I work with Gen Z. But I also teach them.
I teach a high school Sunday school class. It was a surreal feeling the day I realized my latest students had no memory of 9/11.
But they certainly have memories of a lot of other Great Recession-related trauma. Here’s a helpful infographic (link) with some insights into Generation Z. It’s the one after Generation Y, the one that’s become an epithet: “Millennials and their trophies!”
“Kids these days!” has been a sentiment perhaps since the invention of kids. There are quotes floating around the Internet attributed to various ancient philosophers complaining about the youth of their day.
Most of the quotes are probably fake. But I can verify that the Silent Generation complained about Baby Boomers just as much as Boomers complain about Millennials. Here’s a comic my dad had growing up:
(“Cartoons-of-the-Month: Year of the Laughs,” now out of print)
Who raised those “whiny Millennials” anyway? Who gave them trophies? Typically Boomers, right?
I am Gen X, the infamous Slacker generation. So I am legally authorized to throw good-humored insults at both sides. After all, Gen X gets ignored most of the time:
We’re all about to do the Generational Differences Game all over again. Post-Millennials. Generation Z. Zoomers. Whatever you call them, they are here.
How will we manage and work with Z employees? Serve Z customers? I plan to learn so I have awareness of their generational situation–and then get to know them as individuals. Hip Socket’s Resources page (link) has downloads to help you set expectations and coach regardless of the generation.
A lot of what happens will be driven by our mindsets. So: What excites you about getting to work with Gen Z? Let that perspective guide your behavior.