Category Archives: Career Confessions

Career Confessions from Gen Z: Tips to Being Successful

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Everyone’s goal is to be successful.  There are little changes that you can make each day that can have a big impact on your success.  Three things that are not taught in a college lecture hall, but that will make you stand out among your coworkers and be successful are:

1. Being on Time

Being on time is so important no matter what it’s for. Punctuality is great for work, attending a sporting event, or meeting friends for dinner.  When you’re on time it shows that you care and that you’re putting forth effort.  When a you’re late, you’re holding up others and showing that you don’t respect other’s time.  Your being late simply makes everyone else late.

In my opinion, if you’re not 5 minutes early, you’re late.

2. Having a Positive Attitude

Having a positive attitude changes your whole outlook on life and your optimism affects those around you.  When you’re positive, it makes others around you more positive too.  Of course, the opposite is true as well. When you’re negative it makes others around you more negative and brings down the mood.

My dad is one of the most positive people that I know, and even though positivity bugs me at times, in the end I am thankful for it.  He tells his employees at work all of the time that Monday is his favorite day of the week.  As we all know, Monday’s are usually peoples least favorite day of the week, but going into a Monday with a positive attitude helps the day go better.

3. Staying out of office politics

Avoiding office politics is another important thing you need to try and do because once you’re involved in them, it’s hard to get out.  You should only worry about yourself, the work you’re doing, and the things that are in your control.

Yes, it can be frustrating when you feel that you’re putting in more effort and working harder than your co-worker in the cube next to you who is always playing on their phone; but you can’t worry about that and let it bother you.  You need to just keep doing your work and in the end you will be the one rewarded.

You Will Be Recognized

If a you can consistently do these three things everyday, YOU will be the one promoted instead of the coworker that shows up five minutes late everyday.  YOU will get the next important project instead of the person that is always negative and doesn’t want to be at work. Lastly, YOU will be the one that’s promoted over the worker that spends most of their time online shopping.

Even though these may seem like small things, in the long run they will help get you recognized and YOU will be rewarded for it.

Mallory Armbrustmacher graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2017 with a BA in Human Resource Management. She is an HR Generalist with the State of Michigan, Talent and Economic Development Department Human Resource Office, where she coordinates ADA Reasonable Accommodations and Ergonomic Assessments. In addition, she takes the lead on various special projects, conducts new employee orientations, processes payroll, and assists in labor relations, classifications, and selection. She is currently studying for the SHRM-CP exam, but also loves spending time with her family and friends, playing games, and cooking.

Career Confessions of Gen Z: HR without a Degree

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It was exam season of my 2nd year at UC Berkeley, the “#1 Public University in the World”. Per the typical college student in the midst winter, I thought, “What am I going to do this summer?”. Little did I know, this single thought would change my life forever…

To paint this picture a little better, I am currently writing this blog from my desk at work in Detroit, MI. If I didn’t have that little thought, I would currently be finishing my final semester of college in a couple short months.

What did I do exactly?

I accepted a job as a sourcer at a company that I knew I loved despite being less than a year away from completing school.

How did I do it?

I internalized what I really wanted and compared the pros with the cons.

Cons of leaving school to work

  1. I won’t have a college degree if I drop out — at least not yet
  2. I have to leave a good amount of friends that I’ve built great relationships with
  3. All of my family is back in California

Pros of leaving school to work

  1. I was going to school to do what I am doing now
  2. I have spent 3 internship seasons building relationships and finding mentors (something I lacked in the past)
  3. I was DROWNING in debt – loans, friends, etc. — I could pay this off if I take this job!!

 

Honestly, it was one of the easier decisions I’ve had to make because it made perfect sense for ME. After 8 months in my current role, I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

What I did not know would be an added benefit for me was empathy – more specifically, I am more motivated than ever to seek to understand. I think this is a benefit in all aspects of life; seeking to understand something before you seek to be understood. Now that I’m much more open with my experiences and invite the same from others, seeking to understand has become second nature to me and I can’t imagine a close-minded life.

So, I guess the point of my story wasn’t to tell you all that I dropped out of school – it’s to let you know that people have got a lot of junk sometimes. It may take a little digging to come out with that nugget of gold I like to call understanding.

