Gen Z Workers, Less is More, and Retail Work: What I’m Reading This Week

I’ve had a difficult time focusing the past few days. First, I was glued to the TV to watch the latest predictions about Hurricane Milton. Then, after seeing pictures of the destruction, I felt guilty going about my normal routine of filling up the tank, shopping at a mostly stocked grocery store and prepping my garden beds.

For so many millions of Americans, they won’t get go back to their normal routine for months—if ever again. I cannot fathom the emotions they are experiencing right now. I’m counting my blessings and looking for ways to help from afar. If anyone has any suggestions for ways to help, please drop them in the comments below.

Gen Z Workers

A recent survey does not paint Gen Z workers—or their managers—in a positive light.

The survey, from education and career advisory platform Intelligent, asked nearly 1,000 business leaders involved in hiring decisions in August 2024 to share attitudes toward hiring recent college grads.

I’m not going to mince words: The data is shocking. Let’s get into some of the high-level findings:

75% of companies report that some or all of the recent college graduates they hired this year were unsatisfactory.
60% of companies fired a recent college graduate they hired this year.
65% of hiring managers say that recent college graduates are entitled and 55% say they lack a work ethic.
21% of hiring managers report that recent grads often can’t manage the workload.
90% say recent grads should undergo etiquette training.
17% of hiring managers say they are hesitant to hire from this cohort again.
14% of hiring managers say they may refrain from hiring recent college graduates next year.

I don’t think it’s controversial to say that the workplace has undergone significant changes in the past six years, which is when the oldest Gen Z grads started entering the workforce. As a millennial, I remember having plenty of unflattering labels foist upon me; my favorite was being blamed for the demise of processed cheese (think: Kraft Singles and Velveeta).

In other words, it’s disheartening but not surprising, that the next generation of workers is facing such criticism from. That said, hiring managers, mentors and other, more experienced colleagues are in a position to acclimate (read: mold) Gen Z hires into their rising leaders of tomorrow.

“It can be easy for managers to buy into typical stereotypes of Gen Z and dismiss them entirely; however, companies have an equal responsibility to prepare recent graduates for their particular workplace and give them the best chance to succeed,” says Intelligent’s Chief Education and Career Development Advisor, Huy Nguyen. “By understanding the challenges of Gen Z workers, companies can take a more proactive approach by implementing formal employee onboarding programs that clearly outline company culture and expectations. Paring recent grads with mentors in the company can also pay huge dividends as that can provide Gen Z workers with the guidance, feedback, and support for them to succeed.”

It should be noted that this still reflects a minority of the population; only about 38% of Americans have a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau.

Read the full report here.

Less is More

Americans have a reputation for burning the candle at both ends, hustling and powering through. We often talk about the grind as the way to success, prestige and wealth. But that’s not the key to exceptional productivity.

Productivity expert Jessica Stillman writes for Inc. about late 20th century psychologist Robert Boice. Some of his research focused on professors and the “publish or perish” mindset surrounding tenure.

Stillman writes that “Boice was convinced this intense pressure to be productive was both inhumane and wrong-headed. His research showed he was right.”

As it turns out, the professors who produced the most and best work tended to limit themselves to writing for no more than three hours a day and always stopped at the end of their allocated time.

Shorter periods of deep focus seem to yield more productivity because we give our brains a chance to rest and relax. More importantly, we don’t equate our work to our worth or worthiness of love and respect.

“[A]s a human with a finite life span, you will never manage to do everything you want to do,” Stillman writes. “Endlessly struggling in pursuit of something you will never attain just makes you stressed and unhappy. That’s lousy for productivity and creativity.”

While Boice’s research was focused on professors and an academic setting, it’s quite easy to see how adopting similar practices and boundaries can transfer to your daily practice. Funnily enough, I decided to relax on the couch instead of pushing myself to do more work last night. Now I am ready and rearing to tackle my biggest challenges—and I’ve only had one cup of coffee; usually I need three (or two if from Starbucks) to feel this alert.

Retail Work

Home Depot will require corporate employees to work one eight-hour shift at a store every quarter.

“We need to stay connected to the core of our business, so we can truly understand the challenges and opportunities our store associates face every day,” Chief Executive Officer Ted Decker wrote in a memo reviewed by Bloomberg News.

A company spokesperson clarified that asking staff to spend time in stores is a longstanding practice, but this latest announcement makes that mandatory, starting in Q4 2024.

The Home Depot has faced some challenges after pandemic highs, a result of more people staying at home, a lack of affordable housing inventory and soaring prices of raw materials, among other causes.

While Bloomberg News that the policy is unusual, it’s not unheard of for corporate staff to lend a hand. Back in 2021, fast food chain Raising Cane’s asked corporate employees to work as fry cooks and cashiers at its restaurants.