Gen Z and millennial productivity is being crushed by bosses who don’t understand them, top university research says ( fortune.com )

Starting a career has increasingly felt like a right of passage for Gen Z and Millennial workers struggling to adapt to the working week and stand out to their new bosses.

But it looks like those bosses aren’t doing much in return to help their young staffers adjust to corporate life, and it could be having major effects on their company’s output.

Research by the London School of Economics and Protiviti found that friction in the workplace was causing a worrying productivity chasm between bosses and their employees, and it was by far the worst for Gen Z and Millennial workers.

The survey of nearly 1,500 U.K. and U.S. office workers found that a quarter of employees self-reported low productivity in the workplace. More than a third of Gen Z employees reported low productivity, while 30% of Millennials described themselves as unproductive.

mozz Admin ,
mozz avatar

right of passage

...

“They’re like, ‘Nah, I’m not feeling it today, I’m gonna come in at 10:30 a.m,’” Foster said of her younger colleagues in an interview with The Guardian.

Every single generation has thought this about the younger generation. Every single one.

In this case, I think the whole issue is exacerbated by the fact that giving sincere effort at work is so clearly a mug's game. It used to be that being disciplined about showing up and doing your job was difficult, but at least there was a reason to do it and develop the skill over time. Now? Unless you have some sort of unusual job where the management gives a shit about you, why would you?

BolexForSoup ,
@BolexForSoup@kbin.social avatar

They simply don’t remember how much time they spent screwing around at their desk, chatting with colleagues, taking long lunches, etc. Obviously, I’m speaking mostly about corporate/Office jobs. More physical/shift work is a bit of a different beast.

Nobody at an office desk works 8hrs consistently. Hell they don’t most days. That has always been the case.

Sabata11792 ,
@Sabata11792@kbin.social avatar

Hard work gets rewarded with addition work. Im half assing for my own sanity. If I was paid enough to be comfortable things could be different.

metaStatic ,

I'm in the highest paying workplace for my field in the country and it's still not worth putting in any extra effort.

Capital just fundamentally doesn't understand that monetary incentive has an inverse relationship with performance and that you can't hire 9 Women to have a baby in 1 month.

magnetosphere ,
@magnetosphere@kbin.social avatar

Every single generation has thought this about the younger generation. Every single one.

I think you’re right. My guess is that as companies get greedier and work offers fewer and fewer benefits, people are less and less willing to work as hard as their parents did. Employers that don’t understand this are either genuinely ignorant or just pretending to be ignorant.

mozz Admin ,
mozz avatar

Strategic ignorance. You can exert more pressure on someone if you genuinely believe the crazy self-serving things you're telling them with a straight face.

halykthered ,
@halykthered@lemmy.ml avatar

I was late to work last Friday, intentionally, because my cat fell asleep in my lap while I was eating breakfast. That moment meant more to me than making sure I was there in time, no matter what it may have impacted. Working to live, not living to work, is the rallying cry upper management needs to come to terms with.

EmergMemeHologram , (edited )

I spent a over a year trying to get a promotion while an ex boss who's team I left was secretly sandbagging me.

I got an offer elsewhere and suddenly leadership asked "what number would keep you". That was exciting until they followed up that raises and promos were frozen so I'd have to wait indefinitely.

I left.

mozz Admin ,
mozz avatar

I did exactly the same thing early in my career.

  • Yo I'm underpaid, can I have more money?
  • No
  • Yo I found another job, I'm leaving, here's my notice
  • Oh shit, what if we gave you more money?
  • Definitely not, good luck tho
hydrospanner ,

That happened to me many moons ago.

"Hey so I've been here a few years and I've learned a lot more and I'm much more productive in my role. I've also learned the business enough that I've applied the skills I brought with me to the point that that's now less than 10% of my workload, having become so efficient with it that you haven't had to fill the other opening you had for my role because I'm handling it all. What do you think my prospects would be for a raise or promotion?"

"Sorry, no budget for a raise this year beyond your 1.3% annual raise (in a year with 4% inflation). And sorry but we can't promote you either. You don't have the skills for the position above yours, and besides, if we promote you out of your role we'll be too under staffed in it."

