Gen Z entered adulthood in a very different world – COVID, social media and Artificial Intelligence.
Workplace evolution has increased employees’ expectations, regardless of generation, around flexibility and mental health support.
The employment bargain has changed in this era.
Yet every older generation I know seems to look at the younger generation and think, “wth is wrong with these people.”
Historically, younger people have often challenged the existing norms. But does that necessarily make them rebellious?
I remember a 1999 Hong Kong movie called “Gen-X Cops”.
Back then, we Gen Xers irritated the hell out of the generation before us too.
Fact is, Gen X wasn’t regarded as this wonderfully hardworking, resilient generation in 1999. We were also stereotyped as cynical, disengaged, disrespectful and lacking loyalty.
Millennials or Gen Y though, later got the “entitled and job-hopping” trophy.
Every generation thinks the next generation is getting worse.
But perhaps, the younger generation refuses to live exactly the way the older generation did. Why would we? We want better. We always want better.
Anyway… as we grow older, our job isn’t to make the younger generation more like us. We want them to be this and not that. No.
Our job is to teach them what we know, while being humble enough to learn why they don’t want to become exactly like us.
I believe every generation wants the next generation to be better.
Young people need to learn resilience, accountability and how to handle criticism, yes, I 100% agree.
Older people also need to accept that the world has changed and not everything we grew up believing is necessarily the best way forward anymore.
The older generation must learn that respect doesn’t always mean agreement. The younger generation must learn that disagreement doesn’t always mean disrespect.
Here is a suggestion: Instead of grumbling about Gen Z this and Gen X that, why don’t we spend more time understanding each other.
After all, we were young once.
And I’m pretty sure we all have at one point annoyed the hell out of our bosses/parents too.
Just like how the Gen Beta will do to the Gen Z, in years to come.
xoxoxo, AuntyHR (Proudly Gen X)
