đź‘€ I Watched This TEDx Talk – and It Really Got Me Thinking
- By coincidence, following on from my blog of a few days ago – during which I questioned why young people would ever considering working with some insolvency firms – I happened to come across a fascinating TEDx talk by Amanda Schneider titled “Work is broken. Gen Z can help fix it.”
- You can watch it yourself here: Watch the TEDx talk
- What she said rang true. In fact, I see it every day in my work – the generational differences in how people approach work are stark, obvious, and growing.
- These aren’t subtle shifts. They are visible, almost like an evolution playing out in real time.
- And that’s what we need now: an evolution of work, not a revolution. No need to burn everything down. Just reimagine, retool and – crucially – restore some sense to the workplace.
🔍 What’s Broken, Exactly?
- Work as we know it has become unnecessarily complicated and, in many cases, demotivating.
- People are exhausted. Systems are slow. Processes are bloated.
- Too often, employees – especially younger ones – are handed tech that feels 20 years out of date and processes that feel even older.
- Amanda Schneider argues that Gen Z can help fix this mess – and I agree.
- But they can’t do it alone. We need vision, strategy, and tools.
🤝 An Evolution, Not a Uprising
- This isn’t about ripping everything up and starting from scratch.
- It’s about evolving with purpose and with people in mind.
- Gen Z brings new expectations – flexibility, transparency, purpose, and digital fluency.
- Older generations bring experience, judgement, and deep sector knowledge.
- The goal? A balanced, collaborative workplace that leverages the best of all generations.
⚙️ Where AI Fits In: The Ultimate Enabler
- AI is the ultimate catalyst in this evolution – not just for tech-savvy Gen Z, but for everyone.
- Tools like VAi (our own generative AI built for the insolvency world) are changing how work gets done – smarter, faster, more creatively.
- AI brings:
- Speed – admin tasks completed in seconds.
- Accuracy – less room for error in drafting and decision support.
- Efficiency – freeing time to focus on strategy, clients and people.
- Creativity – helping generate ideas, not just numbers.
- But let’s be clear: AI isn’t perfect. It’s powerful, but it needs oversight.
- That’s why there must always be a human in the loop.
đź’ˇ How AI Helps Gen Z Lead the Evolution
- Gen Z understands that technology is a partner, not a threat.
- AI helps them:
- Get quick answers and insights.
- Automate the dull bits.
- Personalise their learning.
- Collaborate more easily across teams and time zones.
- With tools like VAi, they can co-pilot workflows and focus on what really matters – results, relationships, and values.
🔄 What About Your Business?
- Here’s the real question: What steps are you taking to integrate AI into your business?
- And more importantly: How does that AI strategy link to your client delivery model, your HR policies, your procedures and your culture?
- A few suggestions to consider:
- 🤖 Customer Experience – Use AI to triage queries, personalise client onboarding, or generate follow-up reports.
- 👩‍💼 HR and People – Introduce AI to support recruitment, onboarding, and training. Let it do the paperwork so your people can focus on people.
- 📋 Policy and Process – Use AI to keep procedures consistent and compliant. Ask it to check tone in emails or draft internal memos.
- 🔍 Knowledge Sharing – AI can act as a living knowledge base. Use it to help new staff find answers fast, or to surface hidden insights in old files.
🧠Vision Required—Not Just Tools
- This isn’t about jumping on a bandwagon. It’s about building a workplace that works.
- That takes vision – someone to set direction and ask: how should we work? What should we stop doing? How do we measure success?
- AI is a great enabler, but it’s the people and the purpose that make it worthwhile.
- You need to train your people. Give them time to learn the tools. Let them play, practice, and provide feedback.
- Evolution doesn’t happen in a day – but it does start with a conversation.
🎯 Bringing It All Together
- Work is changing. People are changing. Technology is changing.
- The old ways aren’t sustainable – but the new ways can be better for everyone.
- With the right mix of people, process and AI, we can evolve work into something more human, more efficient, and more meaningful.
📞 Let’s Talk About What Comes Next
- If you’re ready to explore how AI could help your insolvency or accountancy business evolve – without the drama – then let’s talk.
- Whether it’s your first step or your fiftieth, VAi can help.
📧 Email me: paul@vaisolutions.co.uk
đź“ž Call me: 07813 102014
Or simply start by watching Amanda’s TEDx talk and having a think. You’ll find it here:
👉 https://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_schneider_work_is_broken_gen_z_can_help_fix_it_mar_2025
Let’s evolve the workplace—together.
