generating emotionally skillful generation

I have this kind of term in my head for about to weeks. This sentence crossing my mind without knowing how am i supposed to execute it in my article. Got no clue before I watch this Youtube podcast called Kasisolusi hosted by Deriansyah entitled “Gen Z Dengerin Nih!!!Lakukan 2 Hal ini Biar Gen Z Gak Males, Manja dan Baperan”. In short, this video discusses about Gen Z behaviour, mainly in the working environment. They started with reacting a video about complain and sarcasm about Gen Z behaviour. I bet you may familiar with nowadays popular term such as toxic environment, mental illness, healing, work life balance, self-reward. So, what happened with today’s situation?

Today we’re living with this generally four generation: baby boomer, X-Gen, Y-Gen and Z-Gen, along with the distribution of birth time span. Baby Boomer is a term for those who was born around 1946 until 1964, or at age range almost 60 and around 77, during the birth boom after World War II. With that age range, they should be at the retirement zone. And if they’re still productive, they should be in corporate advisor or someone who at the working environment but not actively carrying out activities. Second is called the X-Gen, a demographic group following the baby boomer and preceding the millennials. They were born between 1965 till 1980, and popular with the term of baby bust, a significant declination of baby birth rates. They were raised in the beginning of the technologies and communication advancement. At age range between 43 until 58, they shall be a mature businessman or entrepreneur, a senior manager or might be the director of a company. Next, the Y-Gen, someone who was born at range 1981-1995. They grew in the era where science and technology is growing rapidly, but still they’re familiar with those vintage or old peripheral. They were identified as a generation with high curiosity, self confidence and read books, however vulnerable to depression and anxiety disorder. In the working environment, they sat in the senior staff, supervisor, junior manager or pioneering their own business. Last, the Z-Gen, born around 1996/7-2000. according to BBC, they are young and life surrounding by technologies. They were considered to be a generation that ambitious, self-confident, has a lot of question about authority, uses a lot of slang words, spends more time alone and digitally adept. At least those are the simplest categories of generation that published on Kompas.com (Jangan Tertukar, Ini Pengertian Generasi X, Z, Milenial, dan Baby Boomers: Silmi Nurul Utami, Serafica Gischa). So, what’s the problem?

The problem is that lately, along with the advancement of social media and how some certain generations are attached and even dependent on, creating those popular term such as toxic environmental, mental work illness, and other widespread. This makes the company and its leader shake their heads.  They feel like being accused about the policies, working environment that has been studied, believed, and being developed after many years. That notion seems to be expired and un relevant at least for Z generation. Is it true?

Its been a semi-serious discussion about this particular situation. But let me dissect it using the analytic knife based on Kasisolusi channel. Against the confusing assumptions, lately those who complain and vent their worries about the working environment openly in social media are the Y Generation. The Z generation is identified as those who has limited social environment. Although Z Gen known as individuals who speak out loud about their concerns, they tent to make a limitation on who has the right to know and share their situations. The Z Generation tent not to be blind, perhaps this because they’ve learned it from the Y generation that express it first frontally. They are a good grumbler with calculated risk management. Coach Rene as source person on the video, introduce the “pop science”, a discussion to conceive the behaviour change based on behaviour pattern of each generation. The Y generation followed by Z generation no longer having difficulties accessing the information. This makes those generations (especially Z) easy to find things that match their beliefs or even looking any possible theories that confirming their beliefs. However it makes their mentality tent to be weak, because they’re surrounding in situation where it is esy to look for something, without any hard effort and completed with examples that easier for them instantly drawing their conclusions.  Usually don’t open their window for someone to argue. Speed is inherently characteristic for younger generations, and usually not accompanied by good anger management. With any instant of almost everything that become concern, it is difficult to Z generation to accept a process that carried out gradual, time consume and have precautionary policy. It is what the older called wisdom.

How about let us stop the debate and gossip about the generation gap and behavioural barriers. Of any generation making their assumptions and judgement about other generations. It’ll be creating vulnerability to the company in achieving its vision and mission as well as future development. The main part thing to do is to find ways to build bridges between each generation behaviour. However, the mixture and communication between generation is something that we cannot deny. There should be an agreement between time consuming, gradual learning generation and the impatient, instant gratification and mental illness generation. The older generation with their patient and wisdom shall always giving advice, guiding and giving example to the younger. On the contrary, younger generation should wide open accept suggestion and go through the process step by step, lowering the excessive expectations, trying to be more assertive and manage their emotion. It is necessary to exercise discernment over wisdom. Above all there is something that called ethics and process.

However, as coach Rene say, this situation is an pop knowledge, a novelty that shouldn’t be trust that much. There will be newer research and theories that emerge according to the context and time that which carried out. He implied that there is a notion called “small talk”. It should be seen as a medium to communicate and interact. Just accept it, don’t believe it as the only judgement.