Leave Gen Z alone, Jodie... it’s Gen X you should worry about in the workplace

As Jodie Foster declared that Gen Z are ‘really annoying to work with’, Gabrielle Judge, the original Anti Work Girl Boss whose ‘Lazy Girl’ movement went viral last year, explains why older people in the workplace could learn a lot from the way their younger counterparts behave

Jodie Foster (right) with Bella Ramsey – a Gen-Zer she has mentored (Getty for ELLE)

Much like the age-old puzzle of which came first, the chicken or the egg, the dynamics between the different generations in today’s workplace often leave us wondering who set the tone.

Last week, Jodie Foster was quoted as saying that members of Generation Z can be “really annoying” to work with. She joked: “They’re like, ‘Nah, I’m not feeling it today, I’m gonna come in at 10.30am.’ Or in emails, I’ll tell them: this is all grammatically incorrect, did you not check your spelling? And they’re like, ‘Why would I do that, isn’t that kind of limiting?’”

Foster could have stepped into leadership by discussing work expectations; maybe even offering to give her staff a grammar subscription. Instead, the two-time Oscar-winning American actor and filmmaker chose name-calling. No wonder we have a work culture problem.