I want to take just a BRIEF MOMENT and I promise not to belabor this view. I have been hearing a tremendous amount of complaints by some who believe that Generation Z is “ too lazy, too sensitive, too entitled and self centered “. Each generation believes that they are the hardest working generation and the subsequent generations “just don’t get it”. As a Gen Xer I want to give credit to all Gen Zers. Yes, I am a proud parent of 2 successful twenty something’s so perhaps my views are slanted.
I have conducted hundreds of interviews over the last six years and these are my observations. Gen Z does value their personal life and will NOT sacrifice that happiness for any company. It’s about damn time. They are smart, they are problem solvers, and they often work multiple jobs while going to school. They have grown up post- 911 with many parents who were overprotective, and so what if we were!😀, Gen Xers were often raised by wolves. We now complain that they had it too easy? Come on…we had a role in creating that narrative. The Gen Z generation must navigate a social environment that relies on meeting the loves of their lives via a dating app, watch their friends at lunch stare at their cellphones rather than each other, are facing the most divisive country regarding political matters, and living through a changing and deteriorating world climate. In addition, this generation has resigned themselves to believe that they will NOT achieve the same level of financial prosperity as their parents. The first time we have seen this viewpoint in a hundred years. Despite that, they carry on with one foot after the other into an unknown future. I have great confidence and trust that our Generation Z WILL build upon the success of this country and I ask them one thing. Help their parents with their iPhones without rolling their eyes. Cheers!!! 😊
