A millennial and a Gen-G young man are lost in the desert. The millennial takes out a large map book from his pocket and turns the pages, looking for water. And the Gen-G young man, bored of searching for a signal on his smartphone, says, “Hey, brother, let’s make some reels first! When the network comes, the elite people will know where we are stuck!”
The joke about this generational diversity is quite popular these days. However, in the real world of careers, behind this laughter lies a story of great transformation. A recent global report by the UK research institute ‘Resolution Foundation’ shows that Gen-G youth (born between 1997 and 2012) are clearly ahead of Millennials (born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s) in the race for income at the beginning of their careers. The Millennials are quickly overcoming the initial shock caused by the global recession. By the age of 24, their real income has increased by about 12 percent compared to the previous generation. This growth is about 36 percent for the lowest income group!
However, alongside this wonderful financial news, an invisible positive competition has also been created in the workplace, which is also very relevant in the context of Bangladesh.
Tanjila, 35, is a team leader at a multinational company in Dhaka. Her desk is lined with books and diaries. Tanjila’s main habit before taking on any new project is to study extensively. Tanjila said, “In our time, we relied more on books than the internet. So we have developed the patience to go deep into any subject. I want our Gen-G colleagues in our team to also adopt this reading habit. They should understand the depth of the research instead of just scrolling on the surface.”
Adeeb, a 26-year-old Gen-G developer on Tanzila’s team, is at his fingertips with any new AI tool or technology update. Adeeb quickly ran his finger across the laptop screen and said with a smile, “From you, I learned how to patiently pursue a complex subject. I am now trying to learn the special power of reading books, as he showed me.”
Teammates are learning all the new tech tricks from Tanjila and Adib. Adib’s agile technology practice is giving a modern momentum to Tanjila’s long-standing work experience. Tanjila is now using AI tools to create her project presentations perfectly in an instant.
There is another person in this office—Jeeb Roy. He represents a generation that is right in between Millennials and Gen-Z. Jeeb says, “There is no generation gap in our office now. The positive interaction between Tanjila Apu’s deep knowledge and Adib’s technical smarts—the quality of our entire team’s work has increased dramatically.”
However, research warns that the boom in Gen Z’s career could be threatened at any time due to ongoing geopolitical instability and economic pressures around the world. And this is where the ‘patience and reading habits’ of Millennials and the ‘technology habits’ of Gen Z need to come together.
