Do Line Managers of Early Talent Have It Harder?

Are the kids alright? They’re on their phones too much, wearing the wrong clothes, and snapping back at their seniors. Researchers call this the “kids these days” effect — and yes, it’s been happening for centuries.

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise,” notes one famous quote from Socrates, now well over 2000 years old.

It’s crucial to be wary of generalisations we might make about the next generation. That said, context is critical, and our current cohort of young people are entering the workforce at a time of unique change, instability and uncertainty.

The “Covid generation” has had their pathways to starting and growing their careers upended due to the pandemic and economic instability. Between cancelled internships and apprenticeships, online studies and exams, and lack of in-person work experience opportunities, it’s no wonder that nearly four in five 18–24-year-olds (78%) reported that their professional lives had been affected in some way by the pandemic.

What’s more, even before the pandemic, this generation had less work experience than previous generations at the same age: In 2018, only 18% of Gen Z teens aged 15 to 17 had a job, compared to 27% of millennials in 2002 and 41% of Gen X in 1986.

To ensure a smooth transition to the world of work in this context, employers and organisations need to equip their line managers with the right tools to cater to this generation’s challenges and needs, and help set them up for long-term success in their new roles. Here are three challenges you might face as a line manager of Early Talent:

1) Changing Gen Z attitudes to work

While all age groups are about as likely to say they are putting in “a decent effort” (39-46%) at work, the over 50s are far more likely to say they are giving “maximum effort” (40-43%) than those in their 30s and 40s (31-33%) and the under-30s (22%).

This reflects rising attitudes among the younger generation that a person’s obligations to their employer go no further than the work they are compensated for (as we’ve seen in their rising rejection of “rise and grind” culture), while older generations are more likely to believe people should try to go “above and beyond.” There’s been some debate over whether this is a perception bias and Gen Z are simply more transparent than their predecessors.

However, the attitude shift within the younger generation makes sense: they are entering work at a time of high instability, news of mass layoffs, a pandemic economy that disproportionately disadvantaged their future prospects, and general low levels of trust in employers. Why invest additional energy and effort if there is no evidence of being invested in, for the long term, in turn?

Regardless of why or how Gen Z’s attitude has shifted, 4 out of 10 managers say they’re putting in extra time and effort because team members under thirty are “doing less.” As a result, line managers must build a management style in which they are actively engaging, inspiring and developing younger line reports who are negotiating their own relationship with work.

2) Evolution from Manager to Mentor

As Gen Z increasingly expects more from not only the brands they buy from, but also the organisations they work for, the skills needed to be an effective Line Manager have moved far beyond the traditional role of “orchestrator” or “supervisor”.

Anxiety and depression were already on the rise before the pandemic, and Covid only exacerbated the toll on Gen Z’s mental health. In 2021, it was reported that nearly half of Gen Z struggle with feelings of hopelessness and that work and financial issues contribute to these feelings of stress.

As a result, Line Managers are increasingly required to be coaches, mentors, and champions for their Gen Z line reports. They must always be alert to the potential for employee burnout and wavering engagement, and knowledgeable on the actions needed to prevent it. Line Managers, however, have their own ongoing responsibilities and roles to fulfil. The impact of balancing the increased demands of line managing young entrants to the workforce and the demands of their own roles are leading to increased pressures and mental health fallout on line managers.

In response, organisations must act with empathy and ensure that structured development plans, support systems and mentorship programmes are in place to support their Early Talent craving assistance, while also providing a “safety net” and critical upskilling for Line Managers who may not always have availability or tools to invest 1-on-1 time. This is not an easy ask of HR and People teams, who themselves are already facing multiple pressures on their time and budgets.

3) Embedding organisational culture

For Gen Z, culture and values matter more. This is a generation that is comfortable using protests, activism and movements for change to combat their anxieties about the future, and create a sense of ownership for the world they want to live in. Think climate change, BLM, or Pride.

Given that people leave line managers, not jobs, the role line managers can play in bringing values to life cannot be understated. For line reports new to the world of work especially, line managers are often perceived as the day-to-day face and values exemplars of an organisation. Put simply: your line managers are the walking embodiment of your values and culture.

Line managers, however, are not just the face of your company values. They also play the additional role of mentoring and onboarding your young talent into your company culture.

What does this mean? If you are upskilling your line managers in effective people management aligned to your business values, and building systems that allow them to put these skills into practice, you are strengthening the foundations of your organisational culture, while addressing the Gen Z engagement and retention challenge.

How can you equip your line managers with the right tools?

Our Line Manager Toolkit uses science, human-centred principles and practical case study examples to explore how best to level up your line managers to be higher-performing at a time when a new approach to leadership is sorely needed for organisations to thrive.

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