Articles, research findings and commentary from Alastair Greener on how the generations communicate at work and beyond.
Young people are not snowflakes. NHS England's Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey found 25.8% of 16 to 24 year olds in England had a common mental health condition in 2023/4, up from…
There is less of a generational culture clash at work than the headlines suggest. In our 2023 study of more than 100 HR managers in Britain, only 6% rated friction between age groups…
What sounds professional now depends on who is listening. In our 2024 survey of 4,067 people, 75% of UK workers said thinking and behaviour at work vary by age, and 51% named…
Gen Z are asking for leadership that is more human: curious, empathetic and clear about how each person likes to work. Deloitte's 2026 Gen Z and Millennial Survey found 84% of UK Gen Z…
Young people's mental health has worsened, but they are not broken: they are responding to the world they grew up in. NHS England found that 23.3% of 17 to 19 year olds had a probable…
Gen Z are the generation most likely to call themselves perfectionists, though fewer than half do. In our 2024 UK survey of 4,067 people, 42% of Gen Z said "I tend to be a…
To recruit Gen Z, speak their language: be open about pay, culture and progression, advertise where they are, and be honest about flexibility. In our Communication Habits and…
Alastair Greener argues that people come back to the office when they have a reason to: the quick questions, informal feedback and company they can't get at home. Resolution Foundation…
A younger boss and an older employee work best together when both sides adapt: the manager adjusts how they communicate and asks for the older person's experience, and the employee…
There is no single right number of hours, but the wish for a better balance runs across the generations, even if they expect it in different ways. In our 2023 study of more than 100 HR…
The generations use emojis at very different rates, though a 2025 study found they read face emojis in much the same way. In our 2024 survey of 4,067 people, 43% of Gen Z use emojis or…
A carent is someone who cares for an ageing parent while holding down a job, often with children at home too. Carers UK says nearly 3 million people in the UK balance unpaid care with…
The first months decide whether a new starter stays. In our Generations in the Workplace Study 2023, 51% of HR managers found retention easiest to manage among 41 to 60 year olds and…
The Representation of the People Bill would lower the voting age to 16 for UK Parliament elections and local elections in England and Northern Ireland, adding around 1.7 million…
Young adults in the UK feel lonely more often than people in their sixties. The Resolution Foundation found in August 2026 that 18 to 29 year olds are twice as likely as 60 to 69 year…
56% of children aged 8 to 17 in the UK say they have used AI, and one in ten of those users (11%) say they have used it as someone to talk to or "as a friend", according to Ofcom's…
Quiet quitting is getting more expensive because it lasts longer: when jobs are harder to find, disengaged people stay put. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report found…
Only 6% of UK managers believe young recruits are ready for work, while 45% of 18 to 24 year olds believe they entered the workforce equipped with the skills needed to succeed, the…
Since 1 September 2026, schools in England have been expected to be mobile phone-free by default throughout the school day, including breaktimes and lunchtime, under statutory guidance…
The UK decided on 15 June 2026 to ban social media for under-16s, with protections expected in spring 2027. Australia's ban gives the first evidence: three months after it began in…
Graduate vacancies fell to a record low of 8,383 in July 2026, down 45.6% on a year, according to Adzuna. AI is only part of the explanation: chief financial officers surveyed by…
The Alastair Greener Generationally Speaking podcast has released an episode every two weeks since January 2025, with guests aged from 15 to 90. It is recorded at Granary Digital, the…
A hybrid event is two events at once, one in the room and one on screens elsewhere, and a mixed-age audience raises the stakes for both. Clear sound, checked captions, one simple…
The Generationally Speaking podcast has recorded guests aged from 15 to 90, and their age changes less about a recording than people expect. The microphones, cameras and room stay the…
Different generations watch video in different places. Ofcom found in 2026 that TikTok is used by 83% of social media users aged 16 to 24 but 7% of those aged 75 and over, while…
The State Pension age is rising from 66 to 67 in monthly steps between May 2026 and March 2028. DWP figures published in September 2026 show 72.2% of people aged 50 to 64 in work and a…
ONS figures published on 15 September 2026 put unemployment among 16 to 24 year olds at 16.4% in May to July 2026, up from 14.3% a year earlier, and 981,000 young people were NEET in…
2026 is a year of generational milestones. The youngest Millennials turn 30, the oldest Baby Boomers turn 80, the oldest Gen Z turn 29, the oldest Generation Alpha turn 13 and…
We are framed by our generation, not defined by it. In this personal piece Alastair Greener explains the idea behind his work, why generational insight is useful as a lens and…
Gen Z and Millennials are often lumped together as "young workers", but our 2024 UK survey of 4,067 people shows where they differ. 81% of 18 to 21 year olds are ambitious to move up…
WhatsApp is the most common way to contact friends and family for every generation in our 2024 UK survey of 4,067 people except the Silent Generation, who phone first (47%). This…
45% of Gen Z workers want feedback from their boss at least weekly, according to our 2024 UK survey of 4,067 people, compared with 17% of Baby Boomers who want it only once a year. 41%…
A conference audience now spans four working generations, and our 2024 UK survey of 4,067 people shows they want different things. 32% of 22 to 27 year olds would rather network…
The phone call is not dying, but voicemail is. In our 2024 UK survey of 4,067 people, 39% like speaking on the phone and do it a lot, while only 26% would leave a voicemail if a call…
Reverse mentoring pairs a junior employee with a senior colleague so that knowledge, usually about technology, culture or the experience of being young in the organisation, flows…
It’s a popular and very common question, but it’s the wrong one. I believe a better one might be: “How can we encourage Gen Z to come to the workplace?” I think it’s a mistake to…
This weekend, some friends told me about baby boomers they know starting brand new careers in their 50s and 60s as cabin crew for British Airways. It’s a fascinating move that’s…
We love to pigeonhole generations, don’t we? But when it comes to AI, it’s not just one generation. More and more of us are using AI today, and interestingly, Gartner refers to 2024 in…
Do you still listen to friends, family and experts when making decisions? How much does social media affect your thinking? This is something I’m interested in in our 2024 Communication…
If you haven’t heard of festivalisation , you’re not alone, but it’s getting more and more people’s attention. The reason is because traditional conferences rarely capture attention…
With child mental health concerns at an all-time high, and only three weeks into the new school year, the debate around mobile phones in schools is heating up again. A school in…
In my work understanding generational differences, I love engaging with individuals from various age groups. Recently, while donating blood, I spoke with a 21-year-old nurse studying…
Who would have thought punctuation could cause offence but there is a real generational divide over the ellipsis? Those three little dots have become a surprising battleground between…
This is what I constantly hear from employers I meet, so what can we do to help them understand and work with this generation? We currently have 4 generations in the workforce, and…
Ok, that might have been a long time ago but today in the UK hundreds of thousands of young Gen Z students are getting their A-level, T-level, BTec Nationals, and other Level 3 results…
In today’s workplace, we’re witnessing the unique dynamics of up to five different generations working side by side. This mix brings valuable perspectives but also poses challenges…
That’s what I would say if I was a Gen Z or Millennial according to a Uswitch Survey that found a quarter of 18 to 34 year olds never answer their phones.
How often do you hear that nowadays because I finally did it, my new broadband package doesn’t include a landline. I’m probably behind the curve here because in the UK, landlines are…
You may recall the quote about being individual in the Monty Python Film “Life of Brian” but the concept of individualism has been around for centuries. In the 5th century BC Socrates…
Gen Z is often credited with reshaping our language, introducing words, phrases, and communication styles that feel fresh, bold, and reflective of the times. For example Brat’ has been…
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