"So hire someone, let me train them for my role while you train me for the role I could promote to?"

"Nah that's too expensive and we wouldn't likely get the performance from them that we get out of you. Great job by the way. But no, no promotion, no raise."

"Do you think that might change next year? Or like...where do you see my role here in the future?"

"We're really happy with the roles you're in and feel you're well suited to it. And we feel that your pay is in line with the work you're doing, so just keep up the good work."

...so they basically told me that they'd keep overworking me and that I could expect to never get a significant raise or promotion ever again.

Two months later I got a job offer doing less work, work that was much more in line with my skills and preferred work...and a 38% raise. When I gave my notice, immediately they wanted to make a counter offer. I said I'd hear them out but based on our last conversation I doubted they were going to be willing to retain me...but sure I'll listen.

Their offer:

No raise.

I could work a shift of mandatory 9 hour days to make more money (OT was always unlimited and freely available so this was literally just taking away my choice to work OT and forcing me into it).

No promotion.

But they would also start training me to assist another guy in the office with his work. Basically I could work longer hours and have more responsibilities for the same pay.

...and they were surprised when I refused.

They even had the gall to tell me how they felt betrayed that I only gave them 2 weeks notice, rather than agreeing to stay on until they could find my replacement and I could train them. When I pointed out that they literally told me they weren't hiring my replacement as long as I stayed their only response was that they would have if they knew I was going to leave.

SuiXi3D ,
@SuiXi3D@kbin.social avatar

It's almost like nobody is able to give 100% at all times.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Millennials finally realized that working for soulless corporations is a necessary evil for many of them and shouldn't rule their lives. Then they passed that news on to Gen Z. The Boomers who thought they had to put their entire lives into working 40 hours a week for shit wages in order to increase shareholder profits don't get it, especially when they were able to do things like buy houses on their salaries.

philo ,
@philo@lemmy.zip avatar

It is often said that the younger generation of workers, namely Gen Z and Millennials, are not as productive as their predecessors. However, the blame for this is often misplaced. It is not the fault of technology or lack of motivation that is crushing the productivity of these workers. Instead, it is their sense of self-entitlement that is causing the problem.

The rise of the internet and social media has led to a culture of instant gratification, where everyone wants everything now. This mindset has spilled over into the workplace, where younger workers feel entitled to promotions and recognition without putting in the necessary effort. They expect to be rewarded simply for showing up, rather than for producing quality work.

This sense of entitlement is not limited to promotions and recognition but extends to the work itself. Younger workers often feel that they are entitled to interesting and meaningful work, without having to do the grunt work that is necessary to get there. They are not willing to put in the time and effort required to develop the skills and experience necessary to take on more challenging work.

Furthermore, this sense of entitlement often leads to a lack of accountability. Instead of taking responsibility for their mistakes or shortcomings, younger workers are quick to blame others or make excuses. They do not see the value in learning from their failures and instead expect to be coddled and protected from any negative consequences.

To address this issue, younger workers need to understand that success is not handed to them on a silver platter. They must be willing to put in the necessary effort and take responsibility for their own success. Employers can also play a role by setting clear expectations and holding younger workers accountable for their actions. By doing so, we can help the younger generation of workers become more productive and successful.

urist ,
@urist@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Wow, 5 paragraphs, with an introduction paragraph and a conclusion paragraph. Looks like something I’d write in high school, except for the topic.

Did you remember to take your blood pressure meds this morning? Cherish them, kids these days can’t afford healthcare, lmao.

withabeard ,

I'll bite ...

crushing the productivity of these workers

What "crushing" of productivity are you delusionally on about?

https://assets.weforum.org/editor/HFNnYrqruqvI_-Skg2C7ZYjdcXp-6EsuSBkSyHpSbm0.png
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/productivity-workforce-america-united-states-wages-stagnate/

I can find any number of sources showing that productivity has been on the rise for decades, and has continued to rise as Millenials and younger entered the job market. There is no "crushing the productivity".

