Soon after joining her company, Ms Natalie (not her real name), a 21-year-old intern handling manpower resources, was tasked with organising a farewell party for a colleague who was leaving.Ms Natalie, who declined to provide her real name as she is not authorised to speak to the media, was eager to throw a great party for everyone.For a start, she reached out to the colleague who was soon departing the company to ask whether she had any dietary restrictions, but this message went unanswered. And so, at a subsequent meeting with this colleague, Ms Natalie decided to bring it up again. Ms Natalie was horrified when that colleague then berated her in front of another team member who was also in the meeting, saying she had "no brain" for discussing the party with the person for whom the farewell was being thrown. The colleague then claimed she had not received Ms Natalie's message, and even added: "Wow, kids these days don't think at all."
Reflecting on the incident, Ms Natalie said she feels it was unfair that she was insulted for her efforts.Furthermore, her colleague's comments about "kids these days" struck her as a sweeping statement reflecting how older workers tend to view younger colleagues in a stereotypical way and interpret their actions through a negative lens.Certainly, Ms Natalie is not alone. As Gen Z workers have started entering the workforce, certain negative beliefs about them have proliferated.If millennials were said to be ultra-sensitive and care too much about work-life balance, Gen Z are supposedly more extreme: The common stereotypes are that they only want to do the bare minimum at work, do not respect their seniors and simply do not take work seriously.
