Tag: gen z

Go Flux Yourself: Navigating the Future of Work (No. 9)


TL;DR: September’s Go Flux Yourself debates when to come clean about the Tooth Fairy’s existence, considers the beauty of magic, developing a sense of wonder, how to excel at human-centred innovation, and provides lessons from the inventor of the carpet sweeper …

Image created on Midjourney with the prompt “a magical tooth fairy with a mechanised carpet sweeper looking happy in the style of a cubist Picasso painting”

The future

“So why not live with the magic? Be a kid again and believe in the fantastical. Life is more fun with a little smoke and mirrors.”

I love this time of year, as the completed page of September – the last month of summer indulgence – is turned to reveal October, the beginning of the golden quarter and the cosiness of autumn. 

As I tap these words, I spy, on the other side of the window, shrivelled yellow and brown leaves creating a patchwork carpet on the garden floor, having twisted and tumbled from their trees. Yet those trees remain well covered in greenery, for now. 

The changing of the seasons reminds us of the natural process of renewal. But, as always, autumn and soon winter will provide darkness in a particularly gloomy, and unpredictable world. And yet, these dark months are punctuated by magical, soothing, and memorable events. 

As the dad of two children who still – just about, in the case of my 10-year-old boy (more below) – believe in Father Christmas, I adore reliving the wonder of the festive season, which begins for me on Halloween. For parents, while no doubt a considerable effort is needed to make this period magical, it is rewarding and life-affirming. Soon, that innocence will be lost. 

Being in my early 40s, I’ve had over half of the 4,000 weeks we live on average, points out journalist and author Oliver Burkeman. The second half of my life will be hugely different from the first, on a macro and micro level.

For various reasons, I’ve recently been thinking about my remaining 1,800-ish weeks – if lucky. And whenever I consider what I would like to fill them with, it filters down to spending time with my nearest and dearest, cliched and twee as that might be. 

Maybe it’s a sign of my stage in life, but a large part of this desire is to protect my kids. Stand back, and the post-pandemic world is pretty mad right now.

As wars rage in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, global warming is increasing, loneliness is also on the rise, every country in the world has lower fertility rates than in 1950, NASA is building the world’s first telescope designed for planetary defence, journalists have turned to artificial intelligence-created newsreaders in Venezuela to avoid arrest, AI girlfriends are being preferred over real thing in their hundreds of millions, and technology has reached a point where everything should be questioned, not just the news. And who can predict what will happen if Donald Trump regains access to the Oval Office in the next couple of months?

How does a parent prepare a child for survival in a post-truth world? What are we doing to the minds of little people by confecting the winter months, in particular, with beautiful lies to generate artificial happiness? One could argue that their joy when meeting Father Christmas and receiving festive gifts is a cruel construct that, once revealed as such, will lead to deep mistrust.

I began this month’s newsletter with a quotation from Irish-based author, L.H. Cosway’s Six of Hearts, a story about a world-renowned illusionist (according to its description – I’ve not read the book). I was drawn to it as Freddie, who hit double figures in age earlier in September, lost a tooth the other day. Thankfully, I had to dash out to play football on the evening he asked my wife: “Does the Tooth Fairy really exist? I mean, is she genuinely real?”

Having been instructed, later that evening, to switch a quid for the tooth under Freddie’s pillow, it’s logical to assume that my wife didn’t reveal the truth. I can understand why. First the Tooth Fairy, then … then EVERYTHING! But when is the right moment to admit the game is up?

Can we handle the truth even as adults? I read with interest this morning that Melvin Vopson, an associate professor of physics at the University of Portsmouth, has proved our entire universe may be an advanced computer simulation—much like The Matrix. Yes, he has a book to sell on this subject, but he told MailOnline: “The Bible itself tells us that we are in a simulation, and it also tells us who is doing it. It is done by an AI.”

After screaming “BS”, the natural human reaction is: “Well, what’s the point, then?” Cue a sad emoji. We’re all big kids at heart.

On the subject of magic, Arthur C. Clarke, famously wrote: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Even if AI isn’t capable – yet – of creating the universe, it’s undoubtedly becoming impressive and, moreover, indiscernible from reality. 

Not everyone is finding AI magical in a work setting, though. Research from Upwork, published in July, highlights the “AI expectation gap“, with 96% of C-suite leaders admitting they expect the use of AI tools to increase their company’s overall productivity levels. However, 77% of employees say these tools have actually decreased their productivity and added to their workload.

