No Cap: Adulting isn’t a Vibe

Gen Z: Chronically anxious but tech-savvy

People from Generation Z are born between 1997 and 2012. This generation has been exposed to technology, the internet, and social networks since they were children. Many adults confuse Millennials with people born in Gen Z. However, Millennials “prefer face to face communication over any other method” (Downs, 2019). Meanwhile, people from Generation Z “prefer to communicate online more often than in person,” (NDMU, 2019). Hence, it is no surprise that the most digitally advanced generation prefers online shopping since only “30% of Gen Z prefers to shop in physical stores,” (Fischbach, 2020).

On a personal level, being part of generation Z myself, I make it my life’s mission to avoid small talk by shopping online or picking up food curbside. To be honest, I see stores as a place to hang out rather than shop. My siblings and I go to Target to talk and look around rather than buy something. When I do buy something in-store, I go to the self-check-out lane to avoid small talk with the cashier. Ever since I had internet access, I remember ordering pizza online because I did not want to talk with someone on the phone. As an adult, I rather order my food curbside to avoid long lines and talking with the person on the speaker. Although Gen Z does not like in-person communication, the generation is much better at being collaborative communicators, have social media expertise and inclusive mindsets (Belinne, 2019).

#FYP #abcdefg

Since Gen Z are true digital natives, they place equal value in digital and in-person communication. Additionally, since Gen Z grew up with having multiple electronic devices at once, they can efficiently multi-task while absorbing information. Therefore, when training Gen Z it is important to consider making bite-sized immersive learning experiences. Gen Z watches tons of video content every day on social media, hence by creating quick and instructional video content, it will address Gen Z’s visual learning style.

Socially woke but socially anxious

Part of Gen Z is in their early 20s and are trying to learn how to be an adult. As adults, it means that part of Gen Z is also part of the workforce. Although, Gen Z is tech savvy and can effectively use technology to communicate, when in-person or dealing with customer it is evident that Gen Z has a major soft skills gap. Although technology skills come naturally to Gen Z, when having a conversation “looking someone in the eyes doesn’t come naturally to them,” (He, 2019).

@actuallyworking

After asking my sister what skill she wants improve so she could perform her tutoring job better, she told me “customer service.” She further went on to explain that she does receive training on customer service skills but struggles to apply them in real life. Hence, when she and her co-workers have a difficult student, they freeze and don’t know how to talk to them.

Let’s Consider

Social Cognitive Theory

Social cognitive theory is when people learn the usefulness of behaviors by observing models and the consequences of the modeled behavior. Gen Z lacks interpersonal skills, therefore through the social cognitive theory instructional designers will be able to address the needs of Gen Z by fostering social interaction in the workplace. Positive relationships and communication at work can lead to individual growth and foster positive behaviors that benefit the organization. In this case, by veteran and new tutors interacting with each other with positive regard, it will lead to a constructive relationship where the veteran tutors mentor the new tutors. Currently, many tutors at the lab are Gen Z, however, typically the lead tutor has at least three years of experience dealing with students. Hence, when new tutors are hired, they should “learn about the usefulness and appropriateness of behaviors by observing models and the consequences of modeled behaviors,” (Merriam & Bierama, 2013, p.35). In addition to receiving the formal training new tutors receive at the beginning of the semester, new tutors should be allowed to shadow veteran tutors to see how they deal with students’ behavior at the workplace.

Andragogy Andragogy is firmly rooted in humanistic psychology and adults “are internally motivated and self-actualization is the goal of learning” (Merriam & Bierama, 2013, p.54). Since Gen Z is self-aware that they lack soft skills, through andragogy instructional designers can foster intrinsic motivation in Gen Z to help them see how the mastery of soft skills will make them competent workers. Although automation and artificial intelligence are taking over many jobs, soft skills are difficult to automate. Hence, soft skills will be in high demand because AI cannot actively listen, collaborate, and present ideas. Hence, when training Gen Z it should be emphasized that if they want to move up the ladder in their careers then they need to develop strong soft skills.

