Gen Z is often labeled lazy, but according to one of the world’s largest consulting firms, younger Americans’ real problem is a lack of resilience.
PWC is rolling out a resilience training program for their Gen Z employees meant to help them better handle workplace pressure, like, you know, facing criticism or learning office politics.
The company says the issue isn’t motivation or work ethic. It’s an absence of human skills they believe were lost during the pandemic.
PWC’s Six-Month Resilience Training Program
The program is only for six months. I think it’s needed. These are Gen Z is basically the online school kids. They grew up. They lived through the pandemic, always in front of the computer, maybe a little bit before we knew how bad social media was and everything.
And while, as you noted, this study says they’ve got the skills that they need. They’re smart enough, they have the drive, they just kind of don’t know how to make that work in the real world.
So, let’s harden them up a little bit. And you have to learn how to take criticism, how to be yelled at, how to thicken your skin.
The Program Details: Who It’s For
Does PWC say everyone under the age of X has to sign up for this? Doesn’t that kind of like out you, prove that you’re resilient in some way? And then does it kind of pit that generation against the other? And then are you just sitting in a training?
I think it’s for all new hires. I think it’s probably because they probably don’t want to come to you if you’re not resilient.
The Deeper Question: Can Resilience Be Taught?
But so here’s my question. They say a lot of this stems from the pandemic. Maybe. But is it really the case that you’re going to lose all your resilience during the pandemic? And is it even possible to give somebody resilience in a six-month training at work? Like are we misidentifying the problem?
The Pandemic’s Long-Term Impact
I think we’re going to find out the pandemic came up in the food discussion that over the course of time, learning loss, the impact on people’s mental health, the health impacts on your body are going to be far far greater than anybody imagined.
But this goes deeper than that. This goes back to what I was talking about of a generation growing up with technology in a much different and arguably less healthy way.
The Technology and Development Problem
I think that part of the lack of resilience is due to how they’ve been raised, how their brains function, and that sort of developmental aspect of it, which is why I’m so concerned about just generally where we’re headed as a society with technology because of that dark side.
The entitlement, the lack of resilience. There are so many different characteristics that come out of that that make you feel like kids today are out of touch with where we were.
Where Resilience Really Comes From
I feel like I don’t know how resilient I am, but whatever resilience I have, I think didn’t really happen in a classroom. It happened on a football field or sitting on the bench or missing a big shot in a game or maybe making a big shot in a game. But I don’t think it was in a classroom.
Can you do this in a classroom? No. I think it’s everyday life.
The “Suck It Up, Buttercup” Generation
I’m admittedly biased against a program like this because I grew up in the generation like many of us is suck it up, buttercup, right? Life’s not fair. Get over it. Right? Like you hear these things where it’s like you figure it out.
But I think you put a finger on it’s the absence of social interaction in a lot of ways that does not teach the soft skills because instead of engaging in a conversation with your peers, you’re on a device.
Participation Awards vs. Real Competition
Playing football and riding bikes and hiking. Well, they’re also all getting, you know, participation awards instead of having a winner and a loser and working through resiliency, like I didn’t get the job promotion. Well, how do you handle that? What’s your response?
School’s afraid to give you an F because they might hurt feelings because mom and dad or the company or the parent or the coach has to say you didn’t get it because you weren’t fast enough, because you weren’t smart enough. Like honesty.
And the kid has to be able to absorb that and say, “Okay, this is what we can do together going forward to get you where you need to be.”
Why Real Growth Requires Honest Competition
Shielding people from failure may feel kind, but resilience is built through honest feedback and real competition. Learning how to lose, adapt, and improve is what prepares people for promotions, setbacks, and life beyond the classroom or playing field.
Post a Job →The Parenting Problem: Coddling vs. Teaching Resilience
A little bit about how you learned resiliency, I think a lot of it has to do with being at home, what you’re touching on as well, which is when I come home and I have a disappointment. How do my parents address this with me? How do they tell me to move forward? You you dust yourself off, you pick up, and and you move forward.
