The Story We Keep Telling About Gen Z

Written by: Vicki Leech

There’s a lot said about Gen Z at the moment.

Apparently they don’t want to work hard. They’re entitled. They expect too much too quickly. They’re difficult to manage.  

If I’m honest, that just hasn’t been my experience.

What I’ve Actually Seen at Work

Over the last few years, I’ve worked closely with several apprentices and early-career colleagues, and what I’ve seen is something very different.

They work hard. They’re proactive. They want to learn. And they genuinely care about doing a good job.

 Clarity, Not Entitlement

What stands out most isn’t a lack of work ethic — it’s their clarity.

They’re open about what interests them and where they want to add value. They’ll say “can I get involved in that?” or “I’d love to try this” rather than quietly waiting to be told. As a manager, that makes life easier, not harder. You can align work to strengths and see them progress quickly because they’re engaged from day one.

Digital Confidence in Action

Our Marketing Apprentice, Oliver, who created a website and chatbot as part of his application

They’re also incredibly confident with technology. One of our recent apprentices even built an entire website and a working chatbot as part of their interview to show us why we should hire them.

Not a CV. Not slides. A live, interactive solution.

That level of initiative and practical thinking was a real “wow” moment — and since joining, they’ve helped us rethink what’s possible with AI in ways we probably wouldn’t have explored otherwise.

Is It Really Generational at All?

But sometimes I wonder if we overcomplicate this by calling it a “Gen Z” thing at all.

A lot of what I see isn’t generational — it’s just what early-career talent has always looked like: curious, ambitious, and keen to make an impact.

Every generation gets labelled. And usually it’s negative.

Maybe the tools and expectations are different now, but the fundamentals haven’t changed.

Opportunity, Not a Risk

Give people meaningful work, support them properly, and most will step up.

From where I’m sitting, this isn’t a risk to manage — it’s a huge opportunity to learn from.