Latest news with #Gen Z
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Millennial women were told to chase our dreams. That's left us burnt out, broke and dreaming of a rich patron
A couple of weeks ago, I came across an Amy Poehler joke in which she sums up the different generational experiences of money: 'Boomers are all about money. Gen X is like: 'Is it all about money?' Millennials ask: 'Where is the money?' And gen Z is like: 'What is money?'' It made me laugh – but it also hit a nerve. It felt painfully accurate and oddly comforting. Maybe it's not just me. I'm a millennial, and financial insecurity has been a theme in my life for a while. But recently, it's grown louder, and I literally can't stop asking: 'WHERE IS THE GODDAMN MONEY?' I used to ask nicely. After all, I was raised to be a grateful, polite millennial – the kind who believed that magic always happens outside your comfort zone and therefore did unpaid internships in her 20s and sent thank-you emails after being underpaid. But no more. Hence the capital letters. I'm raging. Maybe it's because I'm approaching 40. Maybe it's because I keep comparing myself with my parents, who by this age had two kids, a car, a house, a garden and three holidays a year. I'm not just raging. After 15 years of working non-stop, I'm exhausted. And there are days when I ask myself: is it really meant to be this way – or am I just failing? Am I simply not grownup enough when it comes to money? I know the answer isn't that simple – or that harsh. Because usually, after days spent examining my shortcomings, I also think: no, this can't just be personal failure. Maybe the odds were never in my favour. Millennial women like myself were told to work hard and follow our passion. Because if you work hard and find something you're good at, it'll pay off. It doesn't, though. The path I've chosen – creative, independent – offers very little in the way of long-term security and when I look around, a pattern emerges. Over dinner recently with three friends – two men and one woman, all about my age – we started talking about money worries. The woman, a talented sculptor, said she had been feeling deeply anxious. She thought it was partly hormones, but more than that, it was existential. She was considering retraining, maybe going into teaching – anything to build a more stable life. At one point, she turned to me and asked: 'How do you do it?' I said: 'I juggle three things at once.' Meanwhile, the two men nodded sympathetically. They work in the arts – but both have full-time jobs and permanent contracts. One just bought a plot of land. The other has tenure. The women are freelancers. The men are secure. Is it our fault? Couldn't we just do what they did? I don't think so. Our economic system doesn't just undervalue women's work. It depends on it. It relies on our flexibility, our unpaid labour, our creative output, our willingness to 'make it work'. It assumes women will absorb the risk, subsidise culture and care with their own time, energy and savings. In creative industries, this is especially stark: women are expected to be grateful to be there at all. To work 'for exposure', for the opportunity – not the paycheque. And that gratitude has kept us quiet, compliant – and broke. This is no accident – it's systemic. In Germany, women across all age groups earn less, save less and live longer. If you're single and self-employed, you're automatically walking a financial tightrope with no net and you'll likely belong to the 70% of working women today who are at risk of poverty in old age. (Recent data from the German Federal Statistical Office reports that the gender gap in retirement income amounts to 29.9%.) I can't believe I'm saying this out loud, but it feels like the only safety net is a rich spouse. When I told my friend a few days ago that I prefer dating artists, she threw up her hands: 'No! You need to find a hedge fund manager!' I thought of that meme – 'I'm looking for a man in finance' – and rolled my eyes. But she wasn't wrong. A wealthy and steady partner is the most reliable pension plan for many women. I don't want a husband, though. What I secretly long for is a patron. The 18th-century kind. Someone who says: 'I believe in your work. Go write. Don't worry about anything.' Or, more realistically: universal basic income. And a proper educational system for the next generation of women. One that teaches them how to handle money, so they don't fall into the same trap. Seriously: can someone explain to me why we didn't learn about compound interest, mortgages, tax brackets and pensions in school? Isn't financial literacy a basic part of education, if the goal is to raise well-equipped adults? Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion I've worked my heart out for more than a decade. I've built a body of work I'm proud of. And yet, I still get nervous opening my banking app. Still avoid deep financial talk. Still don't fully understand the German tax system. I fell for the silly belief that talking about money is obscene. Sometimes I want to slap myself for not having made smarter choices. For not having planned, protected myself by investing or talking to experts. Instead, I kept dreaming about a life filled with interesting encounters, stories, intellectually stimulating conversations. And honestly, there's still a part of me that cherishes that softness. To be a European millennial now – in our late 30s – means witnessing the erosion of the ideals we grew up with, yet still holding on to something tender. Maybe naive. Maybe vital. We were promised a lot and trained for little. And perhaps this vulnerability – this capacity to imagine a different, less materialistic world – is not only a weakness. It might be a strength, of a playful sort. In Istanbul, my current place of residence, people buy gold. I own some gold jewellery – some pieces were gifts, others inherited. I don't like most of them and rarely wear them. But with gold prices soaring, I've been looking at them differently. Gold is finite, after all, which means it keeps its value. Unlike stocks. My plan: take these items to a friend in the Grand Bazaar who deals in gold. There's something almost magical about the idea of turning my few rings and necklaces into gold plaques – a quiet stash I can cash in quickly, to be kept in a velvet pouch that would look like a fairytale treasure chest. A reminder of how much I'm still clinging to a world of fantasy. And maybe that's the whole trick. Keep going. Keep improvising. Because our boomer parents told us to follow our passion. And now? We're melting down our jewellery. Carolin Würfel is a writer, screenwriter and journalist who lives in Berlin and Istanbul. She is the author of Three Women Dreamed of Socialism
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Hidden Talent Strategy CEOs Are Overlooking: Business Travel
Few things are more embedded in the fabric of business than business travel. And yet, for most organizations, it's still viewed in three limited ways: a tool for building client relationships, a necessary expense, or a logistical nuisance. Rarely is business travel framed as something far more strategic: a lever for attracting, developing, and retaining top talent. According to recent American Express data, 80% of companies now use business travel to recruit and retain employees. And for younger professionals, travel isn't just an expectation, it's a differentiator. More than 84% of business travelers see it as a perk, with that number jumping to 88% among Gen Z and Millennials. In a world where professional development often feels abstract, especially in hybrid environments, business travel offers something tangible: face time, proximity, and momentum. For rising leaders, it's one of the fastest ways to gain access to decision-makers and signal ambition within a company. But most travel programs aren't designed with any of that in mind. They prioritize logistics and compliance over morale and growth. They treat travel as a commodity, not a culture-shaping asset. As the workplace continues to evolve, organizations would do well to reframe the question from 'What does this trip cost?' to 'What kind of leader will this trip help us develop?' Why Business Travel Is Even More Valuable In Today's World Global business travel spending is projected to hit $1.57 trillion in 2025 and exceed $2 trillion by 2029. The resurgence of business travel isn't about nostalgia. It's about effectiveness, as 93% of companies say they can directly attribute growth to in-person meetings, and 87% of travelers believe client relationships are stronger when built through face-to-face interactions. But there's a deeper implication. In a digital-first, meeting-saturated world, in-person time has become a scarce, high-impact organizational currency. Business travel is now one of the few remaining ways to cultivate deeper trust and cohesion across teams, markets, and partnerships. For younger professionals, it's even more valuable. Travel becomes a proxy for visibility, mentorship, exposure, and accelerated development—all of which are things that no Zoom call can replicate. The Overlooked Business Travel Paradox Here's where things get complicated. The employees most excited about business travel are also the ones most likely to struggle with it. Gen Z and Millennials overwhelmingly view travel as a perk and rate their experiences more positively than older generations. And yet, nearly half report difficulty staying productive on the road (46%), and half say business travel negatively affects their well-being (50%). That compares to just 33% and 40% for Gen X and Boomers, respectively. This scenario is the business travel paradox: your most eager travelers are often your most vulnerable. For many early-career professionals, business travel is their first taste of high-stakes