Hunter Casperson — self-proclaimed “Sourcing Nerd”, is currently an Associate Talent Strategist at Quicken Loans out of Detroit, MI. Originally from Southern California, he spent lots of time outdoors and in turn, loves nature. Hunter attended UC Berkeley where he studied Math & Psychology for three years before joining Quicken. His all-time favorite thing to do is beat-box, where he has consecutively ranked amongst the Top 10 in the United States over the past 3 years (under the name Huntybeats)!

How am I Really Doing?

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One of the things that is very important to me as I navigate my professional career in Human Resources is feedback and constructive criticism. I cannot stress enough how important it is for managers and supervisors to communicate with their people frequently. In my opinion, the relationship between a manager and his direct report can be compared to an intimate relationship between a couple.

There are many things that go into a romantic relationship, but two things that are non-negotiable are transparency and communication. Your significant other always expects you to be open and honest with them no matter what the situation. I think that managers owe their employees this same courtesy.

Praising or giving recognition to an employee when he’s doing well is simply not enough. A manager must also have the tough conversations when an employee may be missing the mark in an area. There is nothing worse than having a disconnect on performance between an employee and their manager. Part of the problem is that most companies are not requiring anything additional from managers in regards to feedback and reviews. Companies who place a higher focus on performance management will benefit by changing the culture through feedback and recognition.

Most companies that I have been apart of up to this point follow the typical annual performance review process. However, a manager should be communicating with their subordinates all throughout the year in addition to the formal review. Employees cannot be expected to increase efficiency on a task when the only time they get feedback is at the end of the year.

Companies that implement regular employee feedback have turnover rates that are 14.9% lower than for employees who receive no feedback (ClearCompany). That’s a very interesting statistic to think about. Managers and supervisors could be saving their companies thousands of dollars in turnover costs simply by giving more consistent feedback. 43% of highly engaged employees receive feedback at least once a week (ClearCompany). This feedback does not have to be a half hour- or hour-long formal meeting either.

Ensuring that your employees are highly engaged is critical to the overall company success. Feedback and recognition are imperative to keeping an employee engaged.

Some may wonder what the difference is between an engaged employee and a not engaged employee. In my experience, an engaged employee is one that is going to give 100% effort and then some daily. This person is going to do everything in their power to ensure the company is successful. Which in turn will make them look good in the process. An employee who is not engaged typically is a person that is doing his daily tasks and waiting on the next paycheck. Granted, this person may not have any issues with their performance, but you will always get the bare minimum needed from this person. Don’t expect them to go the extra mile.

Jonathan Sutherlin is a human resource professional with experience in the engineering and automotive industry. Currently going for his Master’s in Organizational Change Leadership in a hybrid program at Western Michigan University. He is very passionate about reading, philanthropy, basketball, and fitness. You can connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn or through email at jonsutherlin@gmail.com. When Jonathan is not at work trying to impact lives, you can either catch him in the gym or nose deep in a good book!

4 Ways to Enhance the Workplace for Generation Z

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The youngest talent populating the labour market belongs to a cohort called Generation Z; generally defined as anyone born after 1997. Now making up roughly 30% of the global population, the question has quite rightly been asked: how can we strategize to attract and retain these alien ‘digital natives’?

You will have already seen the researchers and think tanks throwing their scare-mongering claims at you, with each article making different assumptions for what an entire generation demands from their employers. Sounds ridiculous right? The reality is, being born in 1998 myself, even I can’t speak for the hundreds of millions of young people belonging to Gen Z. The irony is, as we explore what might enhance the workplace for Gen Z, in fact makes the workplace better for everyone.

  1. Training and development.

I think I’m safe in saying the concept of staying with the same organisation until retirement has long expired. A symptom of this change in labour market conditions is that job-hopping is a bigger concern than ever. Retention is an increasing challenge then, for a generation with the same lack of organisational loyalty as the millennials before them. Effective and frequent training & development is therefore a crucial factor in fostering a longer-term allegiance, by demonstrating your will to invest in their futures. Not only retaining an engaged Gen Z workforce, but an engaged workforce in its entirety.

