#85 Gen Z and Work Ethics

This new budding generation has a lot to offer and also learn! A blog dedicated to talk about them!

Gen Z has hit the corporate jungle and breaking all norms around work flexibility and their life balance. I remember when I hit this jungle, my focus was to spend time in holistic learning and subsequent growth. And when I say growth, I mean something tangible upskilling or improvement that you see in yourself and not just in your designation. (Remember, this post on mystery of corporate ladder?)

But this new gen folks talk about all convenience and their views on working is like a 180 degree turn from our thought process. Good or bad, lets’ figure out through today’s post! Some of you may ask what experience I have to ‘judge’ their thought process? Well, I have been hiring interns since past two years for my gig and as a manager, I am closely working with a few of Gen Z folks and all of them surprise me to the core. My overall experience has been more negative than positive on the work outlook but discussion points mentioned below are not just my views but are views out of weekly new manager’s round table group that I am a part of.

---

Ofcourse, Pro’s first

1. Drawing a Clear line between Work & Life

   Giving credit where’s due, they have got the lines bit clear. From the thought ‘work is the only priority or is crucial now’, they have learnt and spread the message that ‘life is equally crcuial to be looked after’ in your 20s. A successful career ahead doesn’t demand a back seat for your personal life and both can sustain hand in hand.

2. Tech-Savvy & Quick to adapt

   No points for guessing this as this gen has seen the transformation of usage of smartphones from making calls to literally going live on social media every now and then. Not to forget that this gen is ruling the world of content creation in Instagram and other platforms and have got us some cool so called GenZ lingo.

3. Voicing Out their Needs

   If we need something, we ask or figure out the available options; they need something they simply go and ask (more like inform/order what they need as required). Some associate this behavior as cool, some as rude or direct; I kinda look at their tone while they speak to assess which side of table I wanna be at (cool or rude), but the fact stays that they are more aware and vocal about their outlook and opinions than older gens.

   Remember, how many times we are given an advice to ‘Learn to say No to work if you don’t have bandwidth’ and still couple of us are afraid to deny some work. This gen has picked up this advice in usage in quite a commendable way. (I think I often longe to hear a yes from these folks and not a no/ excuse indicating a no)

4. Don’t always take the traditional route

   They like experimenting, going out of their comfort zone and trying new trends (maybe setting new trends also). I think first instinct they get from any task is a question ‘Can this be automated’ or ‘TAT be reduced to few minutes’. Getting everything under a click is like a norm they are building for every activity they do. Good or bad, only time will tell :P

5. More Relaxed & Carefree

   Go with the flow, take things slow, I don’t care much, it’s just not my thing, or we will see this tomorrow are sme common phrases that run the life of any Gen Z individual. They don’t take much stress (may give a lot) and prefer to live carefree in limited responsibility mode.

Let’s dodge the ball now to the other side of the court!

1. Act too Cool for Others

   Not sure what they refer to as cool, but as far as I have understood; for them being a part of the herd is the only cool way. Introspecting the purpose of their actions, understanding what’s right or wrong is often not the biggest concern, each one either wants to form a trend no matter how good or stupid it may look and others want to live upto it to look cool. Coolness quotient is not defined by doing something over the board but rather doing something worth your time, efforts and purpose. God knows! when this coolness layer with chip off and bring them to the reality.

   One friend goes to gym for body building and now whole of his group does it together, You ask anyone of them why are you going to gym; their response gonna be ‘It looks cool’. Sigh!

2. Confused Souls

   And may be I’ll also add that they are bad procrastiantors (well learn from millenials, we do it pretty well). Either they want to everything at once or they don’t want to do anything at all. There’s no line in between. and This behavior portrayel often make them look so confused and worn out during the initial learning phase of their lives. They don’t break the circle of following or being too cool and remain trapped in jigsaw of life.

