Work Redefined

Generation Alpha is entering the workforce with a different mindset. They were taken advantage of as teenagers and in college. They worked long hours to cover the outrageous expenses of going to school. And there was little to show after expenses. Money does not matter to them because they worked hard and they didn't see any money left over. Lifestyle and fitness is their goal. As long they reach a certain pay scale, Generation Alpha will not care if you throw more money at him. He values his free time, his freedom, and his lifestyle. Retirement packages and health benefits mean nothing to him. 401K? Is that an energy drink? The new generation is focused on "me". And you know what, good for them. I wish I had done it sooner.

Generation Alpha realizes that Covid has given the employee the upper hand. Now it's the employer that is doing the somersaults to woo new employees. Employers are reaching deep in their pockets for the carrot that will keep their present employees happy. Bosses are becoming paranoid and are fearing their employees are planning to quit and go elsewhere. What does generation Alpha want? Six-packs that are worthy of a selfie.

Free time

New employees are demanding shorter workweeks. They are willing to work a little longer, but only 4 days a week, no, three days a week. The workweek is being down-sized from forty hours to thirty-two. Salaried employees are becoming dinosaurs. No more 50 plus work hours per week. It interferes with workouts and weekend marathon training. They are happy if they don't get a pay raise or a promotion because someone is willing to offer more for less work. By then they are hardcore intent on finishing the marathon with a time they want to brag about on Tik Tok. They are willing to quit a month before their marathon or Ironman competition in order to focus on their event. They will job hunt after the competition.

Remote Work

Going back to the office is not a given anymore. The casual Friday is being replaced with Virtual Fridays. Employers don't like it because there is no accountability if work is remote. Are the employees working eight or ten hours at work, or are they working two or three hours, checking and writing emails and calling it a day's work? No way of telling. And are the employees sneaking off to the gym or getting their morning work-out at the company's expense. Hell yeah. If the boss finds out, then who cares. Good luck boss at finding somebody to train and replace them. And odds are, the boss will likely need to hike his salary offer, in order to get someone to respond to the job listing. And I haven't even mentioned the cost of training new hires. Hey boss, you go over the company's stats this weekend. Generation Alpha is serious about training for the next year's Ironman competition.

Salaries and the Minimum Wage are skyrocketing.

If you don't believe me, then you haven't noticed the signs that are everywhere. Walmart and McDonald's are bragging about $15 per hour. A local pizza joint is willing to pay $18/hr with a $300 bonus to be a Pizza delivery driver. You still keep the tips. A salary unheard of for these employers before the pandemic. Five years ago these Fortune 500 companies were embarrassed to advertise their minimum wages for fear of condemnation and ridicule. It was so pathetically low. It's payback time for all the weekends and after-school shifts working for minimum wage during high school. Sixteen-year-olds were intimidated into working the night before a big exam. Now those teenagers are grown up, and they haven't forgotten. Do you want me to work on my weekend off? Screw you, Sir. Maybe I'll be back on Monday for work. It depends on my mood.

Less Job Stress

Hollywood has given the world their new role models in the workforce. 'Friends' showed the world that living in New York City as a part-time waitress was easy peasy. Rachel was able to pay her rent, shop designer outfits at Bloomingdale's, and still have enough left over to eat at a trendy restaurant. If her social schedule wasn't filled, she would bus a few tables. By the way, were there any hot single guys at the restaurant? Isn't life grand! The Alpha generation can spend time in the lunchroom, talking about their personal lives and cracking jokes. No calls to the client, no feverish typing on the keyboard. It's all about me, work will get done when I feel like it. Hey, it's beginning to feel like the first week of class in high school, but year-round. No deadlines, no homework, just waiting for the three o'clock bell to ring so that Generation Alpha can go hang out with their friends at the coffee house.

Vacations are Becoming Bigger and More Frequent

Generation Alpha has made the Gap Year trendy. Everyone is taking a gap year after graduating from College. Originally, if you didn't get into a master's or graduate program, you used the gap year to strengthen your credentials. This means taking a few upper-level college courses, studying more for the entrance exam, and maybe volunteering at the hospital or doing research. After a year of hard work and scrambling, the credentials look better and more polished. Now your resume looks great. Graduate schools can't resist me now.

Today, the Gap Year is for personal development. Translation: take a year off and have a great time. Back-packing in Europe becomes spending a year on European studies, culture, or linguistics. You design your curriculum, and there are no homework, term papers, or exams. The only reading assignments are bistro menus. Classroom discussions are held at cafes and bistros with fellow travelers that you just met. Water bottles are being replaced by wine glasses. The exchange of ideas involves where did other travelers visit and was it a blast. 

Now, many of these students who have finished their Gap year did so just before Covid. Remote work has morphed into a Gap Ph.D. program. This involves doing research for your company and having a good time also. The work is getting done, but you have plenty of time to get it done. Remote work means traveling to Spain for three months and moving on to Paris for another three months. Delays are the norm. Call it supply-chain disruptions, covid related slow-downs, whatever you like. There is less work and lots of time to get it done. And the government is giving your boss an incentive to keep people on the payroll. Italy sounds good after Paris.

"I need to leave early from work, I have to work out at the Gym."

Today, the one thing that all new hires are willing to fight for is a gym membership. Throw a gym membership in a fighting cage and you will see the bloodiest match possible between job applicants. Heck, it's okay to post your two-hour workouts on Instagram or Tik Tok. Check out my six-packs. My boss won't even notice, he still uses Facebook. 

The second most desirable perk is a set of golf clubs. If you are not offering free passes at the nearest driving range, you can keep your job and golf clubs. But he really wants the putter, and that nine iron. Come to think about it; he takes the golf clubs, but he doesn't want the job. On his way out the new boss screams, "your hired, come Monday morning around nine."

"I'll think about it" is the typical generation alpha reply. Meanwhile, he is running out the door with a new set of clubs. He can be at the public golf course in fifteen minutes and squeeze in nine holes. Generation Alpha loves his new career.

Generation Alpha shows up on Tuesday at 11 AM. He had a prior appointment with his personal trainer. His trainer wrote him a letter of excuse. The boss bit his tongue and smiled.