A new Wall Street Journal article, “A New Lost Generation: Why Gen Z Is Unprepared for the Workplace” ties right into my earlier post raising concerns about growing social isolation among teens and young adults.
Yannrukov
In the article journalist Tessa West focuses on one key part of the challenge facing young people in the workplace. That is the missing early out of the house, out in the real world relationship experiences of life. As I have said often … online only friends don’t count. And, as it turns out, those awkward out of the house in person friend and dating relationships that happen in teen years and early 20s really matter. These experiences are fundamental in building what I call social fitness skills.
According to data and research Ms. West finds, what may be intuitive, that those experiences teach us quite a bit about building skills like negotiation, collaboration, self-advocacy social and professional etiquette, problem-solving, in person communication, etc. And it is through building these skills and experiences that young people learn how to ask, “What did you mean by that?” when they don’t have a handle on what is happening or why.
Having deep friendships and dating relationships while you are young are actually great predictors of a young person being more likely to have a (and keep) a job. And also, interestingly, predictors of a young person leaving home to live independently. Building this social fitness through out of the house real in person connections, and being good at these things with your close “others” directly translates to being good at them in a job.
Read Tessa West’s full article at https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/gen-z-worker-skills-294463f6?