The rise of the internet and social media has led to a culture of instant gratification ... This sense of entitlement

Millenials and younger have gone through their entire school life being told "you need to do well this year at school, to get into the top set next year, to get into a good university to get a good job". We/they have been told this by every generation above them, for their entire lives. The have followed this, listened to their elders, worked hard through school, sat meaningless exams, gotten good meaningless grades, they have gone to university. They have worked hard their entire lives ...

Just to be told, "culture of instant gratification" "you're entitled" "you've not done the grunt work". It's selfish of the previous generations to not recognise this.

Your entire comment rings as "needs evidence" to me. To the point I'm not sure if it's satire or not. You've failed to put in any grunt work, evidence anything or source it as anything more than conjecture.

They expect to be rewarded simply for showing up, rather than for producing quality work.

This is the opposite of how I see the world, as it stands. Look at the people calling for maintaining or increasing working hours. Look at the people calling to work in office. It's the previous generations expecting people to turn up, in office and sit there for hours so they can be paid. They are expecting people to be rewarded simply for showing up.

Look at the people calling for unlimited holiday and reduced workhours, where failure to deliver is a disciplinary issue. Look at the people calling to work from home, and have the quality of their work assessed, not their dress sense or punctuality. Look at the people driving quick delivery, rapid review and peer appraisal of work. These are the people who are focussed on delivering quality, and not getting paid simply for showing up.

philo ,
@philo@lemmy.zip avatar

Look at the article this thread is based on before making such a stupid remark.

JimboDHimbo ,

There's no way you're not trolling at this point.

MicroWave OP ,
@MicroWave@lemmy.world avatar

Looks like someone found ChatGPT to help them write this.

philo ,
@philo@lemmy.zip avatar

Nope, I actually dislike chatgpt. Used it a few times in my community about BKFC though but stopped because of it's hallucinations.

AnonTwo ,

should've just admitted to chatgpt. That paragraph makes you look old and disconnected. You made a lot of assumptions about people you don't know, and clearly don't know the current age you're in. It's not entitlement or some need for instant gratification. People are actually getting less than they got when you started working.

philo ,
@philo@lemmy.zip avatar

I'm not going to admit to something I didn't do. Are you nuts? Why should I??

AnonTwo ,

It would look less embarrassing if you didn't actually write it, that's how bad it is.

philo ,
@philo@lemmy.zip avatar

Go on, criticize the writing instead of the content. That shows intelligence.

AnonTwo ,

I mean, I already did. You just didn't respond, Mr. Intelligence.

norbert ,
@norbert@kbin.social avatar

It's overly wordy and bloviating to say little. Brevity and conciseness show intelligence. Typing paragraphs with absolutely no new ideas or analysis makes you look conceited and aloof.

It's pretty bad when you type an essay and it reads like AI wrote it.

nrezcm ,

Yeah it doesn't read at all like a normal interaction on here would. Checked their profile and sure enough half their posts are AI generated images. Trolls will troll.

philo ,
@philo@lemmy.zip avatar

Isn't it the employee's job to adapt and fit into the employer, not vice versa?

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

And if no employee is interested in adapting to that employer's conditions?

ElleChaise ,

Do you make barrels for a living? Do you forge iron with a big hammer? Do you rivet? I would wager not, and this is due to the people who employ people changing with a changing world. Add humans into the equation, and you can see how employers also need to assess that aspect of their operation; changing with the people who themselves change with the world around them.

philo ,
@philo@lemmy.zip avatar

Changing with the needs of industry is nothing like cowtowing to the needs of some employees that are free to go elsewhere if they prefer.

knatschus ,

And the good empoyees who make lots of profit will happilly choose a employer who caters to their needs.

Companies are competing. Workers just gain advatages if more and more are fed up with shit employers.

TheAlbatross ,

I'm easily fooled into productivity with a median wage that adjusts with inflation and quantified growth goals.

meyotch ,

What? Ridiculous. You want fair pay and non-arbitrary, non-shifting performance metrics? Cold day in h*ck when that happens!

andthenthreemore ,
@andthenthreemore@startrek.website avatar

Boomers would have expected their wages to go up above inflation. Not settle for keeping in line with it.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • random
  • news@lemmy.world
  • test
  • worldmews
  • mews
  • All magazines
    •