Why I wrote “The Gen Z Pocketbook for Teenage Girls”
In 2020, I was a 34 year-old Executive Director at a global investment bank wondering what I wanted my future to look like. I had lots of pieces of information, but on the whole, I was puzzled about how to bring it all together into a coherent strategy. I did what the typical Millenial would do: I quit my job to make room for time to think. During that sabbatical, I went back to school to study an Executive Masters in technology trends and innovation. I embarked on a truly enriching season of career coaching that give me the clarity to create the portfolio career I now have and love.
My sabbatical also gave me time to unearth all the things I had wanted to do but previously had no time or mental bandwidth for. It dawned on me that I had always wanted to mentor students so that they could start their careers with the confidence of having chosen their right path.
Personally, I failed forward through a lot of rough patches. There is a lot to be said for resilience, grit and “hustle”. However, help is necessary. For Gen Zs born into an age where Google has always existed, help for them is not access to information. It is instead access to wisdom to translate that wealth of information into contextualised actionable insights.
In 2020, I could once again relate to the challenge that so many 16-25 year olds are faced with: how do I pick the right career given my particular circumstances and interests? This time, I was ready and able to share my experience so that future students would have a roadmap for how to tackle this big topic holistically.
Writing “The Gen Z Pocketbook for Teenage Girls” was born from this period of serious introspection about the many mental models that are important to grasp as a teenager for well-rounded success in adulthood. I share my mentor’s perspective to encourage students to appreciate that these formative years are adventure, training, self-discovery and fun. However, correct intention underpins quality choices in all these domains for beneficial outcomes.
In 146 pages of colourfully designed content, I break down my message into 4 sections:
Recently, I chatted to a young graduate entering the world of work. She was surprised that after interviewing with leading firms, she quickly received job offers with attractive prospects, even though she doesn't have much work experience. “Who gets that response from employers?” you may ask. Well, if you meet her, you'll immediately experience her as someone who is bright, engaging, and ambitious. She fits the profile of ‘someone who has it all'. Clearly, companies who are concerned about thriving in the future of work view her as someone they want on their teams. “So, which job offer did she accept?” may be your next question. Her answer? The offer from the company that created the most attractive candidate experience.
In my curiosity, I asked my graduate friend what determined an attractive candidate experience for her. She immediately responded that it was the company who communicated personally, clearly, and consistently throughout their process. She intuitively surmised that this approach reflected their company culture and provided an environment geared for growth. My friend is not alone in her perspective. Research shows that 4 out of 5 candidates judge a company's culture by their experience in an interview, and CX (the candidate experience) is a dealbreaker in the world’s ongoing war for talent.
It follows that the question we need to ask in light of 5IR and age of AI, is how we can use technology to solve challenges in attracting, selecting, and retaining top talent through integrating AI and human-centred engagement.
Here are some practical tips:
New Leaf Technologies looks at the critical touchpoints South African organisations should embrace to ensure robust security personnel and service.
Johannesburg, 26 October 2023 – Amid South Africa’s crime scourge high-stress security training is no longer a nice-to-have but a prerequisite.
This type of training is no walk in the park, however.
Because companies and organisations face security risks on many fronts, including physical and cybersecurity attacks, skills programmes need to be intensely focused and detailed to address any incident.
South African learning solutions provider New Leaf Technologies, which works extensively with companies to roll out tailor-made eLearning solutions, has established a useful framework for high-stress security skills training, what it should entail and what boxes need to be ticked.
“Unfortunately, security risks are an everyday reality in our country. Every organisation will have risks that are more prevalent than others, so it’s important that these are identified. This will allow them to tailor their high-stress security training accordingly,” says New Leaf Technologies MD Michael Hanly.
Following are New Leaf’s recommendations for this type of training.
On 25 October 2023, the High Court pronounced that the current provisions of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (and the Unemployment Insurance Fund Act) dealing with Maternity- and other types of Parental leave, are unconstitutional and accordingly invalid.
The basis for this finding was that it is unfairly discriminatory on the basis of the rights to equality and dignity.
The case before the Court
In the case of Van Wyk & Others v Minister of Employment and Labour (Case 2022-017842) the issue was about Mrs van Wyk, who had her own business and who wanted to return to work as quickly as possible after giving birth; and their decision that Mr van Wyk (who was a salaried employee) would be caring for the child. Under the BCEA, the father could however only get 10 days’ parental leave that would be covered by UIF, and not the full 4 months, as would apply to maternity leave. This situation gave rise to the matter before the court.
The basis of the argument to the Court was that the parental provisions of the BCEA unfairly discriminate between mothers and fathers, as well as between different sets of parents on the basis of whether their children were born of the mother, or were conceived of surrogacy or adopted, or their gender, and the fact that it was assumed that one parent is the primary care giver and the other is only an ancillary parent. It was argued that the focus of parental leave should be on the nurturing of the child, and not on the physiological recovery of the birth-mother.
The High Court mostly agreed, and found that -
🌟 Calling all HR Professionals in Johannesburg! 🌟
We are receiving numerous requests from HR professionals in Johannesburg to host our renowned HR Networking events in your city!
But before we make any decisions, we want to hear from YOU! Your insights are invaluable in shaping the logistics and content of these events.
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We kindly request your participation in a 2-minute survey designed to gather your thoughts and preferences regarding an HR Networking Event in JHB. Your feedback will play a crucial role in understanding expectations, preferred topics, and scheduling preferences regarding location and timing.
📋 Please take a few moments to complete the survey by clicking on the link below:
Survey Link: https://forms.gle/8JHVveK8tbdWGQkx8
Feel free to share this survey with any HR colleagues who may also be interested in attending. We want to ensure that these events cater to the unique needs of the HR community in Johannesburg.
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