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 ?

Eh?

He's not 'a poor young lad', he's an employee with his own tasks, who should be treated with respect
And most job contract will end the list of tasks with something such as 'and any other duties as and when required.

'Own tasks' is ridiculous as a concept. Any jobs require an element of flexibility, a requirement that a person two levels above yours is much more likely to have the experience to understand.

With regards to your wider point though OP, yes, I do think there are differences between the attitudes to authority of gen X and gen Z. Typically speaking we were raised very differently and taught in environments with a different attitude. Our generation grew up in a 'because I said so' culture where adults (and authority figures) weren't required to explain themselves to us. Age and seniority was supposed to recieve recieve respect and obedience by default.
We have increasingly started to place higher value on the rights and opinions of children, and have an ask and explain rather than tell approach, and children are encouraged to voice their opinions and feelings and taught they are as valid as anyone else's. This is bound to be reflected in the workforce, and will need the adoption of different management styles.

Goodness. You were in a meeting, it was urgent and affected a patient, you didn’t have time to faff about asking all the ins and outs of this person’s work schedule and leave plans.

in my organisation, if my line manager’s manager (or any senior) asked for something urgent, I would do it. My line manager wouldn’t be happy if I either said no or if caused a delay waiting for my line manager to come back from leave (!) and who you manage anyway! But we are used to moving quickly and juggling priorities on the hoof.

if I genuinely couldn’t do it because I had a flight to catch / other urgent priorities, I would ask my teammates / colleagues/ peers so I could deliver the ask in that way. No way would it be acceptable just to say no.

I jut meant they are different, nothing more, nothing less

We all know what should and should not be done regarding labour protection, but let us face it, who do you think will progress in their career? The ones who push back or the ones who go over and beyond when asked? Especially in meaningful jobs.

I'm an (elderly) millennial in a similar position where I manage a number of line managers who have their own direct reports many of whom are Gen Z. If I asked the direct reports to do something then under normal circumstances (i.e. not about to finish up for a holiday) I'd expect them to do it, and if they have any concerns about balancing with other workload to flag that with me initially rather going back to their line manager. I put a lot of effort into establishing myself as the leader of the whole team though and making sure I have earned everyone's respect. Everyone in the wider team knows that I set our overall priorities and direction (and if I ask for something to be done it is important that it happens), but also that I use my seniority within the organisation to look out for the individual and collective wellbeing of the team.

I have also noticed that Gen Z have better boundaries around work, and I'm not surprised that this person pushed back when you asked them to work when they had planned time off. In my 20s I probably would have cancelled my time off and done the work, but I actually really respect young people for pushing back on that sort of thing, and I'm trying to learn from it because it is better for us all. Could you have easily reallocated this work to someone else? If so it's a no-brainer - do that. If it was coming up to everyone's weekend then how urgent was the work? If it could wait until Monday without any significant loss to the organsation then why not gently speak to the CEO and negotiate a reasonable timeframe to get it done. I know that's not always possible, but I also know that our CEO often gets it into his head that he needs something immediately, but when I've explained the impact that will have on my team he's perfectly happy to wait a couple of days.

I did the task myself

How did you manage that when you said earlier

I literally don’t have access to the system as he’s an administrator

If the need was so urgent then the most efficient way of quickly getting the job done was to do it herself
Yes of course...but then it goes both ways with such an attitude...similarly, he could find himself needing help with a task on his list with a tight deadline, with only OP available to help...but told that it is on his list, there his problem and she too busy to give him 5 minutes to help. Yet I bet that lad would be first to put a complaint that OP wasn't willing to help.

What a terrible attitude when workers have such rigid attitude to their role and responsibilities.

Supposing he had other tasks that needed to be completed in this time?

I don't know about others on his thread, but I don't have the sort of job where I'm never not working on something or in a meeting. So urgent requests can have a knock on effect.

I disagree with pretty much everything you've written, and your attitude.

Why did you post this thread if you don't want constructive feedback? You seem to just want everyone to say you're right...🤔

Those who are stuck in Gen Z entitled lazy so and so mindset, are you aware that the people who grew up in the 80s would rather shut their business or scale back than hire you?

And I predict more and more will be outsourced to other countries or people brought in from other countries to do the work.

Very few people are irreplaceable and the ones that are, truly are.
The rest, as it is being shown too often, will be done by machines in time. 😕

We have increasingly started to place higher value on the rights and opinions of children, and have an ask and explain rather than tell approach, and children are encouraged to voice their opinions and feelings and taught they are as valid as anyone else's
Which is sadly used as a mean to avoid doing anything they are not willing to do.

There is a place and a time for explanations. Of course two ways discussions should be privileged and valued, but on the same token, they are times when you do just have to get on with what you're told, even if you don't like it.

It's not lazy and entitled to work the hours you're paid for and to set reasonable boundaries. Bosses don't own their employees.

Anyone on this thread who claims generations are not different want to share their stories of workers born in the 40s or 50s who have ever spoke like that?

This wasn't one of those times.

As a retired senior manager I was very interested in this thread, the responses are a real eye opener. Bearing in mind that the majority of posters are probably GenZ the responses illustrate that your original theory was correct.

My DC are both gen Z and I definitely get the vibe from them that they have much clearer boundaries between life and work, which is probably good for them in the short term but not necessarily long term.

In this scenario you were right and he was wrong. It was a 15 minute task that would not have impacted on either his own work or his leave. At that age I would have used it as an opportunity to impress a senior manager.

The social contract for gen z is buggered. They’re facing higher rents than ever before so many will never get on the housing ladder. It’s unlikely they’ll get a pension. Good on them for putting in boundaries.

Who says being overworked and underpaid, just to succeed, are what we should be aiming for?

I mean he's shooting himself in the foot in terms of career progression but if he doesn't give a shit about that then that's his choice, I think 90% of people would have just done the 15 minute task

The oldest of gen z aren’t even in their 30s. I’d assume the majority of posters on mumsnet are therefore millennials/gen X.

But the bosses do own the career pathways...

Who are you assuming are GenZ? Lots of posters have clearly stated that they understand the GenZ perspective, whilst definitely not being GenZ. I'm actually GenY.