Op-Ed: Gen Z, stress, and no solutions – A sold-out generation is in bad shape and it’s getting worse

Innovating at work. — Image by © Tim Sandle

Forget and ignore the economic stereotypes about all of the generations. Many Boomers are struggling, poor, and forced to work. The other generations are equally messy and insecure.

Gen Z is perhaps the first generation to be completely locked out of the middle class. Previous generations simply weren’t condemned by their demographic to insecurity and a dubious future. Society has sold them out.

The result is massive stress. The collateral damage extends to families, workplaces, and statistically significant broad-bandwidth mental health issues.

There are many obstacles. Like the utterly irrational fees for qualifications and the inexcusable levels of debt put on would-be graduates. Think about it – Why did all those perfectly manageable college fees suddenly become unmanageable? These generations are being shamelessly gouged with no comeback. It’s wiping out Gen Z.

Health is becoming a millstone around society, and Gen Z is getting a bad case of it. This is a very sick society to the point of obscenity. A society full of sick people defines a sick society, and the Gen Zers are right at the bottom of the heap, as usual. They don’t make enough money to cover much if anything.

Of course, the next social asteroid strike isn’t going to help. As AI repositions everything and everyone, job security, let alone even the theory of “career paths”, is up in the air, and likely to come crashing down.  

Then there’s the absurd  50-year mortgage idea. This is a disaster for Gen Z. Gen Z is likely to change jobs a lot. How do you get a mortgage with a resume that looks like a jigsaw puzzle?

The overall big picture for Gen Z is hideous. Stable employment, let alone incomes, is equally unlikely for Gen Z. 50 years means you’re effectively renting, with maybe some equity if you’re lucky.

It’s pretty obvious that not the slightest effort has gone into thinking about, much less fixing, any of these problems. Management seems incapable of understanding the stress. They complain long and loud about Gen Z as though they were living in some fairy tale.

It’s a staggering testimony to the sheer total incompetence and total social irresponsibility of so many societies, notably the US and UK, over the last few decades. All this political hysteria doesn’t seem to equate to any degree of proper social management or social cohesion.

Animals look after their kids and make sure they’re fed with some level of security. The average rat gets more care. A quick look at headlines about Gen Z in the US on any day says it all. These headlines are always the same.

There’s one particular headline I noticed that says far too much. It’s “US managers feel like ‘babysitters’ to Gen Z staff”. This sprightly commentary comes from a site called Human Resources Director. Nice of HR to condescend to cover it at all. Managers are “parenting” Gen Z, it says.

I notice that no Gen Zs were asked for input. Why not? There’s no balance in this one-sided narrative.

That’s a core problem. Gen Z isn’t getting a word in. Therefore, they’re not being listened to, either.

Why do you expect people, straight out of finally getting whatever qualifications they can afford, to turn into model workers? Are they supposed to understand office politics, the neuroses of middle management, and the shining generosity of the average workplace?

I’ve met a few Gen Zs who definitely have their heads working, and they’re extremely alert. This endless criticism, justified or not, which is also highly debatable, can’t help. A workplace yelling at them is unlikely to retain staff who are worrying about simply surviving for the next 40 years.

I’ve managed people that age. They’re not stupid or lazy. They want to succeed. They will try, unlike many of their older coworkers.  They’re super-sensitive to criticism, like most younger people are. Treating them like kids is more of an insult than a practical approach.

Stop whining about Gen Z and help them. Problems don’t solve themselves.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.