Gen Z are all the same
Yesterday, I spoke to a CEO who told me, very confidently, that everyone would soon be back in the office five days a week.
"It’s going to happen."
I asked him how his company works. He hesitated, then admitted:
📈 Data analysts focus best at home and rarely come in.
💶 Sales-people choose to go into the office most days.
📊 Finance prefers remote work, but the CFO hosts a fixed monthly in-person catch-up.
📆 Directors have three set office days so others know when they’ll be around.
"And does that work for you?" I asked.
"Absolutely," he said.
Which begs the question, why are so many still circling the location of everyone rather than what they do when they get there? Something explored with James Chandler and Bruce Daisley on the IAB podcast last week.
I have many answers (wanting connection, hoping to turn things around, following the US model, CEO success bias, nostalgia, control, fairness). Interested in yours.
And you might also like the research shared by Melanie Rosenwasser (Dropbox), showing that more than four in ten rarely have more than an hour without being interrupted — meaning workers loose 553 hours of productive time annually...could it be we’re battling on the wrong ground?
Gen Z: Finally, Some Nuance
This brings us to some brilliant research from James Hamilton (Channel 4) and Konrad Collao (Craft). A rare, nuanced take on Gen Z. They’ve identified six distinct groups:
💪🏻 Girl Power
🥊 Fight for Rights
❌ Boys Can’t Be Boys
0️⃣ Zero-Sum Thinkers
🎲 Dice Are Loaded
🗒️ Blank Slates
Konrad talks about these on the vlog—would love to hear if they resonate with you.
Forever January
We made it! Finally. Goodbye, longest month ever.
Some of my January highlights:
🏆 Sharing what companies need to do to Thrive in 2030, trends, data, and politics, at the Pendulum Summit in Dublin. To 2,000 people. In a sequin suit. Fellow keynote David Meade said ”Hands down my favourite speaker! Super fun and great take aways.” Which is the speaker equivalent of a Paul Hollywood handshake in bread week.
🗞️ Launching my new Get It Done keynote at the FT. It’s personal and raw and rips up the rulebook, rejecting all “just work harder" nonsense. Mike Hepburn, MD of The FT Forum said: “You were absolutely brilliant Christine! You had the audience on ‘Hello' and you kept them engaged with your insights, humour, honesty and energy - a powerful combination that provoked laughter, soul searching and tears (and that was just me)".
⚡️ Unleashing Team Energy. Eight actions to take for teams deliver more and have more fun. I’ve been sharing this at January off-sites as teams gear up for ambitious 2025 targets. One of the people who booked me said, “Fantastic stage presence, clear data-basked points and you left the room energised and motivated".
If I can bring big energy, fresh thinking or just a good dose of clarity to your team, let’s talk.
Happy Ffffffffebruary (phew...)
Christine x