A friend messaged me the other day to let me know he had managed 110 days of sobriety but that he felt he needed to drink at a gig because he was struggling with his feelings and wanted to release some pressure. The exchange soon revealed that he had been jobless for almost a year, and a beloved grandmother had died days before the gig. 

He wrote that he was “feeling anxiety and just a sense of doom about everything around modern life. I’m worried about the future of society and for our kids. There is so much hate around and the want for AI to replace us. If I, as someone with 20 years of experience, struggle to get a job, what will it be like for future generations?”

How do you answer that? With too much time to ponder, my friend fears the worst at the moment – for him, but mostly for his children. I get that.

I’ve attended many events in the last month, and I’ve taken to asking interviewees how I should prepare my kids for the future. At Gartner Reimagine HR, Paul Rubenstein, Chief Customer Officer at Visier, a company that provides AI-powered people analytics, told me that today’s youngsters must be “agile, smart, and fearless”. Great answer.

Perhaps, then, the greatest gift we can give our children isn’t shielding them from reality but nurturing their sense of wonder. In a world of AI and uncertainty, their ability to see magic in the every day might be the superpower they need to thrive.

The present

It’s conference season, and later this week, I’ll be on stage twice at DTX (the Digital Transformation Expo) at London ExCel. I’m looking forward to moderating a panel on the main stage alongside BT, techUK, and booking.com panellists to examine why human-centred tech design and delivery have never been so critical.

Regarding technology’s stickiness, Dr Nicola Millard, Principal Innovation Partner at BT Business (who wrote her PhD thesis on this subject), talks about the three Us: useful, useable, and used. The last of these revolves around peer pressure, essentially. Her octogenarian mother requested an iPad only because her friend had one. Meanwhile, Nicola is a “shadow customer” engaging with companies digitally on behalf of her mother, who finds it too overwhelming.

I touched on this subject in a keynote speech on human-work evolution at the Institute for Engineering and Technology for Accurate Background earlier in September. I urged the audience to be “kind explorers” to navigate the digital world – and careful not to leave people behind. 

I referenced Terry, my late, jazz-loving nonagenarian friend I’ve written about before in this newsletter. I recall his deep frustration at trying to speak to a human at his bank for a minor query and spending hours – no exaggeration – going around in circles, via automated assistants. Unable to walk, he resorted to using his trusty fountain pen to write a letter to his local branch. No return letter or call arrived, tragically. It was far from a magic experience, and the tech dumbfounded Terry, who would have reached triple figures next month.

We can use the CHUI values framework to help improve human-centric design. I wrote about this last month, but as a reminder, here are the main elements.

Community: Emphasises the importance of fostering a sense of belonging in both physical and virtual spaces. It’s about creating inclusive environments and valuing diverse perspectives.

Health: Goes beyond just physical wellbeing to include mental and emotional health. It stresses the need for work-life balance and overall wellness, especially in remote or hybrid work settings.

Understanding: Highlights the need for continuous learning and viewing issues from multiple angles. It’s about developing deep knowledge rather than just surface-level information.

Interconnectedness: Recognises that in our global, digital world, everything is linked. It involves understanding how different roles connect and the broader impact of our actions.

In this instance, below is how one might use CHUI.

Community:

  • Co-design with diverse user groups. This ensures that designs are inclusive and meet the needs of various communities.
  • Foster inclusive design practices. By considering different cultural, social, and economic backgrounds, designs become more universally accessible.
  • Create solutions that strengthen social connections. This aligns with the community aspect of CHUI, designing products or services that bring people together.

Health:

  • Prioritise mental and physical wellbeing in design. This could involve creating ergonomic products or digital interfaces that reduce eye strain and promote good posture.
  • Design for accessibility and reduced stress. Ensuring that designs are usable by people with different abilities and don’t create unnecessary stress or frustration.
  • Incorporate biophilic design principles. This involves bringing elements of nature into the design, which has been shown to improve wellbeing and reduce stress.

Understanding:

  • Deep user research and empathy mapping. This helps designers truly understand user needs, motivations, and pain points, leading to more effective solutions.
  • Iterative design with continuous user feedback. This ensures that designs evolve based on real user experiences and needs.
  • Design for intuitive learning and skill development: Creating interfaces or products that are easy to understand and help users develop new skills over time.

Interconnectedness:

  • Design for interoperability and ecosystem thinking. Considering how a design fits into the larger ecosystem of products or services that a user interacts with.
  • Consider broader societal and environmental impacts. This involves thinking about the ripple effects of a design on society and the environment.
  • Create solutions that enhance human-to-human connections. Designing with the goal of facilitating meaningful interactions between people.

