Alex Atherton
Generations speaker
I help senior leaders, HR leads and L&D leads to: 👉 Recruit, retain and understand Gen Z 👉 Overcome the challenges of the multi-generational workplace, transforming generational friction into strategic strength I do it through • speaking at conferences and events or in boardrooms and business networking groups. • my book 'The Snowflake Myth: Explaining Gen Z in the workplace and beyond.
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Biography
Alex is an award-winning keynote speaker, experienced educator and the author of ‘The Snowflake Myth’.
His professional background was in education. He spent 25 years working in inner-city comprehensive secondary schools, of which over 20 was as a senior leader and over half as a headteacher in London.
Alex is an authority on Gen Z. He is the former secondary school headteacher who heard the word ‘snowflake’ once too often to describe his former students and decided his own generation needed to hear a different message. He spent over a decade immersed in the mindset of this misunderstood generation, getting to the core of what makes them tick.
He talks to decision makers in organisations about understanding, engaging, recruiting and retaining Gen Z. He also talks about the challenges of the intergenerational workplace, helping organisations turn a multigenerational workforce into an asset to drive productivity rather than a hindrance which impacts on the bottom line.
Alex equips leaders and managers with proven strategies to overcome generational divides and effectively recruit, develop, and retain top young talent.
Alex is a qualified, accredited and experienced Leadership Coach, passionate about empowering others to thrive in their working lives. He supports leaders from the public, private and voluntary sectors to achieve beyond their wildest expectations and work together with seismic impact.
He works with senior leaders, CEOs and those seeking to be either. Every member of a leadership team benefits from bespoke support to overcome their most significant challenges.
As a leadership team coach Alex believes that working in a team is not the same as working as a team and yet they are often treated as if they are the same. His programmes focus on the key concepts of collective responsibility, interdependence and mutual accountability. They are designed first to transform outcomes and then sustain them.
Outside of work, he loves his time with his wife and daughter, supports Sheffield United through thick and thin, likes his music loud and heavy and plays lead guitar for The Glentones.
What I Currently Do
Publications
The Snowflake Myth: Explaining Gen Z in the workplace and beyond
Speaking Topics
Recruiting and Retaining Gen Z
In today's rapidly evolving job market, attracting and keeping top talent from Generation Z has become a critical challenge for organisations across all industries and the future of work in general. Gen Z is the most significant generational shift so far. Many organisations are struggling to recruit and retain the best of this generation. Traditional methods of recruitment no longer work, and problems with retention are more acute than ever. Senior leaders, including those in Human Resources and Learning and Development, often find themselves behind in the race to secure the services of the best young staff. For those they do recruit, a generational disconnect can open up as motivation and engagement become issues which hold organisations back. This has a further impact on succession planning. This talk identifies their key characteristics and the solutions organisations can use to recruit and retain the best of this generation in any industry.
Leading the Multigenerational Workplace
Unprecedented levels of age diversity are now the norm in many workplaces. As life expectancy increases and retirement ages rise ever higher the age gap between the youngest and oldest is expanding, sometimes spanning more than 50 years. For the first time in history, organisations have four or more generations working side by side, from Baby Boomers to Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. This brings both unique opportunities and the potential for a generational divide which demands both attention and a strategic approach. This widening range brings a wealth of diverse experiences, perspectives and skills. It also presents challenges in areas such as communication, technology adoption, work styles, and expectations around career progression and work-life balance. In this talk generational expert Alex demonstrates not only how to overcome the challenges from multiple generations in your workforce but use them to move the organisation forward, and faster.
Understanding Gen Z
Generation Z is the most significant generational shift so far, poised to reshape the workplace with their unique perspectives, values, and expectations. Recruitment and retention of young staff are core concerns for many organisations. Yet those who have recruited the young staff they need often find that they do not understand Gen Z’s aspirations. A generational disconnect can open up as motivation and engagement become issues which hold organisations back. As the oldest members of Gen Z move into management positions it has become even more important to understand what they need, so that succession planning is secure. In this talk Alex uses his original research to describe the key characteristics of Gen Z and also the strategies organisations can implement so that leaders and their young staff can get the best out of each other.
Media Appearances
Alex Atherton showreel
Alex Atherton speaker showreel
Gen Z recruitment
ITV
The Snowflake Myth
Authority Magazine
Gen Z recruitment and retention
Disruptive HR
Feedback
"Alex is well-versed in the challenges and opportunities for Generation Z. A great source of knowledge that businesses need to appreciate and action in order to secure their workforce of the future in the ongoing battle for talent. A focused, articulate speaker with a fantastic appreciation of his material delivering a practical session full of value and information to act upon."
Paul Andrews
"Alex’s preparation for our audience was outstanding. From the first conversation it was clear how much thought and experience he brings. He delivered an engaging, insightful session that really connected with our audience. Alex was professional, easy to work with and brought great energy to the stage."
Janet Bell
"Alex was fantastic - he helped us understand what tangible steps we can take to be a great employer for Gen Z"
Ben Bramall
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