in rapid pace and at a scale our brains can not yet imagine.
This is a not a Gen Z problem. It is a culture problem to be experienced by every corporate, scale up, start up that employs across the generations.
Part 2 A ‘Now’ solution for this emerging problem.
To experience the app, try our individual version on iOS
iphone app
The PeopleSpot app solves for the Gen Z in person problem.
It helps a population of people entering the workforce for the first time. It helps the people managing that workforce (no matter their generation). It helps workplaces solve this problem and with conversation, listening and understanding, the problems that will inevitably emerge.
Here’s why it helps.
1. This generation is already on their device.
2. Apps don’t need a ‘how to’ guide. This population is using it as soon as the redeem code is available. Fast Action. Value delivered the day it hits someone’s device.
3. No one individual needs to be embarrassed that their social skills are below par. Mobile use is private. My device is a safe space.
4. It’s not training. It’s a guide. It’s a navigator. It’s a friend with good advice.
5. It’s written with psychological rigour. It’s content designed for application. It’s written by people who have lived through the last 25 years of work. It cuts through 25 years of pain, mistakes, conflict, nuance and relationship in a way no YouTube Influencer could get close to.
6. It’s at scale and is comprehensive. You can ‘skip intro’. It requires less attention than a Marvel movie. It’s not single topic. This is important. There is no point in learning just one skill like conversations. This is not how workplaces work.
There are 95 people skills on offer. When PeopleSpot thinks Gen Z the following skills are vital. Here’s a Top 10.
Part 3 Proof points and research that proves the extent of the problem.
What are the signals indicating this problem?
(Sourced from World Economic Forum. Forbes. LinkedIn. Gartner.)
1. This next generation of workers are digitally savvy and socially naive.
Gartner 2023. Studies reveal a workforce-wide erosion of social skills. The rise in remote and hybrid work has meant that many new-to-the-workforce employees have had few in-person opportunities to observe norms and determine what is appropriate or effective within their organizations. 51% of Gen Z workers studied say that their education has not prepared them to enter the workforce. Gen Z has missed out on developing social skills, eg negotiating, networking, speaking confidently. This includes developing the social stamina and attentiveness required to work in an in-person environment.
2. Acquiring new skills and unlearning old ones will need to be rapid.
World Economic Forum Data. Estimates that by 2025, 85 million jobs displaced by a shift in the division of labour between humans and machines. Even more jobs – 97 million – may emerge adapted to the new division of labour between humans, machines and algorithms.
The Reskilling Revolution — by 2030, 1 billion people will be need to be equipped with the skills of the future.
(Expect winners and losers. Expect resentment and envy.)
3. The currency of the future workplace. Human Creativity will shine.
Linda Jingfang Cai is VP of talent development at Linked In. “Cai went on to call soft skills ‘the currency of the future workplace’ and said that any company helmed by people who don’t prioritize empathy and connection stand to lose out.”
AI will dominate hard skills, leaving the creative, interpersonal skills to humans.
4. Traditional ways of building skills won’t cut it.
It’s not likely that a half week of module and powerpoint presentations will teach a new hire how to receive blunt feedback or strike up a conversation with a senior manager if you run into them in the office kitchen.
Those are soft skills , and according to new data from a Harris Poll carried out exclusively for Fortune, bosses say they’re what Gen Z lacks the most.
82% of managers said their Gen Z hires’ soft skills need more guidance time and training.
5. Society now expects skills that are natural, not clunky and formulaic.
Jessie Wisdom Ph.D People Science at Humu “amorphous soft skills like emotional awareness and the ability to connect have become more sought after.”
6. Freelancing and side hustles and constant reinvention.
The massive Social Skills Problem. The eroding of social skills in workplaces. Especially for those starting work since 2020. In Australia alone, since 2020, 850,000 people have started working for the first time. More than 200,000 have returned to work after at least a 3 year break. 1 million people who have taken on freelancing or side hustles to make ends meet or renewed purpose. We’re in the middle of a perfect storm. Hybrid working and now the disruption to be caused by Artificial Intelligence.
Back to PeopleSpot.
And this might be a bit cheeky but our most recently published Skill is dealing with entitled people. Based on a strong need from people leaders who feel ill equipped to deal with a generation with high (read - unrealistic) expectations. This skill was as a response to listening to managers (mainly Millennials) who said “these new starters are so entitled, I don’t know how to handle it.”
Don’t you think it might be time to really HUMAN UP. If we treat a generation of people with contempt, just because we don’t understand them, it would appear we are all doomed.
I remain optimistic. Working has never been easy. Learning is hard. People are complex. Let’s help out where we can. I’m excited by generational change. It’s an incredible time to be working. So much possibility. So much to be hopeful for.