Gen Z at Work, Banking Hours and Energy Management: What I’m Reading This Week

This morning, I saw my neighbor’s senior dog going for a walk. I told my parents it’s always a good day when I see the 5-pound dog ambling along. Not to be morbid, but I know he’s not going to be around forever, so I have decided to stop and appreciate those times I do see him.

Once I realized why seeing Toby always puts a smile on my face, I’ve started to reexamine other aspects of my life. How can I be kinder to those I love? How can I be more present with them? How can I show up for them? How can I show up for myself.

Recently, my partner convinced me to start doing the stair master, one of my least favorite exercises, at the gym. Once he tied it to my VO2 max, or my oxygen uptake, it was impossible for me to argue.

Perhaps there are things you don’t want to do, either at home or at work. Even so, maybe if you can find a way to reframe them to see the benefits, they’ll be a little more bearable. I still watch the seconds until I’m done on the stair master, but at least I know I’m doing something good for myself…especially if I can reward myself with a little treat afterwards.

Until next time, stay safe and be well!

Gen Z at Work

There’s a tidal wave headed toward the workplace this year: For the first time, there will be more Gen Z workers than baby boomers.

Companies are concerned, because surveys say that Gen Z is the most difficult generation to work with. I remember when my generation was disparaged and blamed for all sorts of things; it seems like each generation has a similar initiation into the workforce, unfortunately.

The Wall Street Journal reported on a gathering of board members from public companies this summer to discuss Gen Z workers.

Some attendees didn’t understand why Gen Z wanted meaning, mentorship or purpose at work, or why a company had to provide them. I fundamentally don’t understand how those are qualities of interest exclusively to those in their 20s and younger.

To that point, the Journal cited three examples of workplace accommodations designed for younger workers: free, on-site therapy; being paid after each hourly shift; and managers meeting with their employees individually to check in, give feedback and discuss long-term goals four to eight times per year. But, as it turned out, employees from all generations are taking advantage of, and benefitting, from these offerings.

Banking Hours

I’ve seen two appalling stories recently about bank employees who have died on the job.

In May, an investment banker associate at Bank of America died of a coronary artery thrombus, or a blood clot in his heart. Leo Lukenas III was 35 years old. The father of two joined BoA in 2023 after a decade in Army Special Operations, where he served as a member of the U.S. Green Beret special forces.

According to exclusive reporting from Reuters, Lukenas had been speaking with an executive recruiter about finding a new job. He said he wanted to leave the company because he was working more than 100 hours a week. There is no evidence that the excessive work lead to Lukenas’ death, but following the news of his death many current and former financial employees shared that working such long hours was common.

At the end of August, a Wells Fargo employee was found dead in her cubicle four days after clocking in to her office in Arizona. The local police department said there were no preliminary signs of foul play. The woman, Denise Prudhomme, 60 had clocked into work on Friday, August 16, but had not scanned out or into her office since then. She was pronounced dead at the COB on Tuesday, August 20.

When asked how the employee went unnoticed for so long, a company spokesperson told The Washington Post that Prudhomme sat in an underpopulated area of the building.

Some potentially good news is that JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America have announced new restrictions designed to curb employees workloads. Only time will tell if these reporting measures and attempt to change corporate culture will be effective.

Read more about these new restrictions here.

Energy Management

It’s easy to feel constrained by time. After all, there are only so many hours in a day. What if, instead, we thought in terms of energy?

Tony Schwartz, founder of the Energy Project, describes how to establish rituals that will build energy to power your day—and transform your life in this article from Harvard Business Review. The article is from a few years ago, but the advice is as timely as ever.

I went on vacation last month, and I planned to shake up my routine when I returned home. It’s been oddly freeing, not so much in time but in energy. It’s one of situations where change begets change, and energy begets energy.

"Defined in physics as the capacity to work, energy comes from four main wellsprings in human beings: the body, emotions, mind, and spirit," the authors write. "In each, energy can be systematically expanded and regularly renewed by establishing specific rituals—behaviors that are intentionally practiced and precisely scheduled, with the goal of making them unconscious and automatic as quickly as possible."

Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy’s detail their consulting work with some large employers and the impressive results they've found. But even if you're looking to embark on a solo journey of getting unstuck, I highly recommend reading their article here.