Point, Counter Point

Employees keep demanding more flexibility?

WFH is killing productivity?

People want to bow out of hustle culture?

People are working fewer hours, but demanding more at the same time?

GenZ is redefining work - and successful employers should listen?

GenZ is a nightmare to manage, and we don’t know what to do?

I’ve heard all of these this week alone. Each of them is true. All are a challenge if you’re an employer, manager, or HR. None are exactly ‘new’.?

We’ve been talking about shifts in how we work and the growing disconnect between employee and employer for a while. But things seemed to have hit a crescendo this week.?

You may have seen that Tim Gruner, an Australian property developer, made particularly aggressive comments that raised a lot of controversy. He suggested that unemployment needed to increase to 50% to ‘stop a culture where employees feel the employer is extremely lucky to have them.’ As Josh said, it’s the definition of transactional vs relational approach to business. Or as Noah W. called out, ‘It’s a perfect example of toxic leadership ’

That’s one end of extreme when it comes to the employee/employer relationship of late.

In the other direction, as Jordyn Dahl wrote yesterday , the newest Edelman Trust Barometer highlights the changing relationship between employee/employer when it comes to work-life balance. The headline? GenZ is demanding more balance + flex - and in many cases, getting it. They’re also shifting how the rest of us think about it: 78% of those interviewed said GenZ has impacted how they think about work-life balance.?

More balance doesn’t always translate to fewer hours worked though - or shouldn’t, say some execs. There was a very active conversation , started by Sam Blond about what the norm should be when it comes to working at start-ups. In his view, 40 hours is the bare minimum. That opinion isn’t only held by start-ups. Many leaders feel employees aren’t working as much as they used to, or should be - just take a look at the headlines from finance + tech CEOs lately.?

And it’s not only 'big name’ Leaders. I’m hearing frustration from managers and CPOs struggling to walk the line between supporting their team's + aiming for high performance. Stories I’ve heard recently??

• New hires being offered different hours (8-4, 7-3, you name it) and then saying they don't want to ‘be available specific hours’ - - being available specific hours is fairly baseline for most jobs - or used to be
• A senior manager who re-organized an entire team after someone said their manager was causing them stress/anxiety, only for that person to later say they actually ‘preferred their current team, but thanks anyway’
• The CPO who painfully let everyone know there would be no bonuses this year in an effort to not go through lay-offs, and then had multiple people privately contact her demanding a bonus ‘just for me’, knowing that would mean headcount reduction for everyone else?
• The Director who had an employee ask multiple times for a promotion, then nominate themselves after being told they weren’t ready. When the Director asked peers for feedback and came up empty handed, the direct report decided to take an extended leave of absence

The list goes on. I’m sure you have your own stories to add. But the trend is pretty clear: we’ve come to an impasse. And it reeks of entitlement. On both sides.?

Why now? Some of it has to do with more companies mandating a ‘Return to Office’. For others I think it’s a question of time. People have tried to remain flexible and agile, but at a certain point, frustrations boil over.?

It’s an instance where many things are true at once. Yes, our relationship to work and life has shifted, and the employers who win in the next decade will lead with that. No, we don’t need unemployment at 50%. And yes, it is unrealistic (absurd?) to think you can work 50% of what you’ve been hired for and get paid 110%. It’s also unfair to think you can pay people pennies and get the work of superstars.?

We need middle-ground. To get there, we need clarity through frank, open conversations. Almost everything I hear is said in hushed tones, when someone needs to vent. We need to be saying it in the open.

We work with many of our clients on the broad theme of the ‘Intergenerational Workplace’. That has meant everything from onboarding GenZ, to preparing Millennials to step into more senior manager roles, and understanding communication differences and norms from Boomers to GenZ. (If you’re interested in specific topics + outcomes, happy to share more!)

To ease tensions and maximize productivity, we must start with a baseline understanding of where everyone is coming from + what expectations are. We’re not going to get to the bottom of these ‘Point, CounterPoint' scenarios until we improve communication across the board. To build trust, start with imprpving communication.?

Have you seen this where you work? How are these tensions showing up?

Join Us:

• Kunik Insights: Perceptions of Professionalism?
• ERG Roundtable: AI x ERG: How to leverage AI to streamline processes, events, and engagement for your ERGs

What we’re reading:

• Up then out?
• How to rate impact?
• Feedback too scary? Try this?
• DEI debates on college campuses?
• 5:01 and done. End the schmooze?
• Defending against the ‘anti-woke’ movement?
• Workplaces as vehicles of health + wellbeing?
• Middle managers should solve burnout. But they’re burnt-out