The generational issue is a hot topic right now. The focus is on Generation Z. Some people are talking about a “lost generation.” If you believe the headlines, virtually the entire generation is lost to the labor market. Are the problems really that big, and how can they be solved? mbw editor Janina Singer discusses this with trainer Judith Brenneis.

Janina Singer: Judith, as a trainer, you deal a lot with the topic of joined generations. I have a few headlines from the media here: “Employers despair of Generation Z,” “Generation Z works according to the chocolate principle.” “Generation Z is lost.” But also: “Why we talk too much about Generation Z and boomers.” Let's stick with this last headline: Are we talking too much about it, or is there really a generational conflict in the workplace?

Judith Brenneis: It definitely exists. I know this because I work a lot with companies that hire me to help them understand each other better. I work in particular with baby boomers who, for example, are trainers in companies and often reach their limits when working with Generation Z.

Baby boomers were treated very differently during their training, often badly. They were told what to do, they weren't allowed to complain, they weren't allowed to ask questions, they had to work quietly and diligently. But was that a good thing? How did the trainees feel at the time?

Young people have different values, a different idea of work. They attach great importance to meaningfulness. And that's why they often ask questions, because they don't immediately see the point of some things. In doing so, they also show that things could be done differently. Some generations find it difficult to engage in dialogue here. But I think it's valuable when young people dare to ask everything. And they should at least be met with an open ear, not a closed one.

Being labeled is frustrating

Wanting to see meaning in your job, as you just said, is not the same as saying “they're all lazy,” as is often implied today, is it?

I find such a sweeping statement really awful. I also worked as a university lecturer and received feedback saying, “We don't enjoy it and it's downright frustrating to be labeled.”

There are variations everywhere. There are highly motivated young people who are eager to get started, who are highly creative, who want to perform well. But, and I can understand this, not at any price. They have often seen their grandparents or parents work themselves to death and, in the worst cases, die before reaching retirement age. That should be a wake-up call for us.

We should be thinking about how to motivate young people. That certainly won't work by belittling them. It will work through appreciation. They are way ahead of us in the digital world, for example.

Reliability and trusting cooperation

Yet, you say, there is this generational conflict. Do you have any examples of this?

I have many examples. At a trainer workshop, for example, I was told that a trainee did not sign out in the morning. He simply did not show up and could not be reached because he was still in bed. There was great concern that something had happened to him. The company also has a duty of care.

According to the trainer, however, the young man showed no understanding for this. That's when you naturally reach your limits. And I see a lot of potential in young people in this regard. You have to tell them that they need to talk about it when they're not feeling well. Reliability and trusting cooperation are important.

Generational conflicts existed in the past, too. I didn't always agree with my parents or teachers either. Why is this so much more noticeable today?

I think there are many factors at play here. Parents have changed. The post-war generations simply had other things to worry about. There was no room for soft factors such as “feeling good.” A fundamental change has taken place over the generations.

It always takes both parties.

How do you approach your coaching sessions? How do you try to convey this?

For example, I first ask the trainers to describe how things are going with their trainees. Many immediately take a negative view and only see the bad things. Then I deliberately change the perspective and say, "Stop! What is positive about such behavior, for example, when someone asks questions? This is often seen as a lack of distance. Nevertheless, it is very, very valuable that young people dare to think for themselves and want to express new solutions. And I find it extremely important to constantly change perspectives and take a closer look.

Do older people generally need to move more or younger people? Or should both sides converge?

It's clear that both parties are always needed. And I actually think it's terrible to differentiate in this way, but that's how it is in companies. It's separate. We urgently need bridges, we need cooperation.

When it comes to older employees, I clearly see the importance of appreciation and communicating on an equal footing. Don't label someone from the outset.

But young people also need to understand that we were socialized differently. We didn't have digitalization, for example.

And as for the issue of “lack of willingness to work hard,” you have to look at how it was for us older people. We often worked beyond our limits. But we need a kind of self-care. Of course, it's a balancing act between self-care and the accusation of “just wanting to chill.” When I do something, I am very focused and solution-oriented, and I sometimes find that lacking in younger people. There's often a shrug of the shoulders. That's where I often reach my limits.

The Boomers are slowly retiring from the workforce. Our generation will eventually do the same. Does that solve the problem?

I don't think so, because it's not just the baby boomers, but also the many other generations in between, who tick differently. Every generation has its own characteristics! And as you say, the problem is not new. In the past, people used to say about younger people: “They're naughty” or “they're free spirits.” Young people have always been different.

So it's a problem that we as a society need to address, solve, and work on holistically and permanently?

Yes, every single one of us, every day, when interacting with other people, whether they are older, younger, or even in my generation. We need to communicate on an equal footing and show mutual understanding.