The linkedin.com website reports that the Gen Z generation’s primary reason for adopting a companion cat or dog is to help them through a difficult time and/or to improve their mental health. It seems to square up with another finding in a survey or through personal experience that hiring Gen Z people “is a nightmare [as] they don’t turn up to their first day of work”.
The information comes from The Telegraph newspaper. The Gen Z age range is 1997-2012. The psychiatrist.com website tells us that 42% of Gen Z people have been diagnosed with a mental health condition! Can this is true?
The psychiatrist website refers to those born between 1990 and 2010. The Gen Z description as to age range varies.
But here we have young people who should be eager to progress their careers and committed to working hard, finding ways sometimes to avoid attending an interview. And sometimes these are for good jobs. And it seems it goes further judging by the high number of people in the workforce in the UK who are inactive. In the UK, it appears that a lot of people ostensibly fit to work don’t want to.
Lack of confidence
I can’t find details about the demographics of those people but I suspect that a lot of them come from this Gen Z age range. And a part of the problem I suspect is because they had to go through the Covid-19 pandemic which interrupted their university courses and also their work because for two or three years working from home has become acceptable. This in itself is going to be problematic for young people because they learn to work alone at home and start losing interpersonal skills and confidence I would argue.
Diagnosing mental health issues
The most worrying statistic on this page is the astounding 42% of those born between 1990 and 2010 who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. It is hardly believable. It appears by the way that these mental health issues start at secondary school where a high percentage of school kids in the UK also have mental health issues to the point where they are suicidal it is reported.
And this is another problem. How do doctors diagnose a young man or woman with a mental health condition? They interview them. They talk to them. They have to take on face value what the person says. If the patient says that they are depressed, the doctor has to take it on face value and prescribe antidepressants or talking treatment et cetera.
They GP them signs them off work and ultimately these people who are potentially fit for work are being signed off on disability benefit for a very long time if not permanently. They become the 2.7 million inactive workforce.
Not the best reason to adopt a cat or dog
And it is these people who want to adopt a cat or dog to help them deal with their mental health problems. And we know that having a cat or dog can definitely help you feel better. This is a known fact so one can’t be upset by the fact that they want to have a dog or cat to alleviate their mental health problems but it is not the only reason to adopt a pet. It seems that the Gen Z reason is a little bit too human-centric. A bit too selfish or introspective.
Adopting a companion cat or dog is about giving your time and energy to your companion animal. This is a two-way process. You have to be prepared to give a lot in terms of money and time and effort. If you start a relationship between yourself and your pet with the thought that I’m adopting him or her for my benefit you are likely to have a less than successful relationship. It’s the kind of relationship that could end and the cat or dog surrendered to a shelter or advertised on Facebook.
And that has happened quite a lot after Covid-19. I worry about the Gen Z generation. In general, I don’t think they are fit for work. Clearly, I am generalising which is dangerous because many of them are going to be excellent employees but my research indicates that many of them are not.
Gen Z will be 25% of workforce
According to the World Economic Forum Gen Z are expected to make up a quarter of the workforce by 2025. It’s important that they are keen to work. For some employers, some members of the Gen Z generation can barely get through an interview. If they do turn up! They tend to do interviews very badly by being too negative. That’s the experience of James McNeil who described his interactions with Gen Z people as “a nightmare”.
Unreliable
And Jade Arnell, another employer has had similar experiences. In general, she’s found them unreliable. Although one of the Gen Z employees is the best in her firm: Rebellion Marketing. So, it is tricky to generalise but it appears that too many Gen Z employees are not good enough as she has let go four of them because of unreliability.
Robustness
It appears to me that the Gen Z generation are not robust enough. They expect too much. They expect to get into good jobs without learning the ropes and climbing the ladder. They want instant success easily. They have had it too easy. A lot of them are not ready to work or fit to work which is probably why they are too scared to work.
Scared to use phone
Apparently, some of them don’t want to use the phone because it’s too difficult for them. They prefer to use text messages and emails because it’s less stressful. That shows that they are soft. I’m being critical but I’ve done my research and that is what I take from it.