When the snowflakes storm

For the last decade and a half, my generation had such a bad rap that corporates trained managers on how to deal with our problematic behaviours before we even arrived.

We questioned the way things were done but we were mocked and labelled The-can't-afford-a-house-cos-they-spend-their-money-on-avocado-toast generation. And now we're making way for Gen Z - the real game changers - to join us en masse. They’ve stood up to the big corporates - like Goldman Sachs and even the US government (like AOC and Ilhan Omar). 

And corporates are still being run as if we are in the first industrial revolution. Clock in at 8, make shareholders rich, Damn autocorrect, I mean work, clock out. Rinse, repeat, 5 days a week. 

I can't believe Generation X went from grunge music, Lenny Kravitz and The Simpsons to being moulded by Baby Boomers to utter insignificance of an entire generation. They had the power to change the world but just became the cogs in the machine. 

The tip of the iceberg

As a junior consultant, I remember walking in to new companies and new teams and like clockwork, I was the only person of colour, I was the only woman. They asked  questions about diversity and inclusion in our interviews. Please share with us what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you and why they’re important. My generation, we were the diversity. 

An image of the Goldman Sachs Summer Analyst Internship 2020. They’ve just created their Faustian pacts.

They created diversity and transformation forums to appease the public. They used us as their mask. We've increased the number of [insert ethnic group here] by [insert acceptable stat here]%. But truly, how truly diverse are the boards of companies on the JSE? We see them … all those Saturday morning cycling clubs … that’s where they hang out …. 

We were told what to wear, how to speak and we were given a mould. We were the generation that broke the mould.

Orientation left the most lasting impact in my career. There was a whole class on dress code and conduct. On the screen, here's some examples of what you should wear… What if I'm visiting a client who's dress code is casual? Always be one up on your client. You need to look professional… Men, you are allowed three pieces of jewelry. If you're married and wear glasses, you'll have to choose between a watch and cufflinks... Girl with the big boobs, that's not how you dress for your figure. But I have large breasts. Here's how to cover them up… Sandika, you look like you're going to class on campus. But I'm at the office. I'm not seeing any clients. Women, you will always wear makeup to look polished. There were two women who were more comfortable wearing men's clothes in the audience. 

It was done in large numbers - not one on one. A means of control - almost like a power that could be wielded over us - you could cooly fit in like us or stick out like a sore thumb - and be the awkward asker of questions.

You will converse in English. It is the official business language. But wouldn't we be able to better build relationships with clients of the same culture as us by using our mother tongues? And culturally, to show resp- You will shake their hands and refer to them by their first names.

Why do I have to be here at 08:00? I could be working from anywhere? I have a laptop and I am able to access the internet and do what I need to do anywhere? Here's how you log every hour of your day so that we can see what you've been busy doing. And if you've spent 8 hours doing something that should be done in one hour, well that's your inefficiencies sooo you better work in another 7 hours to make up for it. 

Skating on thin ice

We started our careers in a global recession. We never had the sense of job security. 

We introduced new ways to work - faster and better because we had technology on our side - but it wasn't appreciated because we weren't doing things the way it was always done. 

We coveted leadership roles but were told to do our time. You just got promoted. You can't be thinking about your next role yet. We were called entitled.

They hired us for our agility and innovation. And then they trapped us behind rigid corporate structures and silos. They set us up to either become one of them, fail or leave. 

My generation saw a lot of firsts. The first to come out as gay. The first to realise their family was racist and bred patriarchy. The first women in their families to enter the workplace. 

I was the first to be educated in my family. Many were the first in their family to hold corporate jobs. We were the first generation with student debt that needed to be paid off. 

Black tax. There was a name for the price we paid for success. On an entry level salary, we had to provide for our families who were not as fortunate. In my case, I had to maintain 2 households and pay off generational debt before starting my own life. 

And we wanted a good life - we wanted an iPhone, the ability to go out for lunch with our friends, nice clothes. They told us to budget better when we highlighted how low our salaries were. Generation X said "we went through it too and we're fine now. You'll be fine." How did you accept that?

