Gen Z represents the future of the American and global workforce. Though they are just beginning to climb the career ladder, they have already started to worry about employers, which has given them a bad impression. The reason is partly because many of them may have inflated and even entitled perceptions of the office environment. However, part of the reason is that they lack the soft and technical skills employers need to retain their competitive edge.
Let’s explore that statement in more detail.
Gen Z May Not Be Prepped Enough For the Formal Workplace
A recent survey by Intelligent.com backs that statement up. Many to most employers have already had enough of what they perceive to be Gen Z’s unprofessionalism. Intelligent.com surveyed 966 employers, and its findings were worrying about the next generation of American and global workers. Seventy-five per cent of these employers thought that some to all Gen Z workers were woefully prepared for the professionalism of the corporate world.
About sixty per cent of the companies have already given recently hired Gen Z workers the pink slip. The most commonly cited reason was performance issues. But if I expanded the list, it would include:
- Lack of motivation
- Poor communication skills
- Unprofessional behavior
- Inadequate project management and multitasking skills
- Not showing up to work on time daily
- Using unprofessional language
- Not meeting deadlines
I said this in a previous blog post, and I will say it again. About 1 out of every 7 of the companies surveyed stated that they didn’t want to hire Gen Z workers again in the next calendar year. That may not sound like a lot, but it’s a worrying sign.
Could the Internet and the Digital Era be to Blame?
You could say that Gen Z is a new species in terms of a generation because they are so different than previous generations. Part of this has to do with their intense and heavily digital upbringing. Almost all Gen Zers were exposed to digital devices and the Net at a very early age. So, they have had access to an almost unlimited amount of accurate information from around the world.
Consequently, Gen Zers expect their elders to be completely transparent in their actions and communicate clearly. That carries over to the workplace, and many managers of any level aren’t accustomed to those expectations.
Also, the job that Gen Zers find straight out of college may well be their first formal job. So, they collectively, don’t understand how previous generations have behaved in the workplace. They also don’t understand and don’t want to learn about how they are expected to behave in the office. Gen Zers aren’t satisfied with doing busy clerical work.
In fact, many of them find such work to be insulting and even offensive. They are looking for meaningful and purposeful work that will hep them learn and grow personally and professionally.
Is Gen Z Too Spoiled and Does it Have Too Thin Skin?
Numerous surveys done on employers state that 65 per cent of them think that Gen Z workers are too entitled. 63% of them say that Gen Z has too thin skin. They perceive this to be a lack of the work ethic needed to succeed and be ultra productive.
Many researchers have analyzed a poll from June found that many employers believe that Gen Z workers are the worst generation to work with. The poll surveyed 1,500 American adults. About 40% of them said that Gen Z is extremely difficult to work with. The fact that many Gen Zers themselves back that statement makes it even more powerful and concerning.
Gen Z May be Ready to Work, But…
The workplace collectively needs to adjust. After all, it’s adjusting to a generation that was raised in a time of free access to unlimited information and absolute equality. Employers will have to provide meaningful work, realize that Gen Z is very sensitive, and adjust to their demands accordingly since not hiring will just hurt their productivity in the long run.
