Can older generations really learn from Gen-Z? I believe older generations can learn many things from Gen-Z, like how to prioritize well-being, how to have a healthier balance between work and personal life, and even how technology can be beneficial.
Older generations are constantly bashing Gen-Z for everything they do. A few things that they claim the most is that Gen-Z is always on their phones, or Gen-z doesn’t like social interactions and they simply isolate themselves from the world. Gen-Z’s opinions or lifestyles are typically criticized by older generations for any reason they can find.
One example of what older generations can learn from Gen-Z is prioritizing mental health. Prioritizing mental health prevents burnout in work and life in general. Preventing burnout can help employees want to work longer and more. This also helps people put out their best work. According to a survey done by Handshake, “Almost 9 in 10 undergrads say work-life balance, mental health, and overall well-being are ‘very important’ to them at work…But this doesn’t mean Gen Z is prioritizing mental health above success and productivity. Rather, our qualitative findings suggest they see a balanced and healthy workplace as a critical foundation for doing their best work and taking advantage of professional opportunities.” Older generations tend to not prioritize their mental health as they see it as a weakness, this can cause major burnout in the workplace leading to hating their job and even not producing good quality work. If they took an example from Gen-Z and took mental health days when they are feeling mentally drained then they would actually be able to work more efficiently, longer over the years, and better overall.
My second example is about technology. Older generations tend to not like technology and think it only has bad effects on society. According to a statistic done by Statista, “Global tablet shipments are expected to hit 142 million by 2025…” This is just one form of technology and how much it is projected to grow. As technology is projected to grow continuously, older generations should give it a chance. Technology isn’t all bad. For example, it helps improve communication. It doesn’t limit social isolation or even isolate teens. In fact, it helps keep them in contact with friends and family. Older generations could better keep in contact with people they know. Because of social media, people can find anyone and don’t have to rely on one phone number to be able to talk to someone.
Overall, if I could tell one thing to older generations it would be to give Gen-Z a chance and not be so quick to assume the stereotypes. I believe that they should listen to their mental health like Gen-Z does and not look at it like it is a weakness. If they listened to how they were feeling they would overall have more happiness in things that they tend to not like, for example work. They should also give technology a try because once you understand it, it is actually helpful in many aspects. It is easier to keep in touch with people who you know, and it is also easier to find people who you want to reconnect with. Especially now that most people have social media, it is easier than ever before to find someone. This is why older generations can learn lot of valuable life aspects from Gen-Z.
