‘Impatient.’ ‘Outspoken.’ ‘A major focus on mental wellbeing.’ Zoomers are characterised in many different ways, but are they all accurate? Is the difference with the generations really that big, and if so, why? We asked two experts, who confidently offer their advice on the youngest generation of workers and how to prepare your workplace for their arrival.
Read the entire interview here below.
On one side of the table, Denis Barnard. He is a commentator, consultant and author on HR and payroll technology.
On the other side of the table, Dr Steve Foster. He has a PhD in HR, but is also a lecturer, consultant, speaker and influencer in the area of people management.
Steve: To some extent – the question is whether it’s more true now than at any time in the past. By definition, younger people are at a different stage in their lives to older workers. They are likely to be more mobile, less tied to a geography or an employer and more willing to take career risks. Yet, those things are just as true now as they were 50 years ago and it’s a dangerous stereotype simply to assume the latest generation is fundamentally different.
It always strikes me as a somewhat flawed generalisation to attribute the same characteristics to a specific generation based on birth year. There may be some truth in it (possibly due to confirmation bias), but other factors such as culture, upbringing, education, our parents and our ethical values all have a powerful influence on who we are and what we want from working life. There are 20 year olds who act more like stereotypical 60 year olds and vice versa!
The problem is that these simplistic generational boundaries can lead to lazy people management - employees are not a homogenous group and organisations shouldn’t make assumptions on how to treat people at work based on when someone was born. Employers should recognise that differences exist, but they are not necessarily based on birth year. The good news is that we seem to be moving towards a much more personal, individual understanding of each individual, rather than trying to put people into generic categories and assume all 25 year olds act and think the same.
Denis: 'Personal preferences seem to play a bigger part than the perceived or imagined generation divide. Some Boomers have been remote for years, some younger employees prefer an office routine. It’s true to say that since the Pandemic people are looking much more closely and critically at their work commitment and its overall impact on their live.'
Steve: 'Evidence suggest that the latest generation of employees have different attitudes about the centrality of work in their lives, they respond differently to authority, demand more feedback on their performance and have lower commitment to a single employer. Earlier generations (Baby Boomers, Gen X and to some extent Gen Y) were brought up on an assumption that working hard and demonstrating loyalty would allow them to climb a career ladder; at the end would be job security and a range of personal and financial rewards. For multiple reasons, newer generations feel less certain about those outcomes (owning their own home, getting a good pension etc seem unattainable for many) so they may question the point of a lasting commitment. What’s more, they may not even aspire to a ‘career’ and may be willing to trade a career for different quality of life outcomes.
Technology is also a major generational differentiator. Undeniably, a generation that grew up only knowing the Internet and social media will have a different attitude towards technology than those who had to adapt as part of everyday life. Of course, every generation gains access to technologies the previous generation didn't (most people born in 1940 would not have had access to low cost flights, home telephones or TV in their early years; most people born in 1960 would not have access to video recorders, calculators or computers in their early years)- so ultimately the question is whether those technologies truly define each generation or that they simply form the context of growing up.'
Steve: This is based on a healthcare company report in 2023 claiming that 91% of 18 to 24 year olds report being highly stressed, compared to 84% in the general population. In the report, stress is linked to factors such as disengagement, uncertainty and struggles with office politics. The last five years have included some turbulent global events - a pandemic that disrupted school, university and early careers; war, inflation, climate change and political unrest. Combine this with 24 hour news feeds that bring these issues constantly to our devices and stressful events become amplified, with no downtime for reflection or recovery.
In contrast, older workers have survived recessions, cycles of inflation, unemployment and war, but over time have had the space to develop psychological coping mechanisms to build resilience and these issues into context. It’s also worth noting that older generations have been much less willing to discuss mental health issues and were instead encouraged to be stoic in the face of personal and work difficulties – perhaps the latest generation is simply more able to open up about these issues in an honest way.
Denis: Employers cannot be wholly responsible for mental well-being related to employees’ personal lives, but they can ensure that all conditions in the workplace are conducive to a good experience and optimum performance, leading to job fulfilment and satisfaction. Mechanisms must be in place to allow employees to signal any workplace issues promptly and safely, and to know that they will be followed up and dealt with.
Steve: Having regard for the mental health of employees is part of the duty of care organisations should have for its people – but it also makes good business sense. Organisations are now increasingly discussing workplace mental health issues at the most senior levels and building policies and processes to address them. Without doubt, the pandemic has had a major influence here, highlighting the enormous impact mental health has not only on individual performance, but also on factors such as recruitment, attendance and retention. However, it’s important to remember that many people do not work for proactive, large organisations with resources devoted to address well-being issues and it may be some time before the general employment culture changes to reflect this.
Steve: Having regard for the mental health of employees is part of the duty of care organisations should have for its people – but it also makes good business sense. Organisations are now increasingly discussing workplace mental health issues at the most senior levels and building policies and processes to address them. Without doubt, the pandemic has had a major influence here, highlighting the enormous impact mental health has not only on individual performance, but also on factors such as recruitment, attendance and retention. However, it’s important to remember that many people do not work for proactive, large organisations with resources devoted to address well-being issues and it may be some time before the general employment culture changes to reflect this.
Steve: As the saying goes, making predictions is hard, especially about the future…. Mental health and well-being appear to be high on the agenda of many organisations, to a great extent inspired by our collective experience of the pandemic. Likewise, organisations are thinking hard about flexible and hybrid working, and my sense is that a lot of organisational energy will be devoted to working out the right balance of home and office time in the next few years. There will also be much time invested in measuring employee wellness and introducing relevant strategies. These issues are now being discussed at board level.
A big area of focus will be understanding individual employee experience and promoting employee engagement – as a development of concepts around motivation, job design and employee satisfaction. The UK is experiencing a major skills shortage and many organisations struggle to fill even basic roles, so it is very much in the interests of organisations to develop strategies around experience and engagement and respond to changes in the workforce. There is a role here for the greater use of people analytics to understand the workforce and produce a more personal experience for people.
Denis: A big trend must be the rise in AI bots triaging and assigning employee issues. Some providers have already found that people are happy to open up to this approach once the methodology and purpose have been explained. This in turn will lead to much better employment relations overall, as workplace problems will be identified and resolved quicker and more completely.
