Brussels Bubble Tea S3E7: A Multigenerational Office, a Strength or a Challenge?
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December 03, 2025
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COVID-19, digital advancements and more have altered the nature of working and collaboration, making generational gaps increasingly evident. So how do we bridge them? In this episode of Brussels Bubble Tea (Season 3, Episode 7), host Ani Gundes speaks with colleagues Jade Bourion, Martin Porter and Georgi Dobrev about how different generations work together in the European Union Bubble. With a representative from Generation Z, Millennials and Generation X, speakers explore stereotypes and perspectives while reflecting on their personal experiences.
To begin, could you briefly introduce yourselves. What is your role at FTI Consulting, how long have you been with the company, and where are you based?
Jade: I am Jade, and I work as a consultant in the financial services team here at FTI Brussels. I also lead the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging programme. I have been at FTI for two and a half years now.
Martin: My name is Martin. I have been at FTI for seven and a half years. I am a senior adviser and work on sustainability, mainly in the Energy and Industrials team, but also across the office.
Georgi: I am Georgi. I have been working for FTI for two and a half years as well. I have the pleasure of working in the Energy and Industrials team, and I am looking forward to this discussion.
One common claim is that Generation Z are “lazy” and want everything immediately, including higher pay, benefits and recognition as soon as they start their jobs. You all work with Gen Z colleagues in the office. How do you see this stereotype, and how do you work with Gen Z on a day to day?
Martin: I am definitely not Gen Z, and I also have children in that age group, so I see this both as a colleague and as a parent. I do think there is a higher level of impatience to get on, succeed and make something of your professional life. I see that more in this generation than in mine or the one closest to me.
I do not think that is a bad thing. It is a different approach to work. It is impatience rather than an expectation that everything will be handed to you without effort. That part of the stereotype, that Gen Z want everything for free, is not what I see. I see as much hard work and determination as in other generations. What is different is the timeframe people have in mind.
When I started work, there was more of a long-term view. You expected gradual career progression and promotions over a thirty-year period or longer. Now it is normal to change jobs, both within and between organisations, sometimes after only a year. People do not necessarily expect a single, structured career ladder in one company. They constantly look around at what they might do next, as well as how to get the best out of what they are doing now.
Everything is faster now. The way we communicate is much more immediate. That speed shapes expectations in professional life too.
Georgi: I would add two points. First, if we look at data for productivity per capita in Europe, we see a steady decline since the early nineties. So, this is not a Gen Z problem. It is a structural issue that began long before this generation started working.
Second, technology is a major difference between generations. Gen Z are much more aware of the potential of different technologies and platforms, and they are used to a completely different speed in their lives. Their experience of games, films, apps and media is all about immediacy.
This is not necessarily negative. Our societies need more productivity, and we face more complex challenges. It is not about being lazy or about criticising one generation against another. It is about understanding that Gen Z work at a different speed, and that we should adapt and use that to our advantage. The data does not support the claim that Gen Z are lazier. Most Gen Z colleagues are hardworking and not very different from others.
What does our Gen Z voice think about this?
Jade: That is me. I agree and disagree with both of you. I want to build on what you said and offer some explanations for why Gen Z are sometimes seen as lazy.
There have been many geopolitical and societal shifts over the last ten to twenty years. These shifts give Gen Z, and the younger generations that are coming, a stronger sense of urgency than previous generations. Climate change is a constant concern. The way we define success and careers has also changed. All this creates a high level of stress and urgency, because the future feels less predictable and more blurred.
There is also a shift in how we see ourselves. Our generation is more self-aware and self-confident. In the past, society told you that to be successful you needed to be a doctor, engineer, politician or businessperson. Those were the classic paths. Now, with social media and the focus on self-development, we are encouraged to reflect on what we want and who we are. That can give us clarity and confidence about our direction, which is positive, but it can also be perceived as ego or constant demands.
So, I think the stereotype of laziness comes from two things. First, the urgency created by geopolitical and social shifts. Second, stronger self-awareness and self-confidence. Both have a positive side, but they can also create misunderstandings.