  1. Student debt help.

For the Gen Z graduates of today, there is no doubt that student loan repayment will be a significant factor in their financial well-being, with the average cost of a 3-year degree sitting at £35,000. Solutions to address student debt makes employers immediately relevant, signalling empathy in a move that can really make an impact. Its not hard to see this offering a serious competitive advantage in attracting top graduate talent, and once again it’s not just Gen Z that benefits, anyone with a considerable amount of student debt will be more concerned with its repayment before making any meaningful retirement contributions.

  1. Mental and physical well-being.

Amid a generational mental health crisis amongst young adults, employers that can demonstrate what they are doing to promote cultures of openness and support will only surpass those who neglect the issue. The exact same goes for physical health and well-being, which is just as important and entirely interlinked. The common theme of empathy towards societal issues is clearly becoming a strategic tool in attracting and retaining Gen Z talent, and equally, ask yourself which generation doesn’t want their mental and physical well-being to be a priority?

  1. Exam help.

The importance of career-focused perks is again highlighted as we look at employers projecting empathy towards their current or prospective talent’s goals. Offering things like paid study leave, exam materials, or opportunities to take professional qualification exams in-house go a long way to achieving this. No question Gen Z’s are exam and development focused, but yet again we see desires that are not exclusive to one generation.

So perhaps my title was misleading, but hopefully we’ve stripped away the mystery surrounding what Gen Z wants. And at the same time highlighted that it’s very easy to look at Gen Z as making new demands, when really the uncomfortable truth lies in a historic lack of being strategically prepared incoming generations and emphatic around issues that are nothing new.

Josh Milton-Edwards is a fledgling HR professional mad about all things culture, engagement and wellbeing. I work for an award-winning best-practice culture department based in the UK. Soaking up every last bit of the experience before completing my HRM degree in 2019/20. Aiming high and can’t wait to see what more opportunities arise for the taking!

Career Confessions from Gen Z: Texas Tops List for Women Entrepreneurship!!

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Did you know that, currently, there are more CEOs named “John” than all women CEOs combined? But fear not! There is hope on the horizon. Texas has recently been named the best state for women entrepreneurs based on several scoring categories.  All your exes live in Texas, and they might be entrepreneurs!

When I first saw the rankings, I expected to see New York and California at the top of the list, yet neither of those states was even in the top three! So, how did our great Lone Star State receive the number one spot? The rankings were measured by the following factors: general business climate, opportunity for women in business, economic and financial health, and livability for women. Not only did Texas score the highest average on these factors, but thanks to Texas’ generally low cost of living, paired up with exponential startup growth, Texas beat out New York and California (Focus).  Additionally, Texas has a progressive political climate in its capital and no corporate income tax.

While this is great news, it also opens the conversation of how we can improve the climate for women in business even more. Women in business, whether they live in Texas or Maine still face challenges. For instance, did you know that on average, women receive 45% less capital than men when applying for business loans? (fitsmallbusiness.com) Consider this, of all the investing decisions from venture capitalist firms, 94% of these decisions were made by men- one of whom probably is named John. So, while the business environment for women is improving, we still depend mainly on men to invest in our ideas and pursuits.

Recently, I attended a presentation hosted by Suzi Sosa, co-founder, and CEO of Verb Inc., a leadership software company. In her presentation, Ms. Sosa discussed her struggles as a woman in the business world. She told us when she was looking for funding for her company, her mentor suggested she change her hair, put more makeup on, and dress more “femininely”. She also disclosed that several married men who invested in her company propositioned her romantically afterward. She told us she felt pressured to change the way she looked and acted in order to “fit in” to man’s perception of business. In response to this, Sosa brought to light the fact that women need to help each other out more in order to shift this perception.  Sosa described her attempts to find new investors through her female connections in the Austin area, all of whom politely declined for fear it might make them look unprofessional in their respective business circles.

To clarify, I am not writing this as an attack on men, quite the contrary. I am writing this as a call to action to women. The business climate is changing for us, and for the better. However, if we truly want to be on par with men, we need to start by being more confident in our own abilities.

