Gen Z have been slammed for their workplace attitude that is “completely different” from other staff.
Actress Jodie Foster, 61, started the fiery debate after she made comments that condemned lazy Gen Zers – who are those born between 1996 and 2010 – for their work ethic.
Foster, who is known for mentoring rising stars in the movie industry, said in a new interview that working with young actors is “annoying.”
Speaking to The Guardian she said: “They’re really annoying, especially in the workplace.
“They’re like, ‘Nah, I’m not feeling it today, I’m gonna come in at 10:30 a.m.’ Or in emails, I’ll tell them, ‘This is all grammatically incorrect, did you not check your spelling?’ And they’re like, ‘Why would I do that, isn’t that kind of limiting?’.
The actress suffered a backlash online for her thoughts, with some Twitter comments accusing Foster of being divisive.
And the row over Gen Z’s work attitude continued today on Jeremy Vine’s show – Jeremy Vine on 5 – where a panel including TV presenter Daisy McAndrew and writer and columnist Suzan Holder discussed the comments.
McAndrew was very much in camp Foster, very much agreeing with what she’d said.
She said: “I’m really sorry to say this and I know that I’m going to get abuse but I do.
“My personal experience is that the younger employees, colleagues that I’ve worked with – so those between 21 and 25 – just have a completely different attitude than everyone else I’ve ever worked with.”
She said that younger people go into interviews saying “here’s a list of things that I won’t do rather than saying I’m so happy to have this job and I’ll do whatever I can which is what I’m used to”.
McAndrew added that the emphasis on personal wellness, personal happiness, quality of life and work life balance meant that “the tail is wagging the dog quite often.”
But fellow panellist Suzan Holder disagreed saying that younger people have a tougher time than those in previous generations.
She said: “On the mental health issues in some ways I kind of think can you blame them sometimes?
“With the world that they are kind of coming into? With social media pressures that they have that we didn’t have or I didn’t have particularly when I was growing up.”
Holder believes that other pressures include not being able to afford a house, dating and the cost of living crisis all meant Gen Z’s circumstances are more challenging.
“Where are these jobs where you can say you I don’t come in until 10.30am?” said Holder.
She added: “I will completely stand up for younger people on the basis that I think younger people are treated appallingly by older people quite a lot.”
