Steven Bartlett, the entrepreneur and superstar podcaster, ruffled a few younger feathers recently when he described Gen Z as “the least resilient generation I have ever seen”. He added: “I just fear that when I’m hiring people in that generation, I almost need to go an extra length just to check they can cope with a high-intensity culture where demands might come on a Saturday – because the world doesn’t just stop on a Saturday and Sunday.”
His initial take is not a unique one. For many of their older fellow citizens, Gen Z are a source of irritation and disappointment. They’re too sensitive. They’re too easily offended. And they lack the inner toughness required to deal with the challenges and inevitable setbacks of everyday work and life.