As a junior in college, I have started to notice not only fewer women in my classes but also less participation from them; we don’t ask as many questions and we don’t give our input as much as our male peers do. College should be a healthy environment for women to learn to trust their business guts and to question the status quo. But, whatever the reason might be, we as women are less participative in business classes, which then transfers into the greater business world. While this may sound like a bit of a bummer, the good news is we have the power to change it. It is time that we, as women in business, start speaking up, ask more questions, and learn to trust our guts.

The climate is shifting in our favor, and self-confidence is key. However, self-confidence alone is not enough for us to break through the glass ceiling. It seems that women in business are continually pitted against each rather than encouraged to help one another. If we want to be seen as true equals in the business sphere, we need to invest in each others’ ventures, bring fresh faces into our business circles, and not be afraid to advocate for our own ideas. I’m grateful for Texas and its opportunities for women in business, but there’s always room for improvement and for more women CEOs.

Elena Moeller is currently junior at the St. Edward’s University and Intern of all trades for Proactive Talent in Austin, Texas. Being born and raised in Minnesota I grew up playing hockey, riding snowmobiles, and fishing. One thing you should know about me is that I have never been labeled as shy- I live for getting to know new people and learning new things. This has enabled me to travel the world, become fluent in Spanish, and live in Milan, Italy where I learned a bit of Italian! I find I am happiest at work when I am able to spark my creativity and create something that is useful for our company but is also an entertaining read.

Career Confessions of Gen Z – Quit Catfishing

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When I graduated from college, I remember being so excited to start my job search. I was convinced that I was not going to settle for a job and that I was going to search until I found the right fit for me. Though I was determined, finding the right fit took a lot longer than I expected. Granted, I was not in any big rush. I had put my two weeks into my current job and was going to enjoy a break without working for the first time since I was fifteen. However, my once excitement for the job search quickly faded and turned into frustration and skepticism of job ads and companies. Below are the main causes of frustrations I ran into during my search for the right job:

  1. The job title included the word, “marketing”, but the description exposed that the job was actually not marketing but instead sales, customer service, or something else not marketing.
  2. The job was an entry-level position that had a billion requirements that made me feel unqualified as a new grad and that the right applicant actually needed like five years of experience.
  3. The job ad sounded like just what I was looking for so I applied, landed the interview, and then learned that the job was NOTHING like the description in the ad but something completely different.
  4. The job ad sounded great, I researched the company and the company looked great, I applied, got an interview, and then realized I was catfished. The environment, culture, and people were nothing like how they had sounded or appeared.

I felt like I needed to hire Nev Schulman, the host of Catfish, just to determine if the job ad was a scam or not before applying.

After looking for and applying to jobs, taking interviews, and being exposed to just how many companies try to make their job ads appealing by not being transparent, I was sure to tell my friends of my experiences so that they would not fall for the same lies that I did. These companies lost my trust, respect, and potential to ever apply again. They also lost other potential applicants due to negative word of mouth. Today, I often see these same companies constantly having the positions that catfished me always open and with the same job ad. If I had to guess, they are still struggling to fill the positions. So, was the lack of transparency really worth it? Probably not. Had they been real and transparent from the start they would likely have found someone that is the right fit for the position and saved their reputation from damage. Will these companies ever be transparent? I don’t know, but I sure hope so to prevent others from going through the same experiences that I did.

Hallie Priest is a digital marketer for HRU Technical Resources, a leading engineering, and IT staffing firm based in Lansing, MI, using her skills to create content to serve all involved in the job seeking/hiring process. When she is not strategizing campaigns, going over analytics, or talking about her dog you can find her at the nearest coffee shop fueling her creativity. Connect with her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/halliepriest

 

Career Confessions of GenZ: Flexibility as a Benefit!

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Statistically, Generation Z makes up the largest population of any other age grouping in the United States of America. Most companies already realize this, and if not, they probably should be reading this post. Companies are almost obligated to structure their environments so that they are appealing and welcoming to our generation. If they choose not to conform, they will likely deteriorate as Baby Boomers simply cannot work forever. There is often much speculation about what is most important to us when it comes to choosing a company. Based on my peers and experience thus far, the best thing a company can offer a Generation Z individual is flexibility.

