Search Results

Throughout my childhood, I listened to my grandad as he regaled long, awe-inspiring tales of his days working at the coal face. Fourteen years down your local pit will leave you with no end of stories…from gas leaks to cave-ins. 6-year-old me was fascinated by these tales, as most young boys would be. I eagerly listened as he told me about his experiences, trials and tribulations as a miner. It’s safe to say that mining communities were some of the most resilient and tightly-knit in England during the 1970s and 1980s. Endless graft and thankless work bonded the miners and the rest of their community followed closely behind. One of the most crucial parts of a colliery was its brass band. Brass bands were particularly popular amongst miners. Even today, events like the Durham Miners Gala see thousands of miners pour into the city to proudly honour their heritage. The country's finest brass bands take pride of place. Unfortunately, despite the nostalgia that surrounds them, brass bands are dying out. The simple answer as to why this is concerns a lack of interest. Several developments, following their heyday in the 1970s and 80s, have led to brass bands’ gradual decline. One of these is the upsurgence of popular music streaming platforms, such as Spotify and YouTube. In the past, mining communities enjoyed listening to brass music, but as more and more collieries closed, their brass bands also went the way of the dodo. The few brass bands that have survived are living precariously—they’re low on members, short on funds, and they’re struggling to gather an audience. The lack of interest from younger generations is a real shame. Brass bands are such an important part of our heritage in the UK, and to see them slowly die a painful death is something I struggle with. Why should you care? Chances are that most of you reading this will have never had an interest in brass music. But perhaps it doesn’t have to be that way for the next generation. The first few years of our lives are the most formative. It’s a time when we’re more impressionable, quicker at learning, and hungrier for creativity than at any other point in our existence. I’m not saying that all children should be indoctrinated into brass bands, nor should they be forced to learn a particular instrument, but there have been significant studies carried out by major universities and institutions that prove the profound beneficial effects that learning a musical instrument can have on a child’s development. Statistics show that it can make them more creative, more adaptable and more sociable. Those are some great skills to harness, wouldn’t you agree? These skills can be gleaned from learning to play any musical instrument, from the piano to the electric guitar to the drums. So why do I recommend brass? Learning to play a brass instrument helps to strengthen your lungs. In several cases, and contrary to popular belief, it actually improves breathing conditions such as asthma, as it teaches you how to control your breathing and your airflow. Additionally, the social skills that come from playing in a band are invaluable. The brass band community is ever so welcoming to new, younger players. No one will ever put you down for not being ‘good enough’ or ‘not learning quickly enough’. To this day, I clearly remember my first experience with an adult brass band. All week, my 9-year-old-self had been nervous. I questioned myself on whether they would like me, how intimidated I would surely feel… within that first two-hour long Friday night rehearsal, I already felt a part of something special. That’s what a brass band is and that’s everything it stands for. A brass band is a family.

