Issue #8: Talkin' Bout Their Generation

As a brief respite from the palace intrigue at OpenAI, this week I'm taking a break from the 'AI at work' beat. The following stories highlight how companies are needing to navigate generational differences in values and priorities that are showing up in the workplace in very pronounced ways. The classic question of whether these differences are a function of a specific generation (boomer! X! millennial! Z!) or cohorts in different life stages always looms in the background. Regardless, they're meaningful and something that talent leaders need to navigate with focus, care, and cogent points of view that they back up with actions.

• Employee entitlement and activism: I was actually shocked to see this article from Brad Warga at Heidrick on "Perspective from Silicon Valley CPOs on Employee Entitlement and Activism—and How Best to Handle It." The surprising part was not the observations by CPOs that in the war for talent (particularly for younger millennials and Gen Z), they'd let the genie out of the bottle and created workforces that are... well, entitled and coddled, in a way that might be unsustainable and at odds with an effective workplace. I'd heard similar things directly before during my time in tech. But it's evidence of how much the dynamic with talent has shifted (AI/ML tech talent notwithstanding) that they'd actually speak it in a public forum, even if the quotes are anonymized. The recommendations at the end of the piece are sound. The thing this piece reinforces for me is that, while we all can get a bit swayed by talent trends, it's critical to always ground your priorities and programs in business needs and practicalities; that's the only way to ensure you remain on the right side of authenticity and sustainability. ?? LinkedIn article
• It ain't about the money: Cue up your umpteenth Pitch Perfect rewatch as the soundtrack for this Business Insider article on Gen Z turning down promotions, because the larger paychecks aren't worth the tradeoffs (more demanding jobs with longer hours and less flexibility). By contrast, it cites a McKinsey study that found Gen Z workers want stronger overall career and personal development opportunities, as well as better alignment with their values and the kind of impact they want to have on the world, along with inspirational leadership. While a largely anecdotal "people are saying" thought piece vs. something steeped in hard data, it's still a good prompt for talent leaders to consider what their employee value prop is beyond the $s, especially for current employees and potential candidates that haven't spent years in your walls divining this for themselves. You need to be able to tell the story in a compelling, differentiated way... and then back it up. ?? Business Insider article
• Maximizing happiness: This final piece focuses on a study out of the University of Bath, which sought to assess happiness level in individuals who sought achievement vs enjoyment (note: avg participant age was 27). The upshot: acting in accordance with your values (including freedom, self-direction, and "hedonism") trumps conformity and achievement for achievement's sake. "Duh," is a reasonable reaction to the finding. However, the tie to well-being and lower stress levels as outcomes is notable and another vote for companies to not knee-jerk and start cutting back on flexibility simply because they can. ?? Psychology Today article

I'll end with a short semi-related personal anecdote from this past week. Over the dinner table, my wife cited the latest viral story about the deleterious effects of social media on Generation Z to our 13-year-old daughter and me (the older one is away at college). My daughter cut in sharply with the informed rebuke, "I'm not Gen Z mom, I'm Alpha!"

We are not ready.