When I say flexibility, this can encompass a few things. For some of my peers, flexibility can mean the ability to work from home once or twice every other week. I’ve noticed that this is something that is engrained in most start-up cultures as they fully understand the impact Generation Z is going to have on the workforce. For other people, flexibility could present itself in a lenient dress code. Most of these companies have something written in their policy that tells employees to dress appropriately if you have meetings with clients or other third parties. I advise against wearing your normal t-shirt, jeans, and gym shoes combo if you are scheduled to meet with important stakeholders in the company. But, hey that’s just me!

Another area where a company can be flexible is with a food budget. There is nothing more appealing to people in my generation than free food. Granted, almost all generations would be happy with a free meal. However, people in Generation Z are transitioning from college campuses where Ramen Noodles and peanut butter jelly sandwiches could frequently be dinner for the night. At my workplace Rivian, free lunch is served every Monday and Thursday in addition to free dinner four days out the week. Probably one of the best perks that I’ve encountered so far.

While a couple of the topics that I just discussed are certainly great perks, flexibility for me is a company’s ability to adapt to the changing environment. What I mean is that even if a company has been doing something a certain way for 50 years, how resistant are they when a more efficient way is introduced. A company who is set in their ways can be very frustrating to a person in Generation Z because we often bring new and innovative ways to get things done.

In today’s day and age, businesses have to be dynamic in their ability to change because of how rapid society is changing. Technology is progressing at such a fast pace, companies who do not adapt will be left in the dust. I like to think that companies bring people of my age in for a new and fresh perspective. When a company doesn’t respect or appreciate your opinion, that’s almost a deal breaker in most situations. The business world is changing before our eyes and Generation Z has a lot to do with that. Companies like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn have created environments that breathe flexibility and creativity. Generation Z is taking over the workforce whether you want to believe it or not, what is your company going to do to in response?

Jonathan Sutherlin is a human resource professional with experience in the engineering and automotive industry. Currently going for his Master’s in Organizational Change Leadership in a hybrid program at Western Michigan University. He is very passionate about reading, philanthropy, basketball, and fitness. You can connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn or through email at jonsutherlin@gmail.com. When Jonathan is not at work trying to impact lives, you can either catch him in the gym or nose deep in a good book!

Career Confessions of Gen Z: Culture Conundrum- Employee Engagement Platforms

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In 2019, we’re on the cusp of a frontier where an army of digital pioneers are laying claim to their stake in the exponentially advancing market of E-HRM. If you’ve sat in the HR department of any business, you’ll get what I’m talking about here. You’ll have found yourself answering a cold-call or ten from that salesperson who’s likely on their 67th attempt of the day, so you take pity and hear them out.

What they’re offering to you, is a miracle solution to the employee engagement woes that supposedly keep you up at night. An all singing, all dancing, cloud-based platform that will sky-rocket your employee engagement! But wait, its get’s better… All of this can be done at the flick of your finger, using cutting-edge algorithms and technologies that will automate the entire process!

From employee feedback to recognition, appraisals or organisational commitment, benchmarking & analytics, many engagement platforms really claim to automate it all, taking out the hard work for me and you. So why shouldn’t we cut a cheque and sign on the dotted line?

For baby-boomers and Generation Z alike, it’s easy to fall for the trappings of today’s technology that promises to streamline our lives both at work and at home. From Amazon’s Alexa to Musk’s self-driving car, it’s not hard to see how these gadgets are already permeating life faster than we know. However, some things, cannot be so easily automated just yet.

Truth be told, the automation of employee engagement sounds like the ultimate paradox to me; to the extent that it removes the integral element of authenticity. Any organisational culture worth its salt is value driven from the top down. Values that employees can align with, engage with and embody as they carry out their role. Online platforms & wired connections are nowhere near as powerful as the above, making the connection between real-life engagement and values, perhaps the most powerful disincentive for the excessive use of cure-all engagement platforms.

More importantly, an organisational culture of engagement and much of the meaning and satisfaction accrued from it, lies in our relationships with others. Indeed, there are elements of these online platforms that are social in nature, but I’d argue it limits the richness and authenticity of our interactions at work, keeping relationships at an all too comfortable distance.