Soft skills are necessary to get a job, and due to Gen Z’s dependence on technology they “lack the soft skills necessary for professional face-to-face interactions” (Zibell, 2021). Therefore, if people who are Gen Z see how necessary soft skills are in the workplace, they will be internally motivated to develop them. Gen Z knows they are getting old and adulting has been hard for them, hence they are very motivated to become a “fully-functional person” (Merriam, p.54). Therefore, during their formal training, the manager should emphasize the importance of developing soft skills for Gen Z tutors’ future careers.

Reflective Practice Workers should reflect in their practice as they engage in the workplace experience. Since interpersonal skills take time to develop, instructional designers could encourage reflective practice to enable Gen Z workers to increase awareness in their knowledge and competency. Due to their social media presence, Gen Z is self-aware of their physical and virtual presence as they strive to create their own personal brand based on how they want to be perceived. Hence, due to their self-awareness, it should be easy to encourage Gen Z to reflect on their work experience so they could improve in their practice.

In this case, since the tutors are evaluated every semester based on how well they teach the content, part of their evaluation should include customer service. If the tutors are evaluated on customer service, then they will be motivated to reflect on their practice. Soft skills are often acquired on the job; hence it would be helpful if the tutors reflected-on-action and consciously think about their experience after they completed the tutoring session (Merriam & Bierama, 2013, p. 115).

References

Belinne, J. (2019, July 23). GEN Z – THE COMMUNICATION GENERATION. Gen Z – the communication generation. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://community.naceweb.org/blogs/jamie-belinne/2019/07/23/gen-z-the- communication-generation.

Bridging the Soft Skills Gap, one gen zer at a time. eLearningInside News. (2021, February 8). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://news.elearninginside.com/bridging-the-soft- skills-gap-one-gen-zer-at-a-time/.

Chavan, S. (2020). The Importance of Soft Skills.

Downs, H. (2019). Bridging the gap: How the generations ... - digitalcommons@csp. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1027&context=comjournal.

Francis, T., & Hoefel, F. (2020, December 16). 'true gen': Generation Z and its implications for companies. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true- gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies.

Gen Z in the workplace: Everything you need to know. Firstup. (2021, November 14). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://firstup.io/blog/gen-z-in-the-workplace/.

He, E. (2019, February 25). Gearing up for Gen-z: What employers should know about Today's young workers. Forbes. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilyhe/2019/02/25/gearing-up-for-gen-z-what- employers-should-know-about-todays-young-workers/?sh=783e28251bee.

Indeed Editorial Team. (n.d.). Gen Z vs millennials in the workplace: What are the differences? Indeed Career Guide. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.indeed.com/career- advice/career-development/gen-z-vs-millennials.

Kibo study: Younger generations show increased shift to long-term online shopping. Business Wire. (2020, December 14). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201214005586/en/Kibo-Study-Younger- Generations-Show-Increased-Shift-to-Long-Term-Online-Shopping.

Merriam, Sharan B., and Laura L. Bierema. Adult Learning : Linking Theory and Practice, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/boisestate/detail.action?docID=1376941.

Posted February 6, 2019 by N. D. M. U. | C. (2021, December 6). The evolution of communication from Boomers to gen Z: Ndmu. NDMU Online. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://online.ndm.edu/news/communication/evolution-of-communication/.

Ready or not - here comes Z - download. XYZ University - The Future of Work. (2018, December 14). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.xyzuniversity.com/ready- or-not-here-comes-z-download/.

Rosales, R. M. (2016). Energizing social interactions at work: an exploration of relationships that generate employee and organizational thriving. Open Journal of Social Sciences, https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2016.49004

Training gen Z employees: Eight best practices to make it right. TalentLMS Blog. (2021, February 22). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.talentlms.com/blog/training-gen-z-employees/.

Understanding generation Z and its expectations for the modern workplace. Vocon. (2019, September 27). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.vocon.com/understanding-generation-z-and-its-expectations-for-the- modern-workplace/.

What your gen Z employees want. NCCER_SF. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.nccer.org/news-research/newsroom/blogpost/breaking-ground-the-nccer- blog/2021/08/05/what-your-gen-z-employees-want.