Here in the fog that lies a stone’s throw past middle age, I’m trying my best not to turn into Walt Kowalski from the film Gran Torino.
In fact, every time I have a strong negative reaction to something I read, see, or hear, I feel it’s my duty to society to stop and ask myself, “Would I have had this same reaction 25 years ago? Am I just old?”
The answer is usually, “Yes, I’d have hated it then, too.”
This brings me to Gen Z, specifically, and some of the things I’ve seen and read about them. As a refresher, Gen Z is widely considered those born from 1997 to 2012, or “the youngest generation with adult members,” which is one of the things AI upchucks from a Google search.
Stories circulate that they lack soft skills, that they have difficulty communicating, that they need to know the exact reasons they’re being asked to do x, y, and z before they’ll do x, y, and z.
I once encountered an intern at an advertising agency who could not look at people while having a one-on-one conversation. The day she left, I told her it would be a good idea to abandon that habit, and that people would trust her more if she made eye contact.
She cried.
Now, we seem to have the opposite. There's a TikTok trend called the “Gen Z stare.” This phenomenon has a Gen Z’er staring blankly at someone in the workplace who’s talking to them—without saying anything back. It’s very Village of the Damned (see, I am old).
Like most social media trends, the narcissists behind it have adapted it to other situations they seem to find hilarious.
"Soft skills are incredibly important when you work with other colleagues, provide a service to customers, or have to answer to a manager or boss," says Barry Garapedian, president of MAG 7 Consulting, who specializes in helping young adults get workplace ready. He has a book out called Winning the Game of Life: The Seven Lessons You Never Learn in School.
"Without knowing how to effectively communicate in the workplace or on the job can stifle your success and movement in your career,” Garapedian says. “Not only are we talking about the Gen Z stare, but there are other soft skills needed in the workplace. If you don't know how to use them, that's a big red flag."
Let’s talk bigger red flags.
Gen Z in the workplace
The firm Resume Templates.com has surveyed 1,000 managers here in the U.S. this very month and the results are no less than frightening:
- 68% say supervising Gen Z employees feels like parenting
- 54% say it feels like babysitting
- 52% report Gen Z struggles to follow basic instructions
- 61% say their Gen Z reports require handholding
- 9 in 10 have had to teach Gen Z foundational workplace skills.
In case you’re wondering what foundational workplace skills these managers have had to teach:
- Accepting feedback without taking it personally (59%)
- Interacting appropriately with clients and coworkers (46%)
- Multitasking effectively (45%)
- Admitting mistakes professionally (42%)
- Dressing appropriately for work (36%).
Managers also report having to regularly remind Gen Z employees to arrive on time (48%), respond to messages (47%), put away their phones (41%), and clean up after themselves (35%).
One in 3 managers surveyed report they have to check in with their Gen Z employees four or more times per day.
Oh. Lord.
No, I wouldn’t have liked these things 25 years ago, either.
“Gen Z’s entry into the workforce looked really different from previous generations because of the pandemic,” says Julia Toothacre, chief career strategist at ResumeTemplates. “Many missed out on in-person training and onboarding.”
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I’m not completely buying the Covid cover story, as Covid was about the most exploited event in this country’s history and an ultra-convenient excuse for just about everything—from the proliferation of chat bots to smaller chocolate bars.
I think parents, peers, and teachers shoulder more blame. Regardless of the causes, these are the things nightmares are made of in the workplace.
So, how is all of this going to go over in construction? Not very well, bruh.
Achtung, Gen Z
In construction, you must have some toughness. As the young person or the rookie in a crew, you’re going to catch a big dose of flak. Ribbing, at a minimum, and maybe worse. Perhaps some embarrassing pranks, too (watch out around the porta john).
See, you will be judged not only on your job performance, but also by your response to… verbal adversity. And you’re going to have to “give it back” for respect, if nothing else.
But repartee won’t be the only test.
Can you step up and tell an experienced pipeline crew that you saw them cut a corner and their trench could be dangerous?
Can you say, “Hey driver, that load doesn’t look secured?” How about “You need to inspect that machine before you start it?”
Or will you just stare in silent judgement and record your mug on TikTok?
If you’re on board to do things right, a great career in construction awaits you. Just remember to look people in the eye when you talk to them, shake hands firmly, and please, get off the phone.
[Managers, what are you finding out about employing Gen Z? Drop me a note using the email button below.]
About the Author
Frank Raczon
Raczon’s writing career spans nearly 25 years, including magazine publishing and public relations work with some of the industry’s major equipment manufacturers. He has won numerous awards in his career, including nods from the Construction Writers Association, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and BtoB magazine. He is responsible for the magazine's Buying Files.