Human-centred design should extend to the workplace – whether in the office or a remote setting. The temperature of the already hot topic of where people work was dialled up a fortnight ago, when Amazon decreed a five-day back-to-the-office mandate. 

LinkedIn shared timely data highlighting how companies are hiring now. Interestingly, the professional social media platform’s Economic Graph showed that hiring for fully remote roles is generally declining, with a 6.2% decrease year-on-year at large companies. Meanwhile, small companies are reversing the trend with a year-on-year 2.3% rise in remote hires. By contrast, larger companies are seeing significant growth in hybrid work models. Which organisation can say it has perfected the magic formula?

The past

The date of the aforementioned Accurate talk, to mostly HR professionals, was delivered on September 19 – the same day American entrepreneur Melville Bissell patented the carpet sweeper back in 1876. I know what you’re thinking – what does a mechanised carpet sweeper have to do with human-work evolution in the digital age?

Melville and his wife Anna Bissell owned a crockery shop in Michigan, where dust and breakages were daily occurrences. So Melville developed a carpet sweeping machine to keep the family store always tidy. It was so effective that word spread, demand rose, and soon, the Bissells were selling far more carpet sweepers than cups and saucers.

Today, five generations later, the family-run Bissell Inc. is one of the leading manufacturers of floor care products in North America in terms of sales, with a vast market share.

When Melville invented his device, he didn’t know he was starting a revolution in home cleaning. He was trying to solve a problem, to make life a bit easier and better.

Similarly, we are still determining precisely where our explorations in the digital age will lead us. 

But if we approach them with curiosity, with kindness, and with a commitment to our shared humanity, I believe we can evolve human work so that’s not just more efficient, but more fulfilling. Not just more profitable, but more purposeful.

I urge you to go forth and explore, be curious, be kind, and be human. That’s where the real magic can be found.

Statistics of the month

  • According to HiBob research, almost a quarter (24%) of Brits would replace all younger generation workers if they could. Further, 70% of companies struggle to manage younger-generation employees.
  • The above study found that Gen Zers are causing managers headaches around issues with attitudes towards authority (41%), emotional intelligence (38%) and levels of professionalism (34%). 

Stay fluxed – and get in touch! Let’s get fluxed together …

Thank you for reading Go Flux Yourself. Subscribe for free to receive this monthly newsletter straight to your inbox.

All feedback is welcome, via oliver@pickup.media. If you enjoyed reading, please consider sharing it via social media or email. Thank you.

And if you are interested in my writing, speaking and strategising services, you can find me on LinkedIn or email me using oliver@pickup.media. 

‘Anti-meaningless work’: How Gen Zers are redefining traditional career paths

Gen Zers are forcing employers to evolve their ways of working. And rather than lamenting today’s youth, older business leaders would be wise to accommodate the workforce’s youngest generation better. 

Moving away from traditional career paths to encourage non-linear development makes sense for all parties in 2023. A new approach and fresh thinking are critical. “Logic will get you from A to B,” said Albert Einstein. “Imagination will take you everywhere.”

Events spurred by the coronavirus crisis have upended many norms. Still, it is arguably the Gen Z cohort that has suffered the most through disjointed education, severely limited early-career opportunities, and a lack of in-person work and play experiences, in addition to the psychological impact of Covid-19. Now, Gen Z is in the driving seat to propel meaningful change and usher in a new work paradigm.

“The last three years have enabled Gen Zers to reap the flexibility benefits of remote working with many more deciding to optimize for a lifestyle as a digital nomad,” said Charlie Rogers, a London-based executive team coordinator at The Portfolio Collective (a global community of more than 8,000 portfolio professionals) and founder of Mastery in Your 20s, a community platform to equip people in their third decade with the skills to take “their own pathless path.”

The full version of this article was first published on Digiday’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in June 2023 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.

Thanks to Gen Zers, post-pandemic bullying call outs have skyrocketed

If the coronavirus crisis was the darkest of clouds, the silver lining was that the fallout accelerated countless technologies, spurred working trends, and shifted societal norms. And now there is further cause for celebration: A new study has found the last three years were increasingly tough on alleged workplace bullies.

Ethisphere’s 2023 Ethical Insights Report, published in January and based on the responses of 2 million employees globally, suggested bullying was being called out at an unprecedented rate. Before the pandemic, 20% of respondents stated they had observed bullying at work, while 33% of respondents did after Covid-19 arrived, according to the study.

Moreover, the research indicated Gen Zers’ lower tolerance for bullying – compared to other generations – was making a massive difference.