autonomy: tight deadlines, unfamiliar cities, and evolving expectations. It's also when personal well-being systems tend to fall apart: poor sleep, less-than-ideal nutritional habits, and the constant tug of context switching. The result isn't just physical fatigue, it's also diminished decision-making, weaker engagement, and unrealized potential. Organizations that overlook this risk miss a strong development opportunity. Worse, they may unintentionally create a silent churn of promising talent. Business travel is either a performance accelerator or a deflator. The outcome depends entirely on how a company prepares its people and supports them along the way. How Organizations Can Upgrade Business Travel Business travel is more than a functional necessity. It's part of the leadership development infrastructure and talent management strategy. As companies aim to refine and improve their business travel experience, here are some key ideas to keep in mind: Not every meeting requires travel. But when it does, there should be a clear strategic objective: revenue growth, client retention, team cohesion, or leadership exposure. Business class upgrades and lounge access are fine, but they don't fix sleep debt, dietary chaos, or cognitive drain. The next wave of industry leaders will be the ones who integrate frameworks to help traveling employees maintain energy, clarity, and well-being on the road. Track more than just the cost or frequency. Ask: What business impact did this trip generate? What relationships were deepened? What emerging talent gained confidence? How is the well-being of our most frequent travelers trending over time? Business Travel Is A Cultural Asset When travel decisions are made solely at the intersection of finance and operations, something critical gets lost: culture and growth opportunities. The companies best positioned for the future are the ones expanding that business travel decision-making intersection to include talent development and well-being. If business travel is marching toward a $2 trillion global market, the winners won't be the ones who merely spend the most. They'll be the ones who invest the best—not just in destinations, but in people. Because in the end, business travel isn't just about where team members go. It's about who they become on the way there.
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- News.com.au
Gen Z travel trend making boomer's heads explode
Every week Gen Zers are sneaking off on 'hush trips' while they're supposed to be working. Some say it's a clever way to avoid burnout, while others reckon it should be a fireable offence. Since Gen Z have clomped into the workforce in their Crocs and Docs, we've seen a heap of changes, all focused around finding a better work-life balance. While Millennials and Gen X initially resisted (why should you have it easy when we suffered?) habits like acting your wage, bleisure-trips and actually staying home when sick are now quite common. Now Gen Z are pushing their luck further. Enter: 'hush trips'. A 'hush trip' is a holiday you take on the sly, on a day your employer thinks you are working from home. If you normally work remotely on a Friday, for instance, you might treat yourself to a long weekend by driving to your destination on a Thursday night, working from your holiday destination on the Friday, and seeing the sights on the weekend. People who work remotely 100 per cent of the time are getting away with even longer 'hush trips'. There are stories of people going on week-long cruises, all while giving their bosses the impression they are working as normal. Signs your co-workers might be 'hush tripping' include: increased happiness, unexplained joy and midwinter sun tan. Gen Z has always been a 'work around the system' kind of generation, Gen Z expert Corey Seemiller told Escape. 'If they don't have a healthy work-life balance above board, it's easy to see why some might find a way to work right around 'the system' in order to claim that balance,' Dr Seemiller said. 'While lying to a supervisor is not an acceptable solution, until workplaces embrace a culture of balance, trends like these may continue to happen.' Fellow Gen Z expert and social researcher Dr Claire Madden said: 'Gen Z are a hyper-connected, globally networked generation who have been shaped by technological ubiquity. 'This has meant they have not been restricted by geographic proximity for networking, education or work,' Dr Madden told ESCAPE. 'They believe work and learning can happen anywhere, anytime. Gen Z entered their careers in a time of significant global change, with the pandemic accelerating changes to workplace culture around flexibility and hybrid work. 