Martin: I find your point about urgency very helpful. It explains some of the impatience I mentioned. It is understandable. Your generation feels big changes very directly, and that shapes professional as well as personal life.
When I started work, there were also major changes. The idea of a small number of traditional “professions” was already breaking down. People were starting to consider less traditional paths. In that sense, we were early versions of what is now more fully developed. Change has always been present, but the speed today is greater. That is the main difference.
Georgi: To connect to that, many Gen Z professionals enter organisations that still rely on old structures and hierarchies. These structures were built for a different pace of life and work. They do not match modern realities. A lot of pressure comes from the clash between a fast-moving generation and slower, rigid system.
Let us turn to work life balance and flexibility. Before COVID, many offices had limited flexibility. After COVID, there is much more. You can, for example, step out for a doctor’s appointment and catch up later, without the world ending. Do you think this flexibility is sometimes misused or is it mostly positive. How do you manage your own work life balance, and how does flexibility work within your teams?
Jade: People often talk about flexibility as either a benefit or a problem and focus on COVID as the cause. I think flexibility reflects a broader change in society. As I said earlier, people have become more self-aware and more certain about what they want.
Many realised that work is not the only goal of life. People started side projects, became entrepreneurs alongside their day jobs, or decided to spend more time with family. The culture of “the grind” and “the hustle” told us for years that you must be successful and climb the career ladder, or you are nothing. That mindset was strong in the United States and spread to Europe too.
Flexibility now allows people to build a life that is not only about work. COVID forced many of us to confront the fact that we might be defined too much by our jobs. Some people started therapy, others reflected more on their identity and values. They realised they wanted to live outside work as well.
That is why I think simply requiring everyone to be in the office four or five days a week will not work anymore. People have different priorities and ways of working. We need to take that into account.
Georgi: For me, the main problem is not flexibility itself but trust. Whenever employers struggle with flexible models, it usually comes down to a lack of trust in their employees.
This is a structural issue. Flexibility can add a lot of value. It can make you more efficient, more focused and more concentrated. It allows you to gather different kinds of input from different environments. Activities outside work can enrich your performance at work.
The real question is how much employers trust their workforce. Mid-sized and large companies often still rely on a business model where commitment is measured by availability and presence. Gen Z does not accept that model anymore. It is outdated and does not work. It is up to us to adjust this model and develop it in the right direction.
Martin: COVID was a major disruption and changed expectations and professional practices for everyone, whatever their age. It forced all of us to think about the work life balance we really want, at our particular stage of life and career. I see that as positive.
The answers will differ for each person and each organisation. From my own perspective, flexibility has brought benefits. Those benefits are specific to me, and other people will have different experiences.
For me, flexibility only works when it comes with responsibility. More flexibility, whether you are a manager or not, only works if you realise that other people also need flexibility. That brings us back to trust. Flexibility is both a right and a responsibility. Without that balance, people feel their trust is abused or that they are expected to be constantly available, which does not work.
Technology plays a role here. We can do much more with our time now. Without modern communication tools, it would have been hard to cope professionally during COVID, let alone change the way we work afterwards. The key is to use these tools in a way that respects boundaries and responsibilities.
The work life balance question is not new. People in my generation also asked it but often did not answer it clearly. Your generation is asking it again, and in some ways more directly. Your answers may not always be perfect, but they are right for you, and they push organisations to evolve.
Jade: I would add the word “ownership”. If you want flexibility and trust, you also need to communicate and take ownership of your career and your life.
If you work better at home, in the office or in a café, you need to say so and explain why. It is not about counting hours or checking where you are every minute. It is about being clear on what works for you and listening to what the team needs. Then you can find solutions together. Some of the pressure comes from the old idea that you must always be available to be successful. Even if we do not fully believe that we still feel it. Communication and ownership can help change that.
There is also a lot of talk about new technologies, especially artificial intelligence. Martin, you shared a story about an earlier technology shift when you came to Brussels. Could you tell us about that, and then we can link it to AI and tools like ChatGPT.