Of the 26 other types of misconduct tracked by Ethisphere – a firm that defines and measures corporate ethical standards – only five increased in the same period. But, aside from bullying, none more than 1.1% (insider trading, and violation of health-and-safety policies). 

Could it be people are more sensitive to bullying in the wake of the MeToo and Black Lives Matters movements and, therefore, more willing to stand up for themselves and others?

The full version of this article was first published on Digiday’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in February 2023 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.

What do Gen Z-led sober curiosity and the ‘damp’ lifestyle movement mean for work socials?

After an indulgent festive season, some people who opted for a detoxifying Dry January will have counted the weeks, days, hours and possibly minutes until Feb. 1 and its promise of uncorking some wine or sipping a frothy ale again.

Yes, after 31 sober days — and nights — their skin is smoother, their eyes are more sparkly and their bank accounts also look healthier. But the promise of a pint, a goblet of red or another favored tipple will likely be irresistible. Or will it?

Increasingly, people — especially Gen Zers — are looking at giving up booze entirely with a glass-half-full attitude. A decade on from when the first official Dry January was observed as an Alcohol Change UK campaign, today’s “damp” lifestyle movement and “sober curiosity” are reshaping societal norms.

Social media platforms, especially TikTok, have had a hand in driving the popularity of these trends. Indeed, the #Sobertok hashtag — where sober TikTokers share their stories and experiences — has over 1 billion views.

What, though, does this mean for work socials and client meetings, where, traditionally, booze has been a social lubricant? 

The full version of this article was first published on Digiday’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in February 2023 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.

Gen Zers are fueling ‘gap career’ trend — but how will that affect career development?

Most people have heard of, if not taken, a “gap year” — a term that typically refers to 12 months between high school and higher education when textbooks are swapped for low-paid jobs to fund exciting and life-enhancing adventures in distant destinations. But now there is a new twist: “Gap careers” are on the rise, especially for Gen Zers, a new study suggests.

Like gap years, gap careers tend to feature extended travel experiences in far-flung places. They also involve learning things that enrich people’s careers and can mean, for some, starting a business. The main difference between the two is timing: Gap years are taken before the first meaningful step on a career path, while gap careers happen — as one might guess — between jobs. So will a career break for sun, snow, sand, sea and skills put someone at a disadvantage when they want to return to work?

Almost half (47%) of U.K. Gen Zers have taken a career gap of six months or more, according to research commissioned by ethical hiring organization Applied and social enterprise Women Returners.

The research, undertaken as part of a campaign aiming to end the stigma surrounding career breaks, indicated that young people no longer view personal development as limited to traditional gap years. Instead, many are seeking to thread new opportunities into their working lives. However, given that resume holes are still considered suspicious by many prospective employers, is a gap career a good idea?

The full version of this article was first published on Digiday’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in February 2023 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.

Lack of in-office experience shows many Gen Zers don’t know how to behave at work

London-based banking consultant Amy – an alias to which WorkLife agreed to protect her identity in the highly regulated financial services industry – has managed dozens of Gen Zers in the last couple of years. She has often been frustrated – and at times flabbergasted – by their attitude towards traditional workplace norms. She offered plenty of examples, but overall it’s the sense of entitlement despite a lack of experience that most sticks in the craw. 

“Many started their careers in lockdown, but they are super-ambitious and expect to be calling the shots. Yet when restrictions lifted, it became clear that they were unsure of the right workplace etiquette,” said Amy, who has worked for numerous banks in a 20-year career.

She explained how there was an agreed expectation for everyone to return to the office for one specific day a week to improve face-to-face connection and collaboration. However, Gen Zers would frequently not show up for the brainstorming sessions. “I’d have to call them to see if they were coming in, and they’d say: ‘No, I’m working from home.’”

Amy’s insights tally with recent Gartner data that suggests the rise in remote and hybrid working has meant that many career starters have committed faux pas due to having few in-person experiences. Expressly, this lack of face-to-face time in the office has limited the chances to observe workplace norms or determine what is appropriate and effective within their organizations. 

The full version of this article was first published on DigiDay’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in January 2023 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.

How Gen Z is driving the sustainable commuting movement

Has your commuting method – if you still go into the office – evolved since the pandemic?

As society lurched from the coronavirus crisis to the climate emergency, the heat was turned up on employers and employees to be more eco-conscious. And new research suggests that the youngest generation in the global workforce, Gen Z, is doing the most to lead a sustainable commuting movement. 