Of course, I’d be ignorant to entirely discount the value of technological integration into employee engagement. For example, it certainly has its place in strategies and structures of organisational feedback and transparency. To a certain extent, even corporate social media platforms are now an undeniable force in shaping recognition and communication practices.

Nevertheless, to place the labyrinthine system of what makes a top-class engagement culture in the hands of automated algorithms, notifications and screens seems naïve and technologically premature. For platforms to claim they can automate it all whilst the everyday HR professional gets on with ‘the important stuff’ doesn’t do justice to the strategic importance nor the complexity of employee engagement in organisations today.

Josh Milton-Edwards is a fledgling HR professional mad about all things culture, engagement and wellbeing. I work for an award winning best-practice culture department based in the UK. Soaking up every last bit of the experience before completing my HRM degree in 2019/20. Aiming high and can’t wait to see what more opportunities arise for the taking!

Career Confessions of Gen Z: Generational Individuality as a Millennial

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Welcome to the reboot of Career Confessions of Gen Z! I started this in 2018 with my Gen Z son, Cameron, and the response was off the charts. So, in 2019 I found 8 great Gen Z HR, TA, and Marketing pros to continue the Gen Z content. Enjoy! 

For as long as I can remember, it often feels like every other article or conference discussion I see is a dissertation about the millennial impact on the workforce. If you read that first sentence, you may have yawned and already moved on…but I sincerely hope you didn’t. There’s been so much continued discussion about millennials that I fear today’s next generation, GenZ, is getting overlooked. I don’t just mean overlooked by older generations; I mean overlooked by generational allies – fringe GenZs such as myself. This mistake is so incredibly short-sighted, inconsiderate, and misunderstood that it brings to risk a perpetuation of the very division that millennial generations are continually subjected to. I write all of this to admit that at some point I became part of the problem.

I was born in ‘91, only a few short years before my Gen Z peers. I consider myself a “fringer”. Most of my experiences align me closer to GenZ than other millennial generations. I entered professional life at the height of millennial discussions (though it hasn’t ceased in frequency), with my first stab at a career that led me to the insurance industry. You can make a great living in insurance, and there is tremendous upside in the amount of influence all millennial generations will have on that industry.

That said, every industry has had its generational challenges, but I think all insurance pros will agree their industry is near the top of the list. It’s nobody’s fault; it just exists. So during the first weeks, months, and years of my career, I heard the voices of millennial driven articles loud and clear as I lived it firsthand. For many reasons, I couldn’t wait to become a mentor myself and help break the chain of monotonous top down mentorship and leadership I was experiencing.

My first major mentorship opportunity came when I was 26. I felt like I was blitzing through the insurance industry, and I was ready to help others do the same. So how did I do?

I may or may not have started off strong. I worked to be inclusive and transparent to some degree, making sure my mentee was included in exciting events and meetings that would give tremendous exposure to top leadership and influencers. I tried to push my mentee but never beyond something I wouldn’t do myself. I held weekly syncs with the goal being an hour of uninterrupted focus on successes, development opportunities, and aspirations. Yet, we barely made it past the honeymoon phase.

I’ve given the relationship much reflection, and I think I failed for the following reasons. First, while I thought I was doing all of these great things for the mentee, I simply wasn’t actually allowing time for their own self-discovery. Second, and perhaps more importantly – maybe I was intimidated by their strategies, operational efficiency, and methods of connecting to the industry. Despite the few years that separated us in age, our developments were greatly shaped in different forms within that gap. Forget who knew more about actually performing our current responsibilities.

In the few years since I graduated college, tech was being used differently in so many areas. I leaned heavily on Facebook (among other things), while they focused on Insta, Snapchat, and Twitter (among other things). I posted once in a while; they posted all the time. But, they didn’t just post; they used their Socials as a medium for connecting with businesses and building relationships in a way that seemed like a stretch, even for some industry vets. Beyond social platforms, they had things like Uber for pretty much all of college, whereas it wasn’t available to my peers and me until roughly a year after graduating (probably for the best). Even though we only had those few years between us, they were thinking on a new level, with new ideas that were non-traditional to the current state of the industry but very progressive to achieving a new level of success.