So we left. We were called disloyal. We were called job hoppers. We were called money hungry. 

But we weren't after money. We still aren't. We sell our souls to survive but we work for companies that speak to our causes and are aligned with our morals. But even then, we question - and do our best to not only make shareholders rich.

#FeesMustFall, #MeToo, companies born social first, cooperatives, fair trade, The African Leadership Academy. Those happened on our watch. We don’t want the money, we just can’t bear to see our fellow humans still in poverty. 

They lied to us. They showed us a ladder and then when we questioned the need for people managers, they told us we can make different paths but we can't get the big bucks. They said this while sitting on the top rung with tummies bulging from the roles they inherited by just doing their time. They said this while counting down the days to their 65th birthdays. 

They took us down a path of neoliberal hegemony. Is this what we really wanted? Is that perhaps why it feels squeamish? Compared to previous generations, as millennials and Gen Z, we have inherited a world that was fucked up by previous generations. The fact that we have a pandemic is due to the incessant neoliberal greed - which had its heyday back in the 50s and 60s. Some people became crazy rich and some of them even became the worst authoritarian presidents of the world. 

We know the future is not boujee. What's the point of luxury cars? What's the point of being the richest man in the cemetery? What’s the point of a pension? Is retirement even a real thing if we will live to be at least 100? But still we worked hard! The burnout generation. We worked 18 hour days to deliver quality. We have side hustles. We want to leave behind a legacy. 

We married late - had kids late - and a large majority is still unattached - teetering on the line between desiring the traditional family and creating our own definition of family. They said we're the generation that won't grow up because we play video games and want time for ourselves. I don't understand why the generations before us wanted to grow up.

We spoke up…about everything. Our triumphs, our tribulations, burnout, depression, financial troubles, social causes. We paved the way for Generation Z. They called us snowflakes. 

And we're about to run this mother! And we already are - AOC, Greta Thurnberg, Malala. Well they’re the famous ones but they represent millennials and generation Z in refusing to be the sheep that just followed blindly. We question everything! 

Winter is coming

Soon the boomers and generation X will be out and we’ll be the ones leading and it’s going to be epic! Here’s what we’re going to do:

1. We know what it was like feeling marginalized so we need to lead the way we wish we were led - by allowing people to be themselves, and using whatever mechanisms they need to thrive - flexibility to take care of family, freedom to work with causes close to their hearts, mentorship and coaching focused on becoming fully human rather than performance management to keep you stuck in a box. 
2. Let's not put all your eggs in one basket. Let's do a combination of activities that help you earn a dignified living, an activity that feeds your creativity - something that helps you work with your hands and create something - and an activity that feeds your brain. In that way you will feel less trapped in a corporate job doing 15 hour days and selling your soul. 
3. We're redefining success. A job is only one part of your life. Treat a corporate like they treat you - a means to an end, but be kind about it.  

1. Be fully human, and don’t delay gratification, enjoy the limited time you have on this planet and leave a legacy! 

Generation Z, welcome on board. Let's change the world.

This series of articles was inspired by a random thought of how lack of access to resources is normalised yet it has a huge impact on achieving success. In one weekend, hundreds flocked to the tweet sharing their own stories of how deep seemingly normal things from our backgrounds affects our ability to succeed and the impact on our mental health - despite the outward smiles on display. This is for every underprivileged person that is navigating the world. You've found your tribe. Join us as we share more every week and delve deeper into some of these problems. Read about navigating the world of privilege in our first article and how we deal with when imposter syndrome rears it's ugly head in our second article. There's more to come. We just got started.

Co-authored by Priya Rowjee and Sandika Daya who met as corporate slaves, are bound by random thoughts and will one day be the superheroes that they can't physically draw but only they can see in their minds eyes.

Catch up with Priya on her LinkedIn page and on Twitter when she's not dreaming of solving the world's problems. Check out Sandika's professional stuff on LinkedIn and then her Twitter account where she freaks out about kicking ass at the professional stuff.