When 'Cooked' Doesn't Mean Dinner: A Manager's Guide to Gen Z-Speak

Are you unsure of what your team is talking about? Or yapping about, as they say?

It's not surprising. In fact, we recently learned that the inability to understand what the team is feeling is the second most common challenge of new managers.

Almost every fourth person in the workplace is now from Gen Z - the irritants, the path-breakers, and, in the latest slang term, the "brats."

They are entering more rooms and earning spots on crucial tables, but for most managers, Gen Z's language remains a mystery. If you disagree, please explain the difference between "I am cooked" and "I cooked" in response to this newsletter. Trust me, it's not as simple as it seems.

What's your take?

Language is certainly an evolving asset of human civilization. We'd love to present some aspects, including formal emails, with their sincerity, but there must be some that we can let go of.

For instance, when I started my professional journey nearly two decades ago, there was a strong emphasis on showing respect. You had to address someone as "Sir" or "Mam." We have turned around on this entirely in many organizations where using first names is encouraged.

Of course, even this trend did not come about without resistance. If you think back in time, you would be able to spot people who were uncomfortable with this change, and some remain the same. Yet, in general, we have reached a consensus that respect does not need to be shown explicitly in every address.

The change in communication that Gen Z brings is in the same direction in some ways. For example, the term "brat" originally did not have a positive meaning. But in this iteration, being a brat is about being bold and rebellious.

Udemy's research, Gen Z at Work: Understanding the Next Generation , took a deeper dive into this, proclaiming that Gen Z is bringing a "Brat" mindset to the workforce; it's about challenging common stereotypes associated with their generation and remaining true to their values in both their career and learning journeys.

Do we have a stalemate?

But not everyone is so welcoming toward the bratty attitude.

For many managers, Gen Z is the worst thing that happened to their workplaces—with their constant demands for feedback, flexibility, and freedom at work. While the feeling is mutual, there is pushback between the two generations that are not ready to meet each other halfway and continue to communicate in different tongues.

The concerns and movements are not new. Baby boomers raised the same ones as we Millenials entered neat workplaces and cluttered them with our fancy new ideas.

On the other hand, the subjects of our conundrum, Gen Z themselves, feel quite misunderstood at work (two-thirds of them agreed with the sentiment in the Udemy study.) Again, the major reason here is the intergenerational difference in how we communicate when there's little effort to bridge the gap between all these sides.

Surprisingly, the same respondents appeared willing to learn and adapt to the communication styles of others to a great extent, which goes against their bratty perception, so there might be a case to be made for prejudice against the younger generation of workers. It presents an opportunity for us to take charge of the situation as managers and put the spotlight on building soft skills across the ages.

After all, rigidity hurts, especially as we get older. Plus, learning is a great way to connect with a generation emphasizing skill development and personal growth as its biggest ambitions.

Gen Z is here to stay; it's time we connect rather than just observe.

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