The Loneliest Generation Starts Work
A lot of Generation Z folks that have had a strange and isolating ending to school are about to head off to start their careers.
My boys are 15 and 16, so fortunately they'll have a little time before they officially start their careers. But wow - what a time to start a career! Some of the older members of Generation Z, roughly ages 14 to 24, are just entering the workforce.
I graduated with my MBA back in 1992, and I thought 8% unemployment was bad. Now, unemployment is hovering around levels not seen since the Great Depression, and average student debt in the United States is $32,731.
And, that's just economics - now fear is palpable whenever people are around - fear that social contact could have devastating consequences, and there's more general social discontent. When I graduated, the economy wasn't great, but there was still optimism, social harmony, and an increasing enthusiasm that exciting, positive mysterious things might come from globalization.
A survey conducted by Cigna prior to the pandemic suggested that GenZ could be considered the loneliest generation - with an average loneliness score that was nearly 10 points higher than the least lonely generation — the Greatest Generation, those 72 and older. And, they cited that “loneliness has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, making it even more dangerous than obesity.”
Getting to work seemed like a great opportunity to start moving into a more social environment, but because of precautions around COVID-19, it's unlikely that 'the loneliest generation' will have an easy entree in the work world.
As you see new team members joining your teams, I'd encourage senior business leaders to remember how hard it was to get started, and then remember all of the new issues that these folks are facing as they get started. The GenZ cohort is the future ...they're known for being highly practical, entrepreneurial and driven. In my experience, they are incredible - they'll most likely keep their heads high and their chins up, but take some time to share the stories of obstacles you overcame when you started out.
I realize that we're all more preoccupied and busy with 'our own stuff' now, but do you have any stories to share for the incoming class of new folks?
AVP Finance | FP&A | Financial Reporting
4 年Great post!
Marketing and Communications Professional
4 年At my first job out of college, I worked in a small office as an assistant wearing many hats. Sometimes I wrote and edited copy as I had dreamed; sometimes I stuffed envelopes and ran errands. There's nothing glamorous about standing in line at the post office, yet everything I did contributed to the company's growth and taught me how a business operates. Be open to the possibilities, new grads! And to those employing and working alongside GenZ: Be open to hearing their ideas and insights. They, too, have much to contribute to our mutual successes.
Founder & CEO @STOPWATCH
4 年They need your TikTok account Dan!