Some Pointers on Working with Stressed Gen Zers
I am hearing some interesting descriptions of Gen Z at their worst – whiney, complaining, not my job, he/she hurt my feelings, seeking praise and promotions, and responding negatively to feedback. One explanation is that Gen Zers experience stress. It could be the stress of succeeding, the stress of failing, the stress of looking good, the stress of being liked, the stress of finances, and any number of stresses outside of work.
Gen Zers report enduring more “extreme” stress than other generations, and, overall, 58% say they’re at least moderately stressed, which is a really telling number. Axis – Understanding Gen Z
Another method for getting rid of stress is the practice of “Quiet Quitting,” as described in the August 14th edition of Forbes Magazine. In this practice, you keep your job but do just enough to get by, responding when you need to but not going above and beyond. Actually, this concept has been around for years, and these employees were referred to as “B Players” as opposed to the “A Players”. It makes sense that Quiet Quitting relieves stress because instead of a constant state of vigilance, focused on driving oneself and measuring progress, the Gen Zer can just relax and do what needs to get done, and often function more effectively in this relaxed state.
From a leadership perspective, the Quiet Quitter is an employee that is not particularly engaged. As an employer, if you don’t want a room full of quiet quitters and you don’t want to give up on your stressed Gen Zers, here are some techniques and tools that managers and leaders can use to save talented employees and help them develop into valuable employees:
· Listen carefully to their concerns and make sure that you understand their issues. Reflect back to the employee what you heard. Reach agreement on his/her issues.
· Review your mission/vision/policies. Determine if there are any touchpoints with the employee issues.
· Help the employee learn about the differences between the generations so they can have greater understanding of others’ behaviors.
· Discuss the purpose of work and your commitment to the employee. Offer classes for stress management, and any other related issues such as anger management, assertiveness, learning how to say no, etc.
· Another tool is introducing them to the Enneagram to learn about their gifts and weaknesses and increase their understanding of themselves and others.
· Consider coaching the employee to make them more effective at work and less stressed.
· Stay in close touch with the employee providing them with the necessary support and feedback.