The study, unveiled in late November by e-bike engineers Swytch Technology, found that 37% of Gen Zers in the U.K. now walk or cycle to work. Further, 43% of the same cohort said they would change to an electric-powered mode of transport in the next few years because fossil fuels damage the environment. 

Admittedly, the organization behind the study had an obvious agenda – and it is worth noting that the sample size was 2,003, of which only 210 were Gen Zers – but sustainable commuting does appear to have gathered momentum recently. 

There is an opportunity for employers to develop their green credentials and attract and retain Gen Z talent by subsidizing sustainable commuting. Consider that a BUPA study from late 2021 found that 64% of 18 to 22 years olds in the U.K. thought it was important for their employers to act sustainably. And more than half said they would resign if they did not do so. 

The full version of this article was first published on DigiDay’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in December 2022 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.

Gen Z workers are not tech-savvy in the workplace – and it’s a growing problem

It turns out Gen Zers have a common secret. They’re not as comfortable with new technology as older generations would typically presume.

Sure, they may have grown up with instant access to information and an affinity for digital devices that older generations had to learn. But that has led to a widespread presumption that Gen Zers are therefore innately good with tech. Now, new research is showing that may not be the case at all when it comes to workplace tech. In fact, this presumption from older generations is leading a larger number of young professionals to experience “tech shame,” according to HP’s “Hybrid Work: Are We There Yet?” report, published in late November.

One in 5 of the 18-to-29-year-olds polled in the report, which surveyed 10,000 office workers in 10 markets including the U.S. and U.K., said they felt judged when experiencing technical issues, compared to only one in 25 for those aged 40 years and over. Further, 25% of the former age group would actively avoid participating in a meeting if they thought their tech tools might cause disruption, whereas it was just 6% for the latter cohort.

The full version of this article was first published on DigiDay’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in December 2022 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.

Remote-working Gen Zers using would-be commutes to develop side hustles

For some remote workers, how they spend the time they would’ve been commuting has been critical. For Gen Z, specifically, it’s meant developing side hustles.

The most recent calculations show the average one-way trip to the office is 27 minutes and 36 seconds for U.S. workers. In the U.K., it’s almost the same: 28 minutes. Remote workers effectively then gain an hour daily. 

In the U.S. alone, workers now spend 60 million fewer hours traveling to work daily, compared to before the pandemic, according to the New York Federal Reserve’s Liberty Street Economics blog. Its findings show that, depending on age, people do different things with that time.

Older cohorts tend to devote more time to childcare, DIY, and cooking. But younger workers, while reallocating commuting time to social events, exercise, and eating out, are also making use of the extra minutes to develop side hustles and learn new skills.

The full version of this article was first published on DigiDay’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in November 2022 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.

In-office or remote work: which do Gen Zers really prefer for career progression?

The hybrid working headache is not shifting but intensifying. It is a straightforward calculation to work out that by the end of the decade, members of Generation Z — born between 1997 and 2012 — will make up around 30% of the workforce. Yet where they want to work, and thrive, is much harder to determine right now. 

A flurry of recent reports analyzing whether Gen Zers would prefer to be in the office or work remotely are wildly contradictory. For instance, a global report published in mid-October by workforce solutions company Aquent found that 77% of 18- to 24-year-olds are worried that remote work restricts their career progression. 

However, another report published in November by the Policy Institute at King’s College London and King’s Business School found that Gen Zers in London believed remote working had benefits that could help their career progression. Additionally, many people in this generation have just entered the workforce and have never worked in an office.

Considering the mixed picture, what could — and should — employers be doing today to better prepare for tomorrow, when this cohort will lead?

The full version of this article was first published on DigiDay’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in November 2022 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.

Time to break the stereotypes about Gen Z attitudes to work

Organizations are over-relying on stereotypes to try and understand what makes them tick in the scramble to attract and retain the best young talent.

Sure, Generation Zers have unique perspectives on careers and how to succeed in the workforce that differs from previous generations, but in the race to better understand an entire generation, important details are falling through the cracks.

For instance, Gen Z bore the brunt of the criticism for harboring so-called lazy work ethics like “quiet quitting.” But that falls short of the full truth, talent execs have asserted.

Meanwhile, new research has emerged that disproves another myth: that Gen Zers don’t want to work in an office, ever. It turns out a large proportion does want to experience in-person workplace environments. Indeed, 72% of 4,000 U.K. Gen Zers said they want to be in the office between three and five days a week, according to research published in September by Bright Network, a graduate careers and employment firm.

The full version of this article was first published on DigiDay’s future-of-work platform, WorkLife, in October 2022 – to read the complete piece, please click HERE.