When You Look Back to Thirty Years Ago, What Does ‘Working Life’ Look Like in Your Head?
Some may think of jobs that don’t exist anymore. Jobs are being taken over by technology, machines. Some may think of tiny businesses that don’t make much, but make enough to get by – and that was enough. Most, however, will picture what I am currently picturing. I cast my mind back to twelve years before my birth, well, I create a made-up image in my head… of working life thirty years ago and I see offices.
Grey offices in which people worked grey jobs. I see unreasonably long commutes by train, bus and car to make it in by 8.45 am, only to clock out at 4.55 pm and spend that long time commuting again. I may paint a black picture, or grey, rather, but this is how it really was for millions of people thirty years ago. The fact of the matter is, that I’ve just described some people’s lives from this year.
Ultimately, my point is that working life and the definition thereof has changed drastically over the last three decades. As a society, we are more aware and have a better understanding of the most efficient ways to work. Be it mental health orientated, productivity orientated or simply sales orientated. We just know more about how all this stuff works now. As a result, a lot of Generation Z kids, or ‘Zoomers’ (God love us) are better-versed in knowing what’s possible. And Zoomers in the workplace have higher expectations.
A big part of this is that we can do our own research into these things in a matter of seconds on an iPhone rather than a matter of hours on a computer searching for answers that weren’t there anyway. The irony is, we don’t even have to. All this ‘breakthrough’ research about how we should be learning and teaching better is all there brightly displayed as we scroll on our little screens. Zoomers have this knowledge, whether we like it or not, and this is a fantastic thing.
Some Quick Clarifications:
- 1. ‘Baby Boomers’ – Born between 1946 and 1964, were brought up caring about health, wealth and quality of life.
- 2. ‘Generation X’ – Born between 1965 and 1980, they are (according to Global Learning Network – don’t hate me) anti, busy and cynical.
- 3. ‘Generation Y’ – Born between 1980 and 1996, were not so much born into a digital world but saw the growth of technology throughout the early 2000s.
- 4. ‘Generation Z’ or ‘Zoomers’ – Born between 1997 and 2015, we were born digital and have known nothing but evergrowing technological advancements.
What’s Changed Then for Zoomers in the Workplace?
Well, a little research has been done into how Zoomers in the workplace stack up to the 70s, 80s and 90s kids born before the world of work started changing so fast. The findings are interesting, to say the least.
1. Commitment
This research has now told us that these Zoomers in the workplace are just as committed to their work like any other generation. Surprising? Well, it was for me. Mainly due to the fact that there’s research that also suggests we, as a generation, are living at home for longer and are more reliant on our parents because of this. This would suggest to me that my generation is significantly less committed since until a certain age there’s more of a safety net in place than that which people had thirty years ago.
An eighteen-year-old now, like myself, is statistically likely to be in full or part-time education. This means that parents are usually still supporting these kids financially, at least a little bit. This, I would think, has the potential to cause a fall in job commitment. However, this is clearly not true. We are as dedicated, committed and ready to go as anyone else. Boom! (or… Zoom?)
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2. Unwilling to Sacrifice
So this one is a little more fitting to the view of this generation. According to the research, we Zoomers have our priorities straight. We, on the whole, are unwilling to sacrifice social or personal gain for work or employment gain. Thinking about it, this makes sense. Go to a big fancy dress do with a load of booze or an extra shift at work for employee of the month?
OK, fine, that one is a bit harsh on us. Apologies. Secretly, though, I know which one I’d go for…
Seriously, however, let’s say a Zoomer in the workplace is faced with the chance to earn an extra £100 for a Tuesday’s work. They had the day booked off but they’ve been asked if they could make it into work and grab a crispy-hundo from it. A Gen X member would, according to the research, jump at the chance for the extra money. A Zoomer, however, would recognise that there is an opportunity for extra cash but would also recognise the gain in their mental wellbeing by taking a relaxing day off.
Hell, I never planned to work the day anyway so, when you put it like that, its a no-brainer! To be honest, it really is. I’d encourage everyone of all generations to look at decisions like that more closely and with this new perspective.
Work the rest of the week a bit irritable and slightly less productive with a cheeky hundred in the ol’ skyrocket or work better, harder and happier with a meal deal on your desk instead of some lovely Sushi…
3. How Success is Measured Matters
Us Zoomers, apparently, really care about the way in which we view success. If we throwback once again to the late seventies, we see success being measured by the number of hours in the office. Number of miles driven. Or the number of telephone calls made.
This is, quite frankly, incorrect. Work smarter, not harder! This is one of the biggest revelations to come out of these drastic changes to the working world. You can’t just make a thousand phone calls and be rich. Especially not anymore. The real way to measure success is in the number of deals closed within those thousand calls. The number of client leads gained in your two hundred emails sent, and the number of pounds generated, based solely on the work you have done.
