Gen-Z were far more likely to disguise or adjust their true selves in front of their seniors, with over 91% saying they communicated with other generations differently, compared to just 73% of millennials. Gen-Z don’t care about their careers 63% of both generations saying there is a divide between Gen-Z and older generations at work.
We think Gen Z is suffering from an image problem. Whether it’s a perceived laziness, mental fragility, or unwillingness to commit to a career, negative stereotypes are everywhere. At YBB we work with phenomenal young people every day, so we know these stereotypes are not only unfair, they’re also hugely damaging to the creative sector. This report will attempt to set the record straight on behalf of our Gen Z colleagues and suggest ways to improve the industry for everyone.
Growing up through austerity, an unprecedented global pandemic, and a looming environmental crisis, Gen Z creatives continue to face a unique cocktail of challenges. In 2024 Youth Beyond Borders (YBB) and EssenceMediacom (EMC) set out to help the next generation with a flagship programme called Future Friday’s. The programme gave young people the opportunity to develop creative projects through 8 weekly micro-residencies in professional settings, with financial support and mentoring from leading figures in the creative sector.
Our cohort of young creatives threw themselves into the project, creating some groundbreaking work and forging networks that will help them carve a path through the industry in years to come.
Yet something still felt off. Participants reported that they often struggled to communicate with senior leaders in their placement organisations, and opportunities to present their ideas in formal contexts led to feelings of awkwardness and hesitation. Put simply, our participants felt that they were unable to be their authentic selves in the workplace, meaning that their creativity, enthusiasm, and potential were being overlooked.
This is part of a wider trend that we have noticed within our network of 1,500+ young creatives in the U.K.
As a result, we wondered whether companies in the creative industry were failing to truly capitalise on the potential of the next generation, falling back on assumptions and lazy tropes about Gen Z’s attitude to work.
After consulting over 500 UK-based creatives, who fit into either the Gen-Z or Millennial age category, we learnt that Gen-Z were far more likely to disguise or adjust their true selves in front of their seniors, with over 91% saying they communicated with other generations differently, compared to just 73% of millennials.
Our research showed that this dramatic disconnect had been noticed by both Millennials and Gen Z, with 63% of both generations saying there is a divide between Gen-Z and older generations at work. Clearly, an open conversation and urgent solutions to the problem are needed.
It’s evident that older generations aren’t fully aligned with Gen Z’s outlook and are misunderstanding young people’s attitudes to key issues like work-life balance, AI adoption, and side-hustles. This report will foreground the honest opinions and amazing capabilities of our young people, providing a blueprint for a creative industry that works for everyone.
Gen-Z can’t predict the future, but they damn sure will shape it.