Instead, what we’re doing now is we’re coddling kids, and we’re not allowing that disappointment to happen. Therefore, they will never learn the resiliency to be able to bounce back from it.
Kudos to PWC, But Is It Enough?
Yeah. I mean, kudos to PWC for trying to do something about it, right? I mean, six months. No, I mean, it’s a tool, right? Could it work? Could it be helpful? Absolutely. Is it needed? Yeah, probably.
The Bottom Line
Gen Z’s lack of resilience isn’t about laziness or lack of motivation. It’s about a generation that grew up during the pandemic, always in front of computers, before we fully understood social media’s impact. They’re smart enough, they have the drive, but they don’t know how to make that work in the real world.
The problem goes deeper than the pandemic—it’s about how they’ve been raised, how their brains function due to technology, the absence of social interaction, participation awards instead of real competition, schools afraid to give honest feedback, and parents coddling kids instead of allowing disappointment.
Resilience doesn’t come from a six-month training program. It comes from real-world experiences: sports, failure, honest feedback, and learning to dust yourself off and move forward. But if companies like PWC are willing to try, it’s at least a start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PWC’s resilience training program for Gen Z?
PWC is rolling out a resilience training program for their Gen Z employees meant to help them better handle workplace pressure, like facing criticism or learning office politics. The company says the issue isn’t motivation or work ethic—it’s an absence of human skills they believe were lost during the pandemic. The program is for all new hires and lasts six months. It’s designed to help Gen Z employees learn how to take criticism, handle being yelled at, and thicken their skin in workplace settings.
Why does Gen Z lack resilience according to experts?
Gen Z is basically the online school kids who grew up living through the pandemic, always in front of the computer, maybe a little bit before we knew how bad social media was. The lack of resilience stems from multiple factors: the pandemic’s impact on learning loss and mental health, how they’ve been raised with technology affecting brain development, the absence of social interaction (instead of engaging with peers, they’re on devices), participation awards instead of real competition with winners and losers, schools afraid to give F’s or honest feedback, and parents coddling kids instead of allowing disappointment. The entitlement and lack of resilience are characteristics that come from growing up with technology in a less healthy way.
Can resilience really be taught in a six-month training program?
Experts are skeptical. Resilience doesn’t typically happen in a classroom—it happens through real-world experiences like playing sports, sitting on the bench, missing a big shot, or making a big shot. It comes from everyday life experiences, not training programs. However, kudos to PWC for trying to do something about it. The program could work and could be helpful, and it’s probably needed. But true resilience comes from learning to dust yourself off and move forward after disappointment, which requires real-world practice, not just classroom instruction.
What are the root causes of Gen Z’s lack of resilience?
The root causes go deeper than just the pandemic. They include: how Gen Z has been raised with technology affecting brain development, the absence of social interaction (devices instead of peer conversations), participation awards instead of real competition, schools afraid to give honest feedback or F’s, and parents coddling kids instead of allowing them to experience and learn from disappointment. The pandemic’s impact on learning loss, mental health, and development may be far greater than anybody imagined, but the technology and developmental aspects are also major factors. The “suck it up, buttercup” generation learned resilience through real-world experiences, not classrooms.
How can Gen Z develop real resilience?
Real resilience comes from real-world experiences, not classroom training. It happens on football fields, sitting on benches, missing big shots, or making big shots. It comes from everyday life experiences like not getting a job promotion and learning how to handle that. It requires honest feedback—being told you didn’t get something because you weren’t fast enough or smart enough, and being able to absorb that and figure out what to do going forward. Parents need to allow disappointment to happen instead of coddling kids, so children can learn to dust themselves off and move forward. Schools need to give honest feedback instead of being afraid to give F’s. And kids need real competition with winners and losers, not just participation awards. While PWC’s program is a tool that could be helpful, true resilience is built through life experiences, not six-month training programs.
