Traditional HR approaches no longer suit the digital generation – Denis Bloshchynskyi
This was stated by Denis Bloshchynskyi, a public figure, businessman and PhD in public administration, during the Wisdom Summit 2026.
According to him, employers are already facing radically new behavioural patterns among young employees – ranging from reduced concentration to difficulties in accepting criticism and showing initiative.
“In 2004, the average attention span was around 2.5 minutes. Today, it stands at 47 seconds. If we add to this the average of 192 notifications a person receives per day, we have a completely new dimension that businesses must learn to work with,” said Bloshchynskyi.
He noted that young employees find it much harder to accept constructive feedback, as they have grown up in a social media environment where any mistake quickly becomes public.
“They find even constructive criticism very difficult to take on board. Their nervous system has been shaped in an environment where every mistake is public and almost permanent – on social media,” he explained.
Another challenge, according to Bloshchynskyi, has been the shift in communication models. Even a simple phone call or the need to take the initiative themselves often poses difficulties for young employees.
At the same time, the speaker cautioned businesses against being overly protective of the new generation of employees. In his view, creating solely a ‘comfortable environment’ without demands or opportunities for development does not yield long-term results.
“Support without challenge makes us even weaker. Businesses need not just to create a ‘safe space’, but to build an environment in which people gradually become stronger through responsibility and development,” emphasised Bloshchynskyi.
He added that companies will have to review their systems for staff induction, motivation and assessment, as these were designed for generations with a completely different model of social interaction to that which is taking shape in the digital age.
As a reminder, the Ministry of Economy previously explained how it intends to tackle the labour shortage.
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