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 ?

You need to feed it back in the strongest way as part of a performance conversation. Some of the younger gen can be like this but some of it is the older gens not wanting to have the direct conversation and setting expectations properly. At the end of the day work is a competition and surely it’s the people who step up who will move up.

We couldn’t behave like this when I was a junior because we wouldn’t get away with it. But now they do so I do think quite a bit of this is management.

Your tone here is haughty and spiteful.

I'd be more concerned that a member of the team felt compelled to run a simple request past line management. If that's the norm, it smacks of micro managing.

Speak to his line manager to find out why he was unwilling to be flexible, or rather find out if the workload/structure is hindering his ability to be flexible. You've been far too quick to judgement here, by presuming that it's mere disrespect.

Therein lies another issue, assuming, based on your own prejudice. Some of us, when treated appallingly by so called managers, vowed to never treat other junior staff like that. We're all human and we all make mistakes, but labelling yourself as 'great' today based on something from many years ago isn't exactly realistic. We all need to reassess and determine if skills require updating,

why have you used the AI — double hyphen
is this legit?

Of course that’s normal. Data minimisation, only people with a need to know should have access to systems. As a civil servant you wouldn’t want to entire workforce having access to the systems we have!!

Nope, I'm honestly telling you where I see an issue.

In my previous job, a manager absolutely hit the roof when he found out that one of his direct reports had been given a task to do by someone not in his team. I don't think he'd have been much more thrilled if it had been his own line manager doling out the work (though he might have been a bit quieter about it).

Perhaps Gen Z'r has seen something similar in a previous role, or been trained/advised that all tasks need to be filtered through his immediate boss.

I'm retired but when in a management position I would not have bypassed my direct report. I'd have asked them to provide someone suitable for the task. You don't know what your direct report's priorities are for the day. I think this is very bad management.

a disrespect of hierarchy
he’s not doing his job
he’s unwilling to be flexible

He replied that he needed to check with his line manager first (respect of his manager and hierarchy) because it wasn’t in his work plan (its not on his work plan, therefore he is checking in with his manager) (I manage his manager), and then added that he was logging off shortly(he has already on this occasion got other pre existing plans which were previously agreed, thats not being inflexible) for a long weekend which had been pre-agreed.

My gen Z son is himself shocked at the attitude of his young colleagues. It suits him though as he has gained a much better reputation with his manager than the others and is much more likely to be the next one up for promotion.

I honestly don’t know how we will maintain armed forces with the misalignment of expectations these days.

I don't understand how they attract anyone since we treat so many of them shockingly eg bad living quarters, etc

Did he reply "I can't as I have a plane to catch"?

Or are you making excuses for a lazy disobedient staff member?

I have a few Gen Zs like this, and it is both refreshing and irritating in equal measures. As HoD, I would always run things past their line manager, though, if it wasn't me. I definitely wouldn't expect someone to drop things (unless in very exceptional circumstances like system failure) if they have leave planned.

In my case, they tend to have very clear boundaries (a good thing) but lose out on going the next step and taking ownership sometimes, which is what will give them what they say they want- more money, status or freedom.

It's all about working with what you have- and there is a lot to admire. Us millennial could learn a lot from them in many ways.

Totally agree! Being able to be flexible and work effectively in an environment where priorities can shift at short notice are attributes my organisation actively recruits for.

I don't know what the facts of the situation of this guy are. He had organised to clock off at a certain time with his manager, so I assume he had some sort of commitment/plan/someone was counting on him. As a manager, I would have chosen to assume this was possibly the case rather than getting het up because he didn't do what I told him to because I'm the big boss! His life isn't less important than mine.

I do wonder if the ongoing problems UK has with very poor productivity is in anyway attributable to this attitude.
We used to call it being a jobsworth but now it’s probably labelled self-care.

Being able to be flexible and work effectively in an environment where priorities can shift at short notice are attributes my organisation actively recruits for.

I agree and I would stay late if I didn't have plans. I wouldn't expect others too though.

It’s not all bad it really depends on the base. DH’s current base is all modern blocks and even the MQs are new build. Our homes were great and forces help to buy helped us buy our first home. Housing isn’t the issue we are seeing, it’s people joining an industry that they’re not willing to meet the requirements of.

I do wonder if the ongoing problems UK has with very poor productivity is in anyway attributable to this attitude.

@DogPawsMudFur well productivity has been crap for almost the last 2 decades so that would cross different generations....

? You go to their line manager if it's going to take a chunk of time. Surely you appreciate that. That team will have it's own commitments and timescales to meet Even if you know what these are it's good manners. As far as the team member is concerned, if you'd done all

@rzm I wouldn't do it and wouldn't want my dc to do it.

No, but the company is important to all that work there.

This Gen Z guy has shown boundaries (good for him short term) but has let the company down (bad for the company and himself long term, IMHO)

This. When I qualified as a teacher in the eighties you were likely to be treated like shit by the senior members of staff in your first couple of schools. You were expected to do whatever was asked, whenever it was asked, to give up time that had been agreed was to be spent on something beneficial to you, and to work evenings and weekends in school if the head had planned something. Saying no was just not an option. Young teachers don't take that rubbish anymore. Good for them.

Having now read the details YANBU at all.

I cant believe some of the responses here. Your manager's manager asks you do to a simple task . You should just get on and do it, no questions asked. it was a 15 min task accessing a database. The worlds gone mad if people think this is unreasonable. People do get paid to do a job, it's not a favour.