Handled by The Y Variable

Decode Workplace Communication: Turn Vague Manager Speak Into Clear Actions

Every workplace runs on invisible rules. Phrases like "be proactive," "run with it," and "step up" make perfect sense to experienced managers, but can leave early-career team members guessing. The result? Misalignment, miscommunication, and frustration on both sides.
In this episode, we turn workplace shorthand into clarity. You'll learn how to translate vague expectations into specific, observable actions so managers and early-career professionals can actually thrive together.
In This Episode:
How to decode common manager phrases ("be proactive," "run with it," "step up") into clear and actionable behaviours;
What managers should make explicit: goals, check-in frequency, decision points, and expectations about quality;
What early-career professionals can ask to clarify expectations and get early feedback;
A simple "one phrase, one translation" challenge you can try immediately
Who This Helps: Managers looking to reduce miscommunication and team anxiety and early-career professionals who want to align faster and show initiative without guessing.
Try the challenge and check out the free Workplace Translation Starter Guide:
https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide
About Handled by The Y Variable
Where workplace friction gets translated and transformed.
Each week, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah (founder of The Y Variable) offers insightful, human-centred leadership conversations that help to bridge the generational gap at work. You’ll come away with guidance that helps managers and Gen Z work better together, with practical frameworks that can be used immediately. 
Work with me• Speaking & training • Manager toolkits • Team facilitationinfo@theyvariable.com | theyvariable.com

Gen Z: You Need to Learn the Lost Art of Small Talk

What's the most important skill for the workplace that Gen Z can learn according to renowned therapist Esther Perel? It's not time management; it’s talking to strangers. 
In this episode of Handled by The Y Variable, Yaa-Hemaa explores why small talk is more than filler. It’s everyday improv that builds trust, resilience, and connection. You’ll learn how managers can coach new hires to engage with confidence and why genuine, unscripted conversations matter more than ever in today’s workplace.
Business doesn’t move solely at the speed of technology; it moves at the speed of relationships.
Free Download: Workplace Translation Starter Guide: https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide
Work with meSpeaking & training | Manager toolkits | Team facilitationinfo@theyvariable.com | theyvariable.com

The AI Divide: Why Gen Z Leans on ChatGPT and Managers Don’t Trust It

This week on Handled by The Y Variable, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah explores one of today’s biggest workplace questions: how should we use AI without losing trust, learning, or accountability?
We talk about:
Why managers feel uncertain while Gen Z feels confident with AI;
The hidden fear behind new tech adoption;
Three scenarios that show how AI impacts team dynamics;
How to start clear, human conversations about the tools we use in the workplace and how to develop the critical thinking skills required at work.
By the end of this episode, you’ll walk away with a practical way to talk about AI on your team and a reminder that the goal isn’t to ban tools, but to build better thinkers.
Listen weekly for insightful, human-centred leadership conversations that help you bridge the generational gap at work.
Free Download: Workplace Translation Starter Guide: https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide
Work with meSpeaking & training | Manager toolkits | Team facilitationinfo@theyvariable.com | theyvariable.com

How to Respond to Gen Z Saying “That’s Not My Job” (Without HR Drama)

A last-minute request. A firm “That’s not in my job description.” Now what?In this straight-to-camera episode of Handled by The Y Variable, I break down how managers can respond to Gen Z boundaries without creating HR drama. You’ll get the exact three-part reset ("Context", "Clarity", "Choice"), simple language for defining what’s flexible vs. a hard stop, and a fair way to keep reciprocity visible. We’ll also cover what to do when “no” becomes a pattern—diagnose conditions, don’t win arguments—and practical lines early-career pros can use to protect their reputation while protecting their time.
You’ll learn:
The real meaning behind “That’s not my job” (often about clarity, capacity, or trust)
The on-the-spot reset: Context, Clarity, Choice
Exact lines for after-hours asks (and how to still hit the deadline)
How to set team flexibility without losing boundaries
A manager diagnostic for chronic “no”
Smart scripts for early-career pros
Work with me: speaking, trainings, manager toolkits. Check out: theyvariable.comSay hi: info@theyvariable.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yaa-hemaa-obiri-yeboah-3231659 

Feedback Literacy: The Career Skill Nobody Taught You

Feedback is one of the hardest conversations at work, especially across generations. What a manager might see as a quick bit of critique, Gen Z or an early career professional may hear as personal judgment. What's the result? Misunderstandings, stalled growth, and unnecessary turnover.
In this episode of Handled by The Y Variable, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah breaks down the feedback literacy gap and why so many conversations fail. You’ll learn:
How managers and Gen Z interpret feedback differently;
The Feedback Literacy Framework (Separate, Focus, Evaluate) for clear, professional critique;
Real phrases managers can use to build clarity and trust;
How Gen Z can shift  their perception of feedback from judgment to a tool for growth.
This isn’t about being “nicer.” This is about building workplaces where clarity drives performance, trust, and retention.
Free Download: Workplace Translation Starter Guide: https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide

Why Gen Z Quits So Quickly and What Managers Can Do About It

Why is Gen Z quitting so quickly and sometimes within the first few months on the job?
It’s not always about laziness, entitlement, or lack of commitment. A real issue? It's broken onboarding.
In this episode of Handled by The Y Variable, I’ll walk you through:
Why most onboarding is just a checkbox exercise (and why it fails Gen Z)
The Impact-First Onboarding Framework, which shows how to give new hires a voice, connect them with peers, and take advantage of strategic check-ins
Real-world translations of manager phrases that confuse Gen Z and what to say instead
Success milestones every new hire should hit in their first 30 days
If you’re a manager, HR leader, or team lead, etc. this episode will give you practical tools to keep your early-career hires engaged, productive, and motivated.
Free Download: Workplace Translation Starter Guide: https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide

Lost in Translation: What Managers Say vs. What Gen Z Hears (and How to Fix It)

Why is Gen Z “so hard to work with”? In this episode of Handled by The Y Variable, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah reveals why workplace expectations get lost in translation and shares the Three D’s Framework for turning vague feedback into clear, actionable guidance that sticks.
Download the free Workplace Translation Starter Guide:
https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide
 

Trailer: Welcome to Handled by The Y Variable

Welcome to Handled by The Y Variable, the podcast where Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah bridges the workplace generational divide. In this short trailer, you’ll hear what the show is all about — translating perspectives between managers and emerging professionals, and offering clear strategies to improve communication, collaboration, and career growth across generations.