by Christa Cheung

Are we willing to adapt to the generational changing attitudes to work?

 

This past year, I received a Long Service Award for 15 years of work at my first and only job. Some younger colleagues were surprised and expressed their disbelief that I could stay at the same place for such a length of time. I struggled to respond, but eventually, I just told them it was because I enjoyed my work.

However, the more I reflected, the more I realised that “enjoyment” of work alone may not be the main motivator for today’s generation to continue to work in the same place. Yes, they may like the jobs they do, but that enjoyment may not translate into a decade-long commitment. They are, more often than not, looking for diversity, flexibility and change in their career pathways — a mindset that is both new and challenging to us.

This raises a question, particularly for youth workers, parents, educators, counsellors, and especially for employers: What does a career mean for today’s young people?

Statistics show that if we retire around the age of 60, we’ll have worked for approximately 80,000 hours in our lifetime, which can be broken down to 40 years, 50 weeks and 40 hours per week. Basically, what these figures indicate is that work occupies a significant portion of our lives, and also, in an oblique way, shows us that we cannot really separate work from life, making the “work-life balance” argument a rather moot point. Perhaps the key to enhancing the quality of life, then, lies in finding fulfilling and exciting work, which may be what young people are striving for.

 

Shifting Workplace Cultures

Currently, there are three generations most active in the workplace: Gen X (born between 1965-1980); Gen Y (born approximately between 1981 and 1994); and the youngest, Gen Z (born between 1995 and 2009). As each new generation enters the workforce, they generally face criticism from the generation before. Much of this has to do with different upbringing, societal contexts, economic developments, educational attainments and, of course, job market conditions, which lead to divergent work styles, values and expectations.

For example, Gen X had to face major global political shifts with the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, increasing economic globalisation, the dot.com boom and bust, and other worldwide financial crises. There was, therefore, a desire for stability and structure in the workplace. Gen Y, or Millennials, were the first generation to be “digital natives,” familiar with technology, better educated and, according to studies, more concerned with a combination of pay, advancement and work-life control. This resulted in increased job hopping, but mainly within the same industries, as they sought better personal options and opportunities. Now with Gen Z, the culture is once again changing.

The current landscape of work is marked by uncertainties due to socio-political and economic changes that have resulted in the emergence of alternative employment models, exacerbated by rapidly developing technologies and more creative ways of problem-solving. Entrepreneurial ventures and start-ups are on the rise. With the COVID pandemic, an entirely new concept of “work from home,” as well as a heightened emphasis on workplace wellness were introduced.

So, if we understand that context and career objectives keep changing through generations, then why are employers looking at this generational cohort as a challenge in the workplace?

 

Gen Z

Possible explanations include a combination of perception and expectation. This generation seems to have diverse aspirations which seek a lifestyle that ensures financial security, and more importantly, flexibility and fulfilment. This often results in less inclination to settle for long-term contracts. Attitudes could also be influenced by the lifestyles of their parents, along with social media bombarding them with narratives of meaningless work, toxic work environments and burnout.

They also see how rapidly new jobs are being created, requiring skillsets that do not necessarily align with, or have a place in, traditional companies and organisations. These skillsets embrace multidisciplinary knowledge, adaptability and creative problem-solving that are very often technologically based, and all skills that they can bring to the table. This new generation also wants to see innovation, along with speed to get things done. They want corporate values infused with social responsibility, but they do not necessarily want to traverse linear career progressions.

This generation is also far more concerned about working in spheres where what they do aligns with their interests and passions, leading to many considering “slasher” lifestyles, that incorporate different facets and areas of employment. They no longer follow what has until now been a “normal” trajectory of subjects learnt in university to a job in that specific industry.

 

Positive Adaptations

The challenge employers are facing is that young employees are now suggesting what the workplace landscape should look like, to fit in with their style of working, values, expectations and goals. And herein lies the potential for conflicts and misunderstandings that both sides are faced with.

As youth workers, parents, educators, counsellors, and especially employers, we have a responsibility to answer the question posed earlier. We need to be more open and adaptable, trying to see where Gen Z’s strengths lie and to listen, encourage, guide and give them space to grow and contribute, rather than trying to force them into a corporate box that they do not want to be in.

Evolving landscapes are inevitable, but what we are faced with is not a challenge of this particular generation in the workplace, but the challenge of changing mindsets. What is required is openness, respect and a willingness to learn from both sides. So that next time when I say I have been here for 15 years, or longer, my younger colleagues will not express surprise, but see it as just another way that people choose their career paths, even if it is not for them. ■