Managing Gen Z

[Amy8]

I’m an experienced senior manager who took some time out to work as a consultant – partly to avoid exactly these kinds of situations!

Something happened last week that’s made me question my management style, which I’ve always thought was fair. The CEO asked me (quite urgently) to get something done. I was in a meeting, so I asked a junior team member to help out. It would’ve been easier to just do it myself, but I genuinely needed the support.

He replied that he needed to check with his line manager first because it wasn’t in his work plan (I manage his manager), and then added that he was logging off shortly for a long weekend which had been pre-agreed.

I stayed polite on Teams and explained that sometimes we have to be reactive to senior requests — but honestly, inside I was thinking, just do it! At his age, I’d have just cracked on.

It’s not the first time I’ve had this kind of pushback — others in the team (same age group) have also been quite firm about working from home and not wanting to come in when asked.

I’m genuinely wondering: is this just how the workplace is now — a generational shift and new boundaries — or is it a bit of a disregard for authority and should I be adapting better ?

How close to his logging off time was this request made?

Was he sat on his arse watching cat videos or actually working/completing a task? If he was completing a task was it something he could just drop instantly and then come back to it if there was time left after doing this job for you or something that could be left if there wasn’t time left?

I do know his workload - that’s why I said it was inflexible and an excuse

That’s just rude

Ah. A micromanager.

A lot of them are absolutely unbelievable in their cheek (although if a long weekend had been agreed that’s fine) and total lack of resilience/work ethic, however I do grudgingly admire their DGAF attitude. Where does working yourself into the ground get you, really? Other than old and knackered!

I agree with you. Some people will do what is required. Some people will want to give more. Both acceptable.

Oh no it isn't!!!!!!!! 😆😆😆😆😆

He should have said at the time that he had agreed an early departure so couldn’t help this time not winge

pushing back isn’t a problem / winging about it is

My DD is a Gen Z. She would have done it (on top of her other tasks) and then blubbed about it after when she had missed her train for her long weekend. Because she is a people pleaser and a not-rock-the boater. It's easier for her to say 'yes' in case anyone thinks badly of her. This is very typical of a lot of Gen Zers who overthink and are anxious. So yeah, sounds like he's got the boundaries thing sussed, unlike a lot of his generation.

Millenials used to get criticised for their “work hard, play hard” culture.

Now Gen Z is all about “me me me” and “feelings”.

When my parents were in the workplace there was a perception that public facing roles like council workers were “clock watchers” but there was still a sense of “duty” when you were on duty.

@Amy8 each post is revealing more of your issues here, in the kindest way possible, you need to reassess how you manage, and make sure everyone has clear guidelines. Do you have form for randomly dropping extra tasks on folk actually managed by someone else, because it seems like you've normalised this in your own head more than in others?

How is that relevant to my point that different generations are different?

@JamieCannister I think it shows a lack of understand who is even in the workplace!

Why mention rationing and ipads?

Did he though? This assumes he had nothing else to do before he finished, which is highly unlikely - presumably he had other tasks to complete or even meetings to attend.

OP has made the assumption that because this was important to her/the CEO that it was more important than whatever else he was doing for the rest of the day. Perhaps it wasn't?

As I mentioned upthread, I do think that OP should raise this with the staff members line manager when she returns, but I've been on the receiving end of many an 'urgent request' that seems to assume I have nothing else to do that day. As a people pleasing Millenial I struggle to say no (and have paid the price in many long, unpaid hours), but I actually applaud Gen Z for having better boundaries.

understanding

When you sign up to the military you know that you will be readily and regularly deployed and there is an expectation of fitness, people are joining up today and refusing to deploy because they simply don’t like it, and as society is shifting it’s hard to have a service before self mentality that the military has historically needed for a workforce who have to do things outside of the realms of normal. This means people like my husband who do not shirk end up going away every 12 months instead of every 24 months. Deployments don’t stop, it just means people go more regularly. They are still happy to join up for the perks; the subsidised housing, secure job, travel, training, sport associations, community, but not put in the graft. You can’t have it both ways.

They do not maintain their fitness or deliberately fail fitness tests so they are not deployable, some people even deliberately get certain types of medical chits that stop them from doing aspects of their day job like drivers not being signed off to drive. For unbelievably trivial things. They will then miraculously get signed off just in time for a sexy deployment to Nevada or that tri service football game they want to play in. It is entirely unsustainable and people like my husband are bearing the brunt of it. Yes the military needs to adapt (frankly they need to financially incentivise deployments more, I suspect there would be a large increase in healthy personnel then!) but attitudes in the work place have massively shifted in the last couple of decades. If you aren’t willing to deploy don’t bloody join the military.

Damn management is a thankless task
should take that that job abroad

There's a balance to be had between those, don't you think?
Maybe OPs member of staff has it right.

Yes I had a role to explain why it was urgent

that I accept

The OP has changed the story. If this is the standard of their communication I have no faith in the standard of their management.

Good point

Maybe you should reconsider your position, how about abroad to 1980s America?

Damn management is a thankless task should take that that job abroad

What is this supposed to mean?

My Director says 'leadership is lonely'.

Again this dismissive and haughty tone. You've talked to so many posters throughout this thread as if they're your underlings at work. This doesn't make me think you went about this request in a particularly respectful way.

Of course the time you asked and the workload he had to complete already are relevant. If he had 3.5 hours of work to get through at 2.30 by 4 then obviously a "15-minute task" is off the table or would require deprioritising the work already assigned by his line manager. (As a side note I would also note that never in the history of someone saying "it'll just take 15 minutes" has that task ever taken only 15 minutes. It's like the myth of 15-minute meals.)

In my current role I'm sometimes asked to do small tasks by people outside my immediate department who are technically senior to me. They will always add something like "if you have time" or "if you're not busy or on deadline" and they will never expect me to drop everything and respond instantly (for example, if I don't see the message immediately and only get back to them a couple of hours later, it's a non-issue).

90% of the time I'm able to do those tasks because it's not a big deal, and often I'll be able to sort it out promptly too. I wouldn't feel the need to go through my own manager. 10% of the time I can't, because I'm snowed under with my own work or on the verge of logging off, and I'll say so. Again this has never been an issue.

If I received messages that are as haughty and peremptory about "pulling rank" as the OP's posts in this thread I would not prioritise them at all.

Yes there is definitely a massive shift. I completely agree with you, that generation in my experience don’t show the flexibility of previous generations and can be work shy. But expect constant promotions and pay increases.

Ouch!