For anyone not familiar with this particular generation, Gen Z refers to anyone born between 1997 and 2012. As of 2023, many Gen Zs are becoming teenagers—some are already in their early twenties. As someone of this generation, I’m puzzled as to why many older people seem to be so prejudiced and wary of the ‘young ‘uns of today’ (as my extremely northern grandparents would describe us). This distrust appears to stem from the behaviour of a few rowdy outliers (they seem to forget that they’d have had rebels in their own generations). Another huge reason behind the flak Gen Zs receive comes from their adoption of social media. I can confidently say that not all people between the age of 9 and 24 are horrid, juvenile delinquents! However, for a few reasons, my generation, in comparison to older ones, admittedly has fewer social skills. Physical, face-to-face interactions can feel alien and unnatural to many young people today. Do I mean that every single person in this age range is unable to communicate in a real world scenario? No, not at all. But there is a significant number of young people who lack social understanding and communication skills to such an extent that they come across as ignorant, uncooperative people with whom it’s difficult to engage. Unfortunately, such issues can quickly become stereotypes. Before long, the whole generation becomes tarred with the same brush, and every single young person is branded ‘uncooperative’ or ‘socially awkward’. On occasion, this can be completely true. Gen Z’s lack of social skills can lead to confrontation between parents and teenagers, or young workers and managers, which can result in an immense distrust in the social capabilities of the whole generation. Unfortunately, for myself and my peers who can socialise in the traditional way, i.e. face-to-face, we often face surprise and sometimes disbelief—as many older people do not expect any form of conversation from people my age. Gen Z’s perceived lack of social skills, in my opinion, is synonymous with the rise in popularity of social media. So many of us were born into a world where physical experiences and digital platforms were two very different things; the latter seemingly less scary. This, coupled with being unable to mix during Covid, formed a slippery slope. Instead of creating social bonds in schools, face-to-face, conversations and friendships moved online—with platforms such as WhatsApp, and later SnapChat, effectively murdering the concept of physical relationships. Kids and teenagers poured their energies into learning how to digitally message each other in such a way that they avoided social rejection or being branded ‘uncool’. In-person interaction became less important or unnecessary. More and more of Gen Z’s social interaction became digitalised during lockdowns. And it’s only in recent years, as the generation entered the workplace, that it became clear how necessary in-person social skills are, and how far behind some young people are in this regard. That said, in reality, Gen Z is just as sociable as any other generation. After all, it’s our basic human instinct to be social. The problems begin when this socialising is not just carried out but wholly contained within online platforms instead of in the real world. So, what’s the answer? If you want to engage an ‘unsocial’ Gen Z, try not to instantly bring them down for their lack of social skills. Instead, work with them, help them to understand the basic principles of communication. Teach them how to effectively listen to others and the art of reading social situations. Help them form friendships and interests offline. I reiterate, Gen Z can communicate. They just need to be encouraged to do so. Written by an anonymous Gen Z.

According to the ONS, three-quarters of the people employed in the marketing industry are under 45. Typically a sector at the forefront of new ideas, products and technologies, it’s perhaps not surprising that young people are attracted to working in the field. The technology element is particularly important…the majority of this age group has grown up with computers, smartphones and other technologies, and it’s little wonder that they know every aspect and function of devices the humble microchip supports. As someone in the remaining 25%, given that I’m pushing 50 years of age, I may be a little slower (only a little, mind) when it comes to mastering the most popular technological advances and sought-after software. I emphasise that word: necessary. That word can be interpreted differently, depending on the user. For instance, at my age, I can effortlessly get through my day without posting image after image on Instagram, and I’m definitely not someone excited by Snapchat streaks nor the filters the platform constantly churns out. I am a TikTok fan, which makes me feel down with the kids, and I’m of the right age to be a Facebook user—another social media platform to which I dedicate some of my downtime. In this regard, I probably embody the average person my age, whether they work in the marketing industry or not. I don’t mind that I’m the oldest one in the marketing agency I work for by a generation (well, most of the time I don’t). I enjoy bantz with the team and having young adult offspring means I can join in most conversations about trends and celebrity shenanigans. My thoughts on the ONS statistics are that they represent a missed trick. Only a portion of products and services marketing teams of the UK advertise is for consumption by consumers aged 20-45. Yes, young marketers are proficient at knowing all about new stuff, but only us oldies know about times gone by, and this can be relevant from time to time. Not to mention the wisdom we bring, after years of being in the workplace. The experience from working in different roles and sectors, and enjoying a network that’s much bigger and more solid than someone who only graduated a few years ago. We know of things that worked first time round. Nostalgia can be lucrative, and the best ideas never go out of fashion. I don’t think this imbalance is solely down to narrow-minded employers within the industry. Some of it, I think, is that the sector doesn’t appeal to people coming back to work after early retirement or those who are looking to retrain in their fifties and sixties. The assumption that older people wouldn’t be able to keep up with the fast-paced life of a marketing agency exists—from those working in it AND from jobseekers over 45 considering a career change. Other sectors welcome older employees—such as within our judicial system, in government /the Lords, in finance and economics, and as top-tier university lecturers. Younger people in the same roles wouldn’t have the same credibility. It could be that marketing represents the opposite—that older people in the marketing sector may be seen as less credible, outdated, slower and uninformed. I’ve always enjoyed being an ideas person, which, to me, is unrelated to my age. Following years of child-rearing and putting someone else’s needs before my own, it’s also easier for me to look at something from alternative points of view, rather than from where I sit in the universe. Having been on this earth for double the time of my colleagues, I have seen lots of scenarios play out. I’ve something to say on most subjects. These are assets to a marketing company, aren’t they? Statistics show that a proportion of retirees are returning to the workplace, due to heightened living costs and diminishing pension values. Some of these could have been expert marketers in their day, or people who have successfully run their own brand; would they be overlooked by employers due to their age? Age discrimination is easy to prove when you’re in a workplace, but it’s not such a doddle to demonstrate if it pops up during the hiring process—you may feel that your age worked against you, but how can you be sure? It’s not like the potential employer will tell you. Young marketers are fantastic at what they do. But so are those twice (or three times) their age.

