The young lad, barely out of short trousers, polite and highly intelligent, proudly told me about his studies and his new job.

He was particularly enthusiastic that although he had been employed for just a few months, his company had just restructured to work a four-day week.

I congratulated him but, as an experienced employer of young people, cautioned him to remember that working only four days was a privilege and he should make sure he always puts maximum effort into his role.

His reply was eyebrow-raising. He assured me he would still work hard but was already quite tired by the pace of work and needed his three days off to recover!

Business owners report a shift in attitude to work from younger people. Work-life balance is an entitlement, flexible working a given and working Monday to Thursday to leave the weekend free to enjoy ‘life experiences’ is the preferred work pattern.

With five weeks’ holiday and sick pay included in contracts, this generation will be working almost half the hours of their parents and grandparents. Contractual hours have shrunk from ‘not less than 45 hours’ to as little as 25. It’s a staggering thought, but Generation Z (11-26-year-olds) have no other experience. They are in the middle of a work revolution. Robots, AI, online trading and pressure towards net zero have changed the pattern of traditional working hours.

And, some argue, why work harder anyway? Chances of owning a home are remote, impending climate change disaster a backing track to their life, and low unemployment rates resulting in lack of competition in the job market means they can drop in and out of employment as they wish. All this creates a lowering of productivity and our nation’s future prosperity.

Who knows where it will lead? At some point, the buck will stop, and it will be with them. Those who take the tougher choices now will be most successful and best prepared. It’s our duty to encourage them.