The number of items ticked off that b*st*rd ‘to-do’ list.
These are things we all know and have known for some time. However, the point here is that it really matters to us Zoomers. I do not want to be hired by a company that reward me simply for spending a lot of time in the office and penalise me for not – this is backwards and ineffective. Start rewarding everyone for their impact, not their timesheet.
4. The Ethics of Your Company Matter
See, now we really care about the impact companies have on the world. We care a lot more about pollution’s impact on the environment and about the exploitation of workers, especially outsourced and overseas workers.
Now, we care. Now, we care so much that we won’t work for you unless you consider these things. If you’re outsourcing your labour to children in China and paying them naff-all to work in horrific conditions, I’m going to swerve it with a very wide berth. On smaller-scale issues, however, Zoomers are less likely to work for companies that have infamously been dishonest. False advertisement is enough to make you viral for all the wrong reasons and put all the Zoomers off working for you at the same time.
Where once companies were looking for our CVs, we are now looking for the company’s CV too. For example, there’s a certain coffee shop chain that I will not name that I would never take a job in because I know their history with some dodgy financials. That is, as a Zoomer, a genuine opinion of mine that I had before doing a single word of research for this article.
5. A Demand for Flexibility
We also don’t want to be constantly working or not working at all, balance is key and, therefore, flexibility is key too.
There is a serious demand from this generation for more flexible working hours. Some companies around the world have had success with four-day working weeks. Some have given workers the opportunity to blend office work and homework as they please, or at least on a loosely scheduled basis. This stuff is invaluable to this generation of people looking to not be bull-whipped into glueing themselves to an office chair for eight hours a day, five days a week. Bull-whipped and glued is a touch dramatic, I’ll grant you, but this is how it feels for these teenagers and young adults in two thousand and twenty-two.
Why would I want to be… forced… into working an office job nine to five-week in, week out when there are quite literally thirteen-year-old kids making millions on social media posting cat videos…
6. Give Us Something Interesting
There is a quote from the ever beloved American sit-com ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S’, my family reading this will not be surprised I’ve included this (big fan). This quote is from the ‘funny one’ of the group that inputs data for a living.
‘Alright kids, I’ve got to get off to work. If I don’t input those numbers… well, doesn’t make much of a difference!’.
In 1996, hilarious. Well, it’s hilarious in 2022 as well but that’s beside the point. In this generation, that quote might as well be the almighty wrath of the devil himself. Picturing myself able to say something like that about my work later in life actually, physically sickens me. Who on earth could ever be alright with the knowledge that they are not personally valued, that their work could be done, or not, and the impact would be minimal? I couldn’t do it. I’m a true Zoomer, in this sense. I want to do what I want to do, not what someone who gets paid a lot more than me tells me to do.
We are becoming aware of our individuality. We want work we value. Work we enjoy.
7. Appreciated and Opportunistic
If a workplace does not directly value me personally and the work that I do, I will not last very long at all in that workplace. The severity of how draining it is to feel underappreciated on a daily basis is borderline immeasurable. I worked a pot-washing job once, officially, I was a ‘KP’ or Kitchen Porter. The worst job I’ve ever had. My boss once said; ‘I know its quiet but I couldn’t really be arsed to do the washing up myself tonight, so I thought ‘sod it’ I’ll have a KP on tonight.’
I was the man’s puppet for when he simply ‘couldn’t be arsed’. That’s not valuing my work, or valuing me as a person. That’s ringing me ten minutes before you want me to start and telling me to come in quick because it’s really busy and then quite literally saying there’s no reason for me to be in. Do you know what I wanted him to feel about me?
‘Wow, it’ll be a busy one tonight. We’re going to need Jack in or we’re going to struggle. Let me ring and ask if he can make it in an hour early so his jobs, and ours, are a lot easier.’ Is that hard? Am I missing something? Are all pub chefs really just massive- OK, rant over. This is a genuine example, however. We want to feel valued and important, even when our jobs are bottom of the food chain.
The Ideal for Zoomers in the Workplace
So, what would life be like if all these boxes were ticked for us Zoomers? Well, a company would allow flexible working hours with plenty of opportunities for future growth. They’d train managers, manager’s managers and their managers much better in order to make everyone feel valued at work. They’d consider the mental wellbeing of all employees and offer support to combat this when negative.
These workplaces would stop discrimination in every instance and begin practising morally correct ethical operations. They’d reward success, actual success and measure this success in a way that values the impact of work, rather than just the length of time spent working. In short, they would care about themselves and they would care about their employees. Simples.