In a matter of days, most of the restrictions we’ve been living under will be lifted. One of these is the recommendation to work from home; the government will leave it up to employers to decide whether they continue with remote working, a hybrid arrangement, or if they insist that the entire workforce returns to the office. Of course, there are many industries whose employees have never changed their working arrangements, because they cover key services or they’re front-facing/work directly with the public. Office workers and employees in other sectors, however, have been able to work from home during the pandemic, though this may now change. So, are we all raring to return to the office? Opinion is still divided. There are those that relish being back in the office, whilst others are counting down the days to returning with a sense of dread. There have even been some who have handed in their notice when asked to return to their employers’ headquarters, such is their desire to continue working from home. I read about one household, where the husband had been working remotely for the last fifteen months. There wasn’t much space in their home, and he’d been working from a desk in the corner of their lounge. He was in no rush to go back to his employer’s; however, the rest of the family were desperate for things to return to normal. The kids, who were instructed not to make any noise during working hours. The wife, who wanted to use the lounge during the day as a family room, but who was instead relegated to the kitchen. In their situation, the husband/father permanently working from home would be disastrous, even if he couldn’t see it himself. Few people, back in March 2020, would have foreseen the length of time the pandemic would impact our daily lives. Initially, arrangements like this family had to endure may have been tolerable, because they were deemed to be short-term—but living like they do, day in, day out, year upon year…it’s not realistic. I’ve also seen a number of discussions online about employers who promised a hybrid approach to working when things returned to normal, i.e. a few days at home and a few days in the office, but who have now reneged on such agreements. Other companies have gone as far as to ask their employees what they would like, with regards to their working situation, before deciding that everyone must be office based—despite the fact their employees had overwhelmingly plumped for remote/hybrid working. You would, in their position, think, ‘What was the point of all that?!’ As someone who isn’t as productive when working from home (I have a lovely, separate office, and no kids to keep quiet—I’m just very easily distracted), I’m happy to work from my employers’ offices. I just need scientists to invent teleporters to get rid of my commute, then life would be perfect. This is my personal choice from a privileged position; had my girls still been toddlers that needed to be silenced for eight hours a day, or I was required to be productive, sat on my bed, my laptop on my knees, for the full working day, I’m not sure I’d want to be a homeworker. I truly sympathise with the family mentioned above, and many others across the country who may be at loggerheads over the issue. The question of whether to return to the office, in my opinion, is not just one for the employee, but of their whole family if the decision is likely to impact everyone in the house. If an employee doesn’t agree with their employer’s decision to return to the office, of course, they are free to vote with their feet and find another position that is happy to accommodate them; that said, the job market is not quite as easy to conquer as it may have been, pre-pandemic. Whether a key worker or home worker, it’s not really a case of ‘back to the grindstone’. It’s been bloody hard work for most people these last fifteen months…did we ever leave the grindstone to return to it?