The under 30s are struggling with everyday social interactions at work. Generation Z, the first ‘digital native’ generation, don’t like talking on the phone, working with people they don’t know, or having to make small talk. These were among the findings by researchers at Trinity College London who surveyed 1,500 16 to 29 year-olds about their experiences of work.
Other anxieties included having to present their work, being given criticism and ‘banter’. 72% said they had been the subject of “inappropriate comments or behaviour”. 59% said working with older colleagues could be difficult. Instead, the younger employees are keen to see more alternatives to working 9 to 5, and the introduction of “mental health days” as a standard offering.
Does it matter if the next generations of workers prefer to keep to themselves? New ways of working have taken over, and there’s the potential for more speed, more efficiency and flexibility from working via digital networks. But people’s relationships, the conversations they have, the sense of connection and belonging that’s created beyond the transactional processes of work, are an essential foundation to a successful organisation. The risks of misunderstandings, of de-motivation and dis-engagement, and of grievances and conflict in particular are hugely increased when there aren’t informal means of building and maintaining relationships.
In response to the Trinity research, HR commentators have stressed the importance of orientation and induction processes for new recruits (but surely that’s only the surface of things?); and more effort in schools and universities to prepare young people for work (again, a few sessions won’t transform habits, personalities or levels of confidence — and the survey also found that only 17% of Generation Z themselves felt they were “underprepared” for work, they can’t see there’s a problem).
The new generations of employees would prefer to work in a different way: as flexibly as possible, and with built-in release valves for stress. But can employers and HR afford to just accept those preferences? There has to be a balance between appreciating the needs of employees and the need to uphold some essential qualities for people to contribute to an organisation (and be employable): like resilience, communication skills, teamwork and commitment.
Work is always going to be challenging, involve testing social situations and interactions between different personalities, and so come with stress — and also needs to stay challenging in order to be rewarding and fulfilling. As GPs pointed out in a recent BBC survey that raised concerns about the over-reporting and ‘over-medicalising’ of everyday stresses, “life being stressful is not an illness”. GPs also said that the 19 to 34 year-old age group had been the age group most likely to be looking for a diagnosis and treatment to deal with ordinary kinds of setbacks.
Rather than being over-protective, HR can best help employees, new and old, by encouraging feelings of trust and psychological safety; allowing people to both be themselves and have the confidence to contribute fully to the life of a workplace.
HR can play a pro-active role by encouraging a virtuous circle of openness and trust through both processes and development of soft skills. That can include setting up and encouraging more use of 360 degree feedback; mediation at earlier stages of grievances, for minor clashes and misunderstandings; neutral assessment among teams (where each team member gets the chance to talk about their personal experiences in confidence, leading to a report from an independent expert on issues and solutions to move forwards); or a measure like using a Psychological Safety Index tool among teams and talking to individual staff about their particular situations or difficult conversations they have dealt with. So not side-stepping issues of a lack of confidence in dealing with situations, from day-to-day social engagement to difficult conversations, but addressing them in a constructive way.
That means recognising the ongoing importance of face-to-face conversations, of having good relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at work, of sharing a sense of belonging and purpose — and that particular kinds of social skills are needed at work. In this way employees can be supported in building up levels of ‘Conversational Integrity’ (CI), made up of five capacities: empathy, curiosity, self-awareness, reflective listening and situational awareness.