Martin: When I first came to Brussels and joined my first consultancy in 1997, we were a small team of twelve people. The big discussion at that time was whether we should adopt email.
It sounds amusing now, but it was a real decision. Before that, leaked documents were physical. You received them in envelopes or as printed pages. You might meet someone in Parliament or in the Commission and they would pass you a document you had not seen before. Sharing it further was slow and manual.
Email looked like a big change. If we did not adopt it, we might miss out. If we did, it meant new costs and new ways of working. In the end, we decided to adopt it. It was a technological revolution, and it changed how public affairs and communications operated.
Since then, there have been other waves, and AI is the latest and most disruptive. Each time, you have to think about what value you add as a professional to the information you receive, what sources you trust and how you avoid relying only on one channel. Many of the questions we ask about AI today are similar to those we asked about email, but they are sharper now.
Protocols are crucial. With email, we needed rules on how to sign, what tone to use and what was acceptable. With AI, we need rules about ethical and transparent use. We need to make sure we control the technology and use it as a tool, not the other way around.
Focusing on AI and tools like ChatGPT. How have they affected your daily work. Do they risk weakening our creativity or writing skills, or can they help?
Jade: One word you used earlier is central for me, which is “ethical”. AI forces us to ask where our ethics lie. In theory we could let AI do everything but is that ethical? Is it intelligent? Is it acceptable to deliver that to clients or colleagues as if it were our own work.
That brings us back to self-awareness. We need to ask what our values are and how we want to use AI. At FTI, we have training on AI, because it is a powerful tool. It can help us structure our work, organise ourselves better and find solutions more quickly. But if we do not reflect on how and why we use it, we are using it incorrectly.
AI is asking all of us to take ownership of our careers and our ethics. Everyone is in some sense a leader today. Influencers on social media are leaders whether we like it or not. AI increases the need to be clear about who we are, what we stand for and how we work.
Georgi: I agree. If we look at history, most large-scale innovations that shaped daily life were not widely accepted at first. There was always some resistance. With AI, that resistance is understandable, both from individuals and from companies.
For me, AI is one of our biggest opportunities to improve how we work and live. But that opportunity should not come at the cost of critical thinking. That is the biggest risk I see, alongside the ethical questions Jade mentioned.
AI can make us extremely productive. It can help us perform at a much higher level. It could also push us in the wrong direction if we stop thinking critically. Critical thinking is one of our most important assets, not only in politics but in society as a whole. We must not lose it.
From a generational point of view, do you think some generations use AI more than others, for example at work or at home with your children?
Martin: If you were born in an era where technologies like this are simply part of daily life, you will adopt them faster and more naturally than someone who was not. So yes, there is a generational element in speed of adoption. Digital natives will usually start using AI sooner.
In reality, though, everyone uses AI in some form. I may not use it as much or in the same way as you, but the basic questions are the same. They are ethical and professional questions. Critical thinking is at least as important as before, and probably more so, because it helps you decide how to use AI intelligently without dulling your own abilities.
Using AI thoughtfully will be a professional differentiator. It can help individuals and companies perform better, but only if they use it with care, not lazily or without reflection.
The questions AI raises are not only ethical, but they are also philosophical. There is an old philosophical idea that an unexamined life is not worth living. In a way, AI pushes us to examine our work and our lives more carefully. That can make them more meaningful. If you do things only because they are expected, without asking why or how, your work and your life will be less rich.
Working with people from three or even four generations makes this more interesting. We all bring different experiences and perspectives, and we can learn from each other. I think we are better at learning across generations now than thirty or forty years ago, when organisations were more hierarchical and people at different levels had less contact.
To finish, you all work together in this office across different generations. If you had to describe that collaboration in one word, what would it be?
Jade: Ownership.
Martin: Authenticity. If you can be authentic with yourself and with others, many of these questions become easier to manage.
Georgi: Empathy.
Host: Thank you very much. I hope there will be a part two to this conversation, and we look forward to seeing you in a future episode of Brussels Bubble Tea.
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December 03, 2025
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