The Secret Ingredient for a Great Team
Last week, the Pluria team met for the very first time in person: people from different continents, different generations, different perspectives. And although I met some of them for the first time, I felt like I already knew them very well.
One of the questions that came up in our discussions was: who are Gen Z, this generation that joined the workforce in the past years?
Are they outgoing or introverted? Do they value work-life balance and flexibility? What do they like, and how do they behave in life compared to those of us who are ‘more experienced’?
Gen Z is quickly gaining ground as an important part of the workforce, following the Millennials, so they are not only our colleagues now but also our current or future customers.
They are the first digital-native generation—independent and self-reliant—shaped by the pandemic that disrupted our lives.
A study done by The Times and YouGov last week looks at Gen Z in Britain and their hopes and fears. Only 11% would fight for their country, only 11% would trust the police ‘a lot’ if they were the victim of a crime, and only 1 in 10 Gen Zers want to work in the office full-time.
The data shows a huge shift in generational behavior and attitudes, one that will shape the country for years to come.
An interview on our blog with Mădălina Rădulescu, coach and mentor, raises some questions for employers and managers working with Gen Z: we need to shift from “what to do with them” to “what to do together.”All new generations are different from the previous ones, but we keep forgetting that.
Being different isn’t something bad, even if this sometimes scares us. It can be an advantage (to surpass others), an opportunity (to learn, grow), or simply a fun way to mix and match a great team.
Anca Șerban, Head of Marketing @ Pluria
Thought Leadership
The hopes, fears and feelings of Gen Z (The Times)
A study on Gen Z reveals deep dissatisfaction, with many feeling disconnected from national identity, wary of democracy, and burdened by economic challenges.
LexisNexis® Future of Work Report 2025
The report explores how generative AI boosts productivity while raising trust and ethical concerns. Many companies are adapting, but some remain hesitant.
Future of Work News
Office attendance is becoming a performance metric (Financial Times)
Companies are linking office attendance to performance and pay. This supports RTO policies but may push away employees who value flexibility.
Gen Z has turned against taking middle management roles (Financial Times)
Gen Z is rejecting middle management roles, seeing them as stressful and unrewarding. Being the boss feels like a thankless slog to many young employees.
The human resources reckoning (Financial Times)
HR faces major challenges like economic disruptions, shifting diversity goals, and RTO mandates. Often seen as bureaucratic, this is a chance to strengthen key areas.
Connected News
RTO mandates won’t necessarily boost worker engagement — and might hurt it (Business Insider)
JPMorgan CEO Dimon derides in-office work pushback, demands efficiency (Reuters)
The Big Four are sticking with hybrid work. Here are the RTO policies of Deloitte, KPMG, EY, and PwC (Business Insider)
How far you live from work could determine your RTO (Business Insider)
Return-to-office mandates cause logistics chaos (Financial Times)
Inside Amazon’s messy push to bring everyone back to the office (The Wall Street Journal)
Bosses are fed up with remote work for 4 main reasons. Some of them are undeniable (Fortune)