Building a career? Solving complex issues? A lot for a little? Who even wants to do that. Not Gen Z, at any rate, if I'm to believe the articles I've read about this in recent months. Remote work, endless self-reflection, sustainability and, of course, the 24-hour workweek.
Where my generation (1985) and my parents' generation made do with a lot (of work) for little (salary), the new generation does things differently. Working little, preferably part-time, for a lot: salary, vacation days, work-life balance, flexible budgets, hybrid and remote. That's the norm. And is that fair?
According to all those born in 1985 or earlier, hiring managers and every old hand in the profession I speak to, today's generation doesn't know what work is. They don't want to invest. Everything has to be Snapchat-fast or instant-delivery fast, and they also want to earn above average without any work experience. And here it comes: when I was their age, I earned far less, worked longer days and delivered higher quality. Anyway, the frustrations are clear.
The question is whether this generation really has it so wrong. Maybe my generation was staring itself blind at the bubble of hard work, investing and staying with an employer for as long as possible. Because in every job I've had, there were plenty of colleagues who grumbled and complained their way through the day.
And then there's the information asymmetry: a situation in which one party (the employer) knows more than the other party (the employee or candidate). The availability of information through platforms such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor means the new generation has more information about what they're worth. An employer's offer therefore really has to be competitive these days.
If you can do better, go and do better.
If it turns out that the employer presented half-truths about the role in the job description or during the interview, or they simply don't like it, the current generation switches jobs or departments very easily, without considering how long they've been working somewhere. And with every switch, of course, there is room for negotiation again.
Maybe this generation simply dares to do much more. They dare to stand up for themselves more and make faster decisions that serve their own interests. Call it selfish, or simply setting your boundaries and drawing lines.
Employer, where do you stand in this development? Are you still stuck in your frustrations about employees leaving? Or will you finally dare to look in the mirror?