   I understand that the opportunities are limitless now and confusion is bound to cloud on mind, but what’s working/ not working for you has to be a personal decision and not a group discussion with your friends. I want to bacome a financial advisor and then I want to create content and then I want to be a speaker also and achieve all that within 25 because my friends have achieved that or others are doing is not how you start. You infact align your skill set with your goals to attain your purposes/ goals quicker.

3. Time is their enemy

   Or, other’s time is their enemy coz they don’t know to respect time at all. Own time, well they spend too much miraging a certain personality but other’s time, I think that’s a complete waste for them. Showing up late or not showing up for calls at all without any prior intimation is like their revenge from anyone who assigns them any task. Sometimes, I wonder how busy they are or what are they building that they are off their phones to receive even calls, but usually get disappointed with their response of ‘Bro, just text’.

   Next time you think you want to waste someone’s time or seek such a revenge, connect them to a Gen Z folk and they will make him realize the due importance of your time. (haha, just kidding) 
   For Gen Z folks, my advice would be: guys, stop wasting your time in pretending to be someone else and get hit by the reality of who you are because time is running and take it from me - if you don’t respect your own time, time will not respect you and consequences will turn up to be hard.

4. Responsibility round the corner

   Drawing a clear boundary between work and life no where mentioned that the question of responsibility no longer exists. Folks, your carefree behavior might reduce your stress (on a positive side) but will not get you rid of your duties/ responsibilities twoards your family, friends and work. Forget about others, atleast learn to take responsibility for your actions and stop passing the ball in other’s court all the time.

   Every response has this tiny phrases: ‘Maybe’ or ‘I am not sure’. You have been managing the project for an year now, and still you manage to get off your responsibility with these tiny phrases. Once or twice is fine but these can’t be your safeguards all your life. Guys, buck up and smell the coffee, not everytime someone will come and rescue you.

5. Money is ‘The Motivation’

   What is the maximum level one can go to get money in return? My answer would be anything until that action make me compromise on my core/ethical values. And I would demand money for the work that I have done and not for something that I have subscribed for but not delivered. Gen Z’s only motivation to move a bit is how much they get to do the same.

   Never have I ever in my two-year span of working with Gen Z have I found any folk asking me what I learn from this or how would be beneficial. Their first and the only question has always been how much do I get paid for this? Guys, don’t take money too seriously until the world makes you a slave for money. 
   Money has always been a by product of your skills and what you know/ what you can learn and never been a by product of your breaking bricks all the time. You have to keep upskilling yourself to make your worth and not seek that worth from external environment based on money you get paid for.

6. Blurry lines Between Social & Personal Life

   Putting your personal life out on social media is one thing, but living your life for the Gram can be dangerous. Every one has its up ad downs and you are free to choose/ share limited version of your life with people, but stop making the boundaries blur for some external validation.

   No one has the time to either judge or validate you for what you should or you shouldn’t do in your life. Don’t put control of your life in other’s hands rather take the steering wheel and drive right to the end until you get clarity or confidence on what you do. This is tough but also right thing to do. (An honest Advice from one Gen to another) 

7. Battle of Lingo & Communication

   This is one thing that I have my maximum issues or I think even they create manifold misunderstanding for themselves. Guys, For once leave your cool lingo behind, get real and communicate/ express your thoughts in layman terms with your group. What’s this obsession with writing slang short forms on texts to an extent that other person literally has to google it out to find the meaning.

   Special attention to GenZ folks willing to build a corporate career, guys, please be decent and clear on your communications because they may backfire on you more than it will on others. Maintain that respect and humbleness in your choce of words and adhere to what you say or quote. 

Well, too much dissection has been done for GenZ folks and the truth prevails that No one is perfect. Everyone fight their battles to establish their image, which millenials also did until now to prove that they might think differently but the core values still remain the same. Maybe, now is the testing time for Gen Z to figure out and create a new clear image of what they stand for.

Until then, Gen Zs please be nice to us! Share your views on what you think about this new budding Genz via comments, chat or email and we shall discuss more.

Give a big fat thumbs up if you enjoyed reading today’s blog or connected with the blog at a certain level. Let us know your thoughts and don’t forget to subscribe the blog!