Feedback Might Not Be Generational
A Wall Street Journal headline, “The 20-Something Employees Who Want Feedback to Be Gentle,” exaggerates generational differences. The article body explains feedback guidelines for every generation.
Employees want direct feedback given in a kind way. They want clear direction and to know where they stand. Nothing new here—for people of any age.
Generational differences continue to be overstated. They make compelling news headlines and help us make sense of our reactions to others. Authors of a 2020 article in Journal of Business and Psychology argue against “the ubiquity of generations despite a lack of evidence for their existence and impact.” Instead, they propose a social constructionist perspective: we create generational differences and then reinforce their existence. In addition, the authors recommend a lifespan development perspective, viewing aging as a continuous process rather than focusing on distinct groups with arbitrary cutoffs. From this perspective, some characteristics we ascribe to Gen Z may have applied to Baby Boomers when they were young and new to the workforce too.
A common narrative is that Gen Zers are too delicate to receive feedback. Perhaps we perpetuate this idea by being too “gentle” or avoiding feedback for young employees. This avoidance deprives them of the opportunity to develop workplace skills of listening openly, receiving feedback gracefully, and making meaningful changes. Maybe we can stop imagining Gen Zers as feedback resistant. No one likes being criticized. Presenting feedback in a constructive and supportive way is different from being “gentle” and is good practice for all employees.
A 20-year-old at an AI startup quoted in the article suggests “pointing out mistakes and then offering a solution.” Instead, managers could give the direct feedback, but then encourage employees to come up with their own solutions first. This way, employees identify that works for them and become more committed to change. Let’s increase all employees’ accountability.