You can consider Gen Z workers to be like a different species because they are unlike any preceding generation of workers. They are already making enormous demands on employers. These are demands that most companies and individuals aren’t used to. However, since Gen Z workers are the future of the workforce, they are here to say. Employers are slowly and painfully learning to adjust to them. It’s time to explore how they are doing so in more detail.
What Makes Gen Z Employees Tick?
Gen Z grew up with digital devices. Many criticize giving young people constant access to digital devices saying that doing so affects their physical health, has long-term ramifications for their physical and mental/emotional growth, and encourages shorter attention spans. They may have a good point since Gen Z is more obese and prone to mental health disorders than previous generations. The generation collectively has chronic ADHD as well.
Employers hate the last trait immensely since that makes Gen Z more likely to become distracted easily. Also, they job hop in a heartbeat if their current job isn’t intellectually stimulating enough. Collectively, Gen Z are nature lovers – even more so than millennials. They care about the environment and preserving it. They are also into philanthropy and want to be included in every project in the office.
They are also extremely technologically savvy. Only Generations Alpha and Beta are more technologically literate. They are very ethnically diverse and are sensitive to social issues. They are also bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and are most likely to start new ventures if they find current employment ‘too boring.’
What Does Gen Z Expect From the Workplace?
Gen Zers want to make a difference in the world – more so than any other generation in history. So, naturally, they value employers who make a positive difference in the world. Numerous research surveys support that. About 93% of Gen Zers are more likely to work for a company that gives back to the community.
Almost ⅔ (64%) of Gen Zers will pick a workplace that offers room for career growth. This is the generation that craves feedback and recognition (preferably good) about their work. About ⅔ (65%) of them are okay with their employers monitoring their work. And 94% of them are overly trusting of their supervisor’s feedback. They trust their supervisors much more than other co-workers and managers.
Those employers who understand Gen Zers, how they think, and their expectations from the workplace early on will have the lowest employee turnover and the highest productivity.
How Employers Can Adjust
Those employers who are proactive and adjust the workplace to fit Gen Zers expectations and work ethic will benefit the most. Here’s a checklist that they can follow to accomplish that:
- Provide Meaningful Work – Gen Zers don’t want busy work. Instead, they want work that will help them apply what they learned in school and grow and develop in their jobs and careers. Part of the reason for that is because most of them aren’t destitute. However, a major reason for that is that they saw their parents and older siblings/relatives/friends get burned out by busy work and don’t want a repeat experience.They also saw how younger millennials’ small enterprises and gig jobs were intellectually fulfilling and they want to be a part of that exciting experience.
- Make the Workplace as Digital as Possible – Gen Z grew up with digital devices in their palms. So, they expect workplaces to be as digital and technologically advanced as possible. They are more likely to job-hop immediately if employers aren’t digitally wired.
- Make the Corporate Culture Positive – Young workers are used to seeing bad employers and bosses get slaughtered online and on social media platforms. So, they cringe at companies with toxic work environments. Gen Z wants to work at companies with a good, encouraging, and collaborative work culture and environment. They grew accustomed to standing up for each other anonymously online and won’t hesitate to do the same in the corporate world.
- Realize that Gen Z Values a Personal Life – Gen Z is not all work and no play. They want to have fun too and they don’t want to bring their work home after hours. Employers should heed that and encourage a healthy work-life balance at their workplaces. Not encouraging workers to work overtime, not asking them to bring office work home, and offering flexible hours and WFH positions are all great starts.
- Allow Workers to Give Back to the Community – employers should offer benefits programs that integrate community service and other opportunities to contribute beneficially to greater society.
- Offer Professional Development Programs – Gen Z workers tend to stick around only if they feel as if their workplace offers ample room for professional growth and development. Employers can encourage that with professional development programs. That means offering on-the-job training with clear options and pathways for career advancement afterwards. It also means offering options to enroll in professional development programs for further development and career advancement.
- Offer Micro-Learning Modules – Employers who offer training or refresher courses (micro and short) that employees can refer to while working will benefit tremendously. Gen Z is used to looking up anything and everything that they’re not familiar with doing online and at the moment. They expect the same from their employers.
- Value Employees – Gen Z hates feeling like they’re just another cog in the machine at the workplace. They won’t hesitate to leave immediately if they think their employers are treating them like expendable commodities. Employers should respond by valuing employees.
Employers Will Have to Wake Up
And smell the coffee. Workplace loyalty went out the window decades ago. Today’s employees aren’t content with just showing up, punching in and out on a time card, and working like meaningless and mechanical robots. They want to be valued by their employers and they want to make a difference in the workplace. Those employers who notice that early on and adjust accordingly will benefit the most.
