Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,
I pray this missive finds you well. It is overcast and threatening to rain in my part of the world, and all of my big plans for one last weekend of serious yard work are swirling around the drain. And I don’t mind in the least.
It’s time for your performance review. Do you need a hug?
Any time a columnist mentions members of a particular demographic group, said columnist runs the risk of offending all of its members. For example, if one remarks about the leftover hippies of the ’60s, one needs to make sure that the readers know that one is not talking about all Boomers, just the ones who have not accepted that Jerry Garcia is dead.
For the record, I am a Gen Xer, and we really don’t care what anyone says about us, so by all means, go to town. With that in mind, I am fully aware that not everyone in Gen Z is a hot mess, so if a member of Gen Z reads this and is offended, relax, no one is talking about you. That said, enough of your cohorts seem to be struggling with Adulthood 101, at least in the workplace.
Back when I had a cube job, our team would be rewarded for meeting the monthly goals with a free lunch. I’ll take free food, but, and pardon me if I sound a little up in the night, I grew up with the idea that if you met your monthly goals, you got a thing known as a paycheck. And that was it. The office itself initially offered games, free food on Fridays, and all sorts of goodies that I, as an older employee, had never encountered. Since I have no interest in Mario Kart and would prefer a beer keg to free Coke, I was content to do my job and be left alone as much as possible. We men of a certain age tend to get cranky if we have to interact with too many people.
As time went on, the extraneous perks began to go away as the company looked to cut costs. My young coworkers began to grouse about the deteriorating work conditions. One young woman was positively offended that she was told she could not spend the workday wandering between the cubicles, sharing her opinion on every topic under the sun with any person feigning mild interest. And there weren’t many who could feign interest for very long.
I was thinking about that job when I read the results of a survey by Resume Templates about managing Gen Z employees. Of note:
- 3 in 4 managers say Gen Z employees need more praise than previous generations
- 71% say Gen Z expects praise for meeting basic expectations, and 58% say they want it even when they fail
- 3 in 10 managers report that Gen Z employees have cried after receiving negative feedback
- 10% of managers say a Gen Z employee’s parent has contacted them following critical feedback
- 38% say Gen Z employees have called out sick the day after being given feedback, and 27% say they’ve quit
- 6 in 10 say Gen Zers’ performance improves with more praise
When asked to elaborate, the managers offered a few thoughts:
- “You feel like you’re walking on eggshells. You can say 100 positive things, but one negative thing about their performance, and they take forever to get over it.”
- “Gen Z employees seem to require praise for activities older workers assume are just part of the job.”
- “Negative feedback always needs to be cushioned with encouragement; otherwise, they hang on to the one negative comment and let it fester.”
- “They can’t handle correction or discipline without crying about it and thinking rules and expectations don’t apply to them.”
- “They’re used to being given gold stars for doing nothing when growing up, and now think the world should constantly celebrate them.
One of my jobs in college was a yard hand and a truck driver at a lumberyard. You know the saying, “facts don’t care about your feelings”? Neither do Teamsters. I can only imagine what would have happened if I had made my mother call the shop steward because someone in the yard hurt my feelings. I’d likely still be in traction.
Again, *sigh*. If you are a Gen Z person who is hard-working, innovative, punctual, and task-oriented, I’m not talking about you. But, if you feel unsafe, here’s a puppy, some cocoa, and a gold star. Take the weekend for yourself, and we will see you bright and early Monday at 9:00. That is, if you feel like coming in that early.
Wine Recommendation
Because Fall is coming, and I don’t do pumpkin-spiced anything.
Let’s head to Sicily this week. On a lark, I grabbed a bottle of 2022 Stammari Nero d’Avola Sicilia.
I’ll be honest. I selected this wine because it happened to be on sale for $10.00. That’s not a huge discount, since it retails anywhere from $11 to $15, depending on the point of purchase. Price point aside, it was a nice pick. It is on the drier side, trending away from acidity with medium tannins, but it is still strong enough taste-wise to get the proverbial job done. You will get the usual red and dark fruits, but expect a little strawberry and even some cranberry in the mix. There is a dash of oak, and maybe a little chocolate here and there. The winery suggests matching it up with red meats or lamb, or even Spaghetti alla Norma. But if you aren’t up to cooking, it will work with a pizza, too.
That’s it for me. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you next time.
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