8 April 2019 | 2 min read
Dr Eliza Filby dismisses the idea that Generation Z – the youngest in today’s workforce – are the ‘snowflakes’ they are often cast as, “They’re savvy and entrepreneurial, they’ve had the world’s information and the world’s marketplace in their pocket since they were 13. They’re the awesome generation.”
Sitting down with Michael on Sunday’s Capital Conversation, the generational expert, author and academic shared her insight and opinion on what awaits businesses who are housing four generations in the workplace, “You can sometimes feel the tension resembling a bad Christmas dinner party, with ageism that goes both ways. If there is too much change in an organisation, you fail to bring the older employees along with you, and they consider the working environment completely beholden to millennials and Generation Z.”
She describes the rise of populism the “last stand” of the baby boomers, but takes an optimistic view of what it almost did for the UK. “We are the one country in the world that is trying to democratise populism. The [European Union] referendum was direct democracy – and representative democracy disagreed with it.”
She adds that Britain’s “rotten parliament” failed to capitalise on the opportunity, while criticising higher education policies that have left young people saddled with student debt.
If millennials and Gen Z are worried about their financial path, Eliza argues that for Gen Alpha – born after 2010 – their digital footprint is the biggest cause for concern: “The average 5-year-old in the UK has over 1500 images of themselves uploaded to the internet by their parents. Even their 12-week scan is shared! By the time they get to 19, their digital footprint will not only be huge but incredibly embarrassing.”
You can watch the full episode here.