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Down on Millennials? Just Wait Until You Start Dealing With Gen Z
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Is Generation Z (those born between the years 1995 – 2009, of which I own three) going to be worse than the Millennials?
I guess to answer that question you first have to put this into some perspective.
First, you would have to think of the Millennial as a wasted, or under performing, generation. Then, you would have to believe that Gen Z will probably follow them down a similar path.
Short answer? Yes.
Gen Z will be worse than the Millennials, just as the Millennials were worse than Gen X, and Gen X worse than the Baby Boomers. That’s how this goes. The youngest generation is always the worst!
By generation, you get better with age, or at least your view on generations gets better. It’s a simple concept.
When a generation is nothing more than whiny, snot-nosed, rude kids, they’re all a train wreck. Then they get older, more mature, actually do something with their lives, and amazingly, become a generation of substance.
So yes, Gen Z will be worse, as will Gen Alpha, which comes after Gen Z and those kids are 3 and 4 years old and already a waste of space on this planet!
Does that make you feel better Millennials? You’re no longer the worse generation to grace Earth. Now, it’s Gen Z.
Congratulations, you can now start writing blog posts and books about how to communicate with these crazy Gen Z kids. No one understands them; it’s too crazy. With all their selfies and their hash-taggy things, they are going to be way worse than those trophy sucker Millennials!
I’ve decided that for the 2015 SHRM National Conference in Las Vegas, I’m going to submit a presentation on how to speak Gen Z. HR Pros need this valuable information!
I need to come up with a title that completely says Gen Z, but is also very vanilla and safe so it won’t scare off the HR ladies in Gen X and beyond. I think I might go with “#GenZProbs(>_<)” — what do you think?
No, that will never fly with the SHRM Gestapo. It has to say boring, yet strategic. Safe, yet cutesy.
I don’t know. My brain doesn’t really work in those contexts!
Let’s crowd source this. Give me your best Gen Z title for my 2015 SHRM National presentation (send it to me here, or leave it in the comments below). I’ll reward the winner, which will include an inappropriate hug.
This was originally published on Tim Sackett’s blog, The Tim Sackett Project.