'Hush trips' is an example of how Gen Z have adapted the idea of hybrid work to literally mean working from anywhere at anytime, being acceptable – even on a cruise or overseas holiday.' If you love the idea of 'hush trips', but the embarrassing prospect of being found out is putting you off, might we suggest an alternative. ESCAPE – Australia's go-to website for travel inspiration and advice – is giving one lucky Aussie the chance to become their new Roaming Travel Reporter. The search for this candidate is now underway, with one adventurous Aussie soon to score their dream job as a paid content creator – travelling to six destinations in six months and filming it. To find the perfect person, ESCAPE will be scouring social media for creators who have a knack for shooting epic content. Announcing the opportunity, Head of Food, Travel and Health Kerrie McCallum said: 'This is the real deal. We're on the hunt for someone who knows how to hook an audience, ride the trends, and turn everyday travel moments into standout stories.' 'Our Roaming Travel Reporter will get paid to travel and share their epic adventures, shooting captivating content as they explore incredible destinations.' Travel blogger and TV host Tyson Mayr won a similar competition in 2014 and credits it with kickstarting his creative career, which now spans everything from presenting on travel shows to photography and videography. Mayr, who is helping ESCAPE judge applicants for its 'Greatest Travel Job' competition, said a huge component of winning will come down to being yourself. 'When I won my competition, I wasn't the most technical content creator in the mix. I'd only made a few videos. I didn't have a professional camera. I couldn't even tell you how to frame a shot,' Mayr said. 'But I found ways to let my passion shine through, and to share it in a way that was unique to what I was seeing.' 'To this day,' he said, winning that first competition 'still feels the most monumental – it was when I realised I could travel the world and build a career doing what I love.' 'This is why I'm so excited for this competition – the person who wins is going to have their life changed. Not just because you get paid to travel, but because of the doors it could open.' Interest piqued? Share your most creative travel content on your own TikTok or Instagram account using the hashtag #GreatestTravelJob to go into the running to win. Submissions are open from August 1-31 and will be judged by a panel of travel experts. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favour. And if you don't win, at least you now know what a 'hush trip' is and can take one to console yourself …
Independent Singapore
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
Workplace relationships most common among Singapore's baby boomers and Gen X: Survey
SINGAPORE: Workplace relationships have been found to be most common among older Singapore workers, according to a new survey by global market research and data analytics company Milieu Insight. Notably, nearly four in 10 (38%) baby boomers and three in 10 Gen X in Singapore said they met their most recent partner at work—well above the average across all age groups. When asked about the appropriateness of workplace romance, baby boomers (38%) said such relationships can be acceptable regardless of context. However, most Gen Zs (64%), millennials (57%), and Gen X (46%) believed they are only appropriate if disclosed to HR and professional boundaries are respected. Among millennials, 23% said they met their partner through dating apps, though many also found love at school or work. The survey also found that 44% of all respondents believe romantic relationships between senior-level colleagues were acceptable, as long as HR was informed and things were managed professionally. However, one in four said that even at senior levels, power imbalances could still be a concern. Despite differing views, half of Singaporeans said they could imagine working with their partner—if boundaries were clear—though 40% believed it would blur personal and professional lines, and 37% feared it could test their patience or boundaries. Still, 54% of respondents said such relationships could stir gossip or create uncertainty among colleagues. The survey, which had a margin of error of ±4 percentage points, was conducted online from July 23 to 25 and gathered responses from 500 Singaporeans aged 18 and above. It explored how employees across different generations in Singapore feel about workplace relationships, power dynamics, and corporate accountability. Talk of workplace relationships gained attention after the viral video, which was viewed by over 100 million people globally, of former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his HR chief sharing an intimate moment at a Coldplay concert. In Singapore, more than 70% of Gen Z and millennial respondents said they heard about it through social media, while only 36% of baby boomers were aware of it, with most learning about it from news platforms. Despite the controversy, 39% of all respondents found the video 'entertaining.' Meanwhile, 66% believed the relationship was 'meant to be hidden,' and 56% said the backlash stemmed mainly from the CEO's attempt to 'conceal' it. When it comes to leadership accountability, 63% of all age groups surveyed said leaders should be dismissed for either breaching company policy or engaging in inappropriate personal behaviour. /TISG Read also: Experts link rise in suicides among Singaporeans in their 30s to job insecurity, family pressures, and mental health stress
