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 ?

Definitely a generational shift. I recall I just wouldn't have questioned anyone senior, and still dont! It's ingrained into me i think. Whereas now I've noticed young people not bowing to someone just because they're management or higher grade. I honestly think it's good for young people to challenge or push back, if only because it's setting boundaries on how they wish to be treated, so they cant or won't be exploited. But I also think there has to some element of respect and flexibility to meet business needs. Thats what management hierarchy is for - to delegate and manage workloads.

It depends.

Assuming a Gen Z is a walking stereotype of Gen Z is stupid and unhelpful.

Observing trends within Gen Z and making adjustments to your management style to manage them effectively is very helpful.

Yes I had a role to explain why it was urgent

I think this lack of communication is definitely part of the problem, maybe you can stop ruminating on it now.

Honestly, I do feel your approach is a tad outdated, and assuming. If you were great once, then you'll likely be able to reach that again, if you're willing to put in some effort. Good luck, 😬

And that is the attitude that ensures that none of Gen Zs bosses will lift a finger to help develop their lazy staff

Observing trends isn't referring to rationing vs iPads.

The whole point of my post was self-reflection and learning — about how I can grow as a leader. You’ve clearly missed that and just wanted to vent. If you spent half as much time developing your own communication style as you did dissecting mine, you might actually get somewhere.

I never pulled rank , I asked for him to do a task directly in his JD, to support an urgent meeting.

Evidently, there are massive cultural differences within different sectors and organisations, but I cannot imagine how frustrating it would be working in an environment where a member of the Senior Leadership team is considered unreasonable for politely asking a junior colleague to do a 15 minute task that is in their Job Description because they haven't run it past that persons LM who is on leave. It must be so inefficient and slow, having to constantly run everything past everyone else, even when the request is a standard part of the persons role.
So if anyone who has LM responsibilities is on leave, off sick or on training and therefore not contactable, no member of their team can be asked to do anything- even things that are very much part of their day to day role- until their LM is back? I can't imagine how anything would ever be achieved in such a rigid and inflexible environment.

It isn't lazy to do everything that's required of you, though.

Again, it wasn't framed that way at all.

Exactly. This is so many people’s experience.

@rzm so why is it you think i'm ungrateful?

Sorry I don't understand your point. This thread has nothing to do with what exactly?
Yes, I'm in a "Head of" role and lead a team. I work to live and support people pushing back and setting boundaries around their home life.

The whole point of my post was self-reflection and learning — about how I can grow as a leader.

It didn't really come across as that, it's that communication thing again!

thank you

im willing to but do reflect when you need that surgery or hospital appointment urgently god forbid
That happens to you - just think how it happens - to ensure we meet the needs of those most in need. There are a lot of moving parts.

sometimes behind the scenes there’s “pulling rank” to try and make it all work - for little or next to little recognition and the pay for most roles, I respect the chap but tbh my job matters to me more than his does to him at that age.

So a senior leader who is in a meeting messages you to ask you to do a 15 min job getting some data as they need it urgently you’d say no? When it’s your job to do that anyway? I don’t know anyone in my team who would say oh I have to ask my immediate line manager first. Fair enough if it was a half day task and other priority work, but a quick job in getting some figures surely trumps other non urgent work and you don’t need approval from your manager when it’s a senior asking.

Pretty sure it’s normal in any organisation for seniors to ask more junior staff for data etc, without going down the chain. I’m sure if this guys manager was in, OP could have said can you task someone urgently with doing this, but they were not at work.

I was making a point that generations are different. Nothing more, nothing less.

Think OP that there are some gen z replying here who see everything as too harsh. Oooh don’t like the tone, ooh you can’t expect me to do that , oohhh

They will either grow up or spend their life needing support

I think the gentle parenting trend won’t help either

Observing trends isn't referring to rationing vs iPads.

Quite!

You really should look at your job description and see if it's in there. If it isn't, they need to hire the department an assistant that will do the photocopying.

And the added costs can be put upon the next group of students when costs go up, again.

Whether he was unreasonable or not I think depends on what his existing tasks were and how urgent they were to complete before he finished for the day. I can completely understand him wanting to check with his manager if, as a result of helping you, it would have meant the tasks he was responsible for would not have get completed.

If working on routine tasks that could be completed at any time, he was being unreasonable and inflexible.

im willing to but do reflect when you need that surgery or hospital appointment urgently god forbid

So as part of your self reflection and learning is you want the public to do the same?

Wow some of these comments.
I was being facetious about the U.K. economy and productivity issues but now I’m not so sure.

Incredible. Your kneejerk reaction is to pull rank again (and bizarrely, to interpret a post in which I outlined the positive way in which this would be handled in my company as a "vent").

I'm not your underling. You have no knowledge about my position. "You might actually get somewhere" would be an inexcusable thing to say to someone even if they were a junior in your company; to say it to me in this thread is frankly brain-dead.

Clearly your position of seniority means that you haven't been told enough how rude and abrasive you are. I suggest you stop talking down to other adults and start treating them with respect.

Would the sector and job I’m in make any difference to those who think It was unreasonable

were there any circumstances you’d consider my request reasonable ??