I could write on this all day. I still cringe when I think about how hard I failed on something I was so certain I would succeed at. I’ll never stop feeling bad about initially failing GenZ, but it brought to light many valuable lessons. To my fellow fringers, please take caution. Love your fellow generational warriors, but don’t forget that it’s already time to focus on bringing in the next generation with open arms. Each year moves faster and faster, and we will be far more successful on the same side of the water than with a bridge in between.

My story is different and should be different than yours, but regardless – think about it. Let’s embrace the new knowledge and skills that incoming generations bring by not dismissing the intensifying knowledge gap created by rapid changes in technology. Let’s take everything that we’ve learned from our experiences in the trenches of a generational gap to ensure it doesn’t happen again. And most importantly, let’s recognize the individuality of each “millennial” generation.

Quitin Meek a talent consultant at Pillar Technology (part of Accenture Industry X.0). Also an active member of Detroit’s startup and tech community. Every day is something new and challenging, and I am learning more than ever before. I’m finding that I’ve become a lifelong student, and I’m excited to see how that continues to shape the road ahead.

 

Career Confessions from Gen Z: Snow Days – From Fun to Stress

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Welcome to the reboot of Career Confessions of Gen Z! I started this in 2018 with my Gen Z son, Cameron, and the response was off the charts. So, in 2019 I found 8 great Gen Z HR, TA, and Marketing pros to continue the Gen Z content. Enjoy! 

Snow days are not what they used to be.  As a kid snow days were so exciting.  You’d do snow day rituals before bed such as flushing as many ice cubes down the toilet as you wanted inches of snow and wearing your pajamas inside out.  Then you would wake up at the crack of dawn, before your alarm clock went off, or your parents wake you up and you’d sit in front of the television in hopes of seeing your school scroll across the bottom of the screen announcing your school was closed.  

Kids now a days don’t know what that was like because now they get calls and texts every time the school closes.  The other Gen Z’s reading this know exactly what I’m talking about if you lived in the north where snow was prevalent.  Once you go to college you learn snow days are few and far between if you get at all.  (I was lucky enough to go to school on the west side of Michigan in the lake effect snow belt and had three of them in my three and a half years of college).  Then, when you transition to the working world you almost never get a snow day  

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get two and a half snow days due to the Polar Vortex that affected much of the Midwest of the United States.  As a working adult I learned snow days are stressful.  For our area 8-12 inches of snow was predicted to hit and rumors were going around that the State of Michigan may shut down.  Usually I would have been excited at the thought of a snow day, but not this time.  

Monday and Tuesday are the days that we process payroll.  Sunday night as I was getting ready for bed my co-workers starting saying that they weren’t coming in on Monday due to the weather.  I couldn’t sleep and was stressed that night about whether or not my office would be open the next day and about getting payroll done by our Tuesday deadline.  The State of Michigan did not shut down until 10:00 a.m. Monday morning, which gave me just enough time to get VPN access so I could take my laptop home and work on processing payroll at home.  The State of Michigan also closed down all offices on Wednesday and Thursday that week due to wind chills being -30 degrees.

When we were kids snow days were exciting, but now as a working adult they are stressful and it’s not just a day to stay home and do nothing.  Even though our office was closed I still had to bring my computer home and work at home.  When our office reopened I had to work longer days to catch up on work in the office and reschedule meetings that were missed due to our office being closed down.   Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining I had these days off or had to work at home these days, because there were businesses that were open this whole time, but it does make things more complicated.

Snow days as an adult are very different.  They cause more stress and work in the end.  Will I complain about having snow days as an adult, no, but I will probably not wish for them as much as I did as a kid either. 

Mallory Armbrustmacher graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2017 with a BA in Human Resource Management. She is an HR Generalist with the State of Michigan, Talent and Economic Development Department Human Resource Office, where she coordinates ADA Reasonable Accommodations and Ergonomic Assessments. In addition, she takes the lead on various special projects, conducts new employee orientations, processes payroll, and assists in labor relations, classifications, and selection. She is currently studying for the SHRM-CP exam, but also loves spending time with her family and friends, playing games, and cooking.