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Nancy Pelosi's bizarre rambling during speech to Gen Z sparks 'intoxication' claims
Nancy Pelosi 's speech to young liberals Friday baffled onlookers as she had to stop and start a rambling address. The former Speaker of the House, 85, has made viral moments for the wrong reasons this year, snapping at a reporter for asking if she'd run for a 20th term and using a walker to get around the floor of the Capitol. Addressing Gen Z activists at the Voters of Tomorrow summit in Washington, Pelosi attempted to diagnose problems she saw regarding income inequality. 'We've moved to shareholder capitalists, where the CEO of the company is making like 300 or 400 times what the workers are making. It would take some of the workers a lifetime to make... a lifetime to make what the CEO makes in one year,' she said as she gestured using her finger. 'We have important work to do about fairness and all the rest of that. How could that be okay? Even CEOs have complained about that, that's not what capitalism is supposed to be about.' She got sidetracked in trying to figure out how many years a worker would take to earn what a CEO does, saying you'd 'have to go back to before the Revolution... to make what the boss makes.' 'This is unfair, it's unjust, it's undemocratic, it's wrong, it's shameful and it must be shamed. And we are going to... that's our fight, to cancel the cuts,' she said, referring to Donald Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' 'But with a reason... and also listening, to how you see what the priorities should be for the future.' Pelosi tried to end: 'I'll just, again, close by saying... and I mean it this time... I'm from Baltimore, I felt when I was going here that I was going back to Baltimore. Any Marylanders here? Any Californians here?' She then cited the Star-Spangled Banner being written in Baltimore before naming a favorite line from it as she ended the talk. Social media - particularly conservatives - pounced at the speech. 'WTF? What's wrong with Nancy Pelosi, is she intoxicated? Gibberish and more gibberish! I don't think the audience can even understand what she is saying. One of the premier faces of the Democrat Party,' wrote Eric Daugherty. Another took on the content of Pelosi's speech: 'What about the hundreds of millions SHE has made trading stocks of those companies based on insider information?' One compared the address to a fellow California politician's speech patterns: 'She drank Kamala's lemonade.' Another succinctly demanded: 'Term limits.' Pelosi, 84, suffered a fall last December in Europe and underwent hip replacement surgery. 🚨 WTF? What's wrong with Nancy Pelosi, is she intoxicated? Gibberish and more gibberish! I don't think the audience can even understand what she is saying. One of the premier faces of the Democrat Party. — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 25, 2025 Many branded Congress a 'nursing home' after Pelosi was pictured using her walking frame to get around the floor a month later. Heading into the 2025 session, the average age of Congress members is 79 days older than last session, at 58.9 years old. While the image of Pelosi has sparked criticism, she is not the oldest serving member of Congress. Delegate to the House Eleanor Norton holds that title at 88 years old. Hal Rogers is also 87, while Maxine Waters is 86, while Steny Hoyer is 85. Republican congresswoman Kay Granger was recently found in a dementia care facility after she vanished from work. A bombshell report in December revealed the 82-year-old Texas Representative, who hadn't cast a vote in the six months prior, was discovered at a memory care facility after reportedly being found wandering lost and confused through her neighborhood, according to an investigation by the Dallas Express. Granger, who wound up a nearly 30-year career in the House in January, was reportedly living in the $4,000-a-month nursing home for the previous six months. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, has also faced intense scrutiny after several concerning public episodes where he appeared to freeze mid-sentence. To serve in the House, a member must be at least 25 years old, while the age restriction is set at older than 30 in the Senate. The retirement age in the United States is 65. Pelosi was an outspoken advocate in 2023 of Supreme Court term limits, arguing that they would help hold the powerful justices 'to account.' She has represented San Francisco in Congress for 37 years.
