Gen Z at Rethink Compliance Responds to Ethisphere Data

Last month, Ethisphere released a report on the impact of the pandemic on corporate accountability. Here at Rethink, one piece of the report stuck out: the finding that Gen Z is the least likely to report misconduct.?

Our most common content advice is, “Focus on your audience, not just what YOU want to say.” Naturally, we gathered up some of our Gen Z colleagues to discuss how employers — ourselves included — can best reach this audience when crafting compliance and speak-up messages.

Do you think it’s fair to say every new generation feels hesitant to report due to being the most recent hires? Or is this a characteristic of Gen Z??

I’m Cam Cope – I’m a video editor here at Rethink. There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to this issue. We're relatively new to the workforce, with the oldest of our generation being about 26 years old, so it can feel a little daunting to stir the pot as the newcomers. I was the youngest hire at my first paying university job, and I don't think I had quite found my voice when it came to speaking out against workplace misconduct, especially if it involved older coworkers. The workplace had a really homogenous culture, so a lot of casual discrimination went unchecked. I remember wanting to speak up, but not feeling confident enough to, so there was plenty of cognitive dissonance there.?

Something my roommate (and fellow Rethink coworker) pointed out is the stereotype of Gen Z as "[being] willing to rally together for big, historical social causes, but [being] too scared to make a phone call," and while that's fun to joke about, I think there's a lot of truth behind it. It would've been easier for me to stand up against misconduct if I felt like there were other people willing to stand up with me, and I wouldn’t just be viewed as the overly sensitive new employee. There's a lot of value behind cultivating a workplace culture where people actually want to do the right thing together, instead of just behaving like, "Oh, we just have this Code because we have to, but none of us actually follow it or remember what it says."??

In your opinion, what’s the tipping point? Is there something a Gen Z member will report over another issue? Why is this?

Hello! My name is Sean McFarland, and I started at Rethink as a client services specialist last November. I have been working since the age of 15, and I have learned there is a tipping point for all of us regarding workplace boundaries and trust. When it comes to Gen Z, I recognize our tipping point as harassment. While we aren’t keen to turn a blind eye towards acts of disrespect, hate speech, or harmful ignorance, I see in our generation a total intolerance of sexual harassment above all else. There are two major factors affecting Gen Z’s attentive, generational perception of sexual harassment, in particular. First, a large portion of our childhood was spent during a cultural shift against sexual misconduct. Seeing cultural change through things like the #MeToo movement gave us perspective on the impact and consequences of sexual harassment.?

As we grew during this time, we learned to spot sexual harassment – and we were conditioned to view it harshly. Given Gen Z’s recent entry into the workforce, our perspective on sexual harassment is one of the only forms of workplace misconduct that we truly understand; because of this, our grasp of the complex nature of something like bribery or bias in the workplace is comparatively hazy. That’s not to say that Gen Z won’t ever take a stand when we do recognize other forms of misconduct in the workplace, but due to our lack of corporate experience thus far, certain issues are more glaring to us and result in a stronger reaction.

How do I reach my Gen Z employees? What do they need to hear??

I’m Rose Pecci, the editorial assistant at Rethink. I started in January, so I’m very new at the company! I’m currently taking classes at Northeastern University while working part-time. As a brand new employee, everyone at Rethink has made me feel welcome, and I already feel that my input is valued. I think it’s really important for those in positions of leadership to have a conversation with any new employee, specifically younger employees. Simply having an introductory conversation over Zoom and establishing a relationship with a new employee can make them feel confident and more comfortable in the workplace. Never underestimate the power of a message coming from a top leader, too!

Feeling supported in a work environment is important, especially for those just starting out in the professional world. Younger employees need to know that, even though they’re early on in their careers, they are valued. If an employee is repeatedly told they can report things they see or hear in the workplace, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to act when the time comes. Making a habit of listening to Gen Z employees in all working scenarios and establishing a safe and respectful working environment from the beginning will set standards for the workplace and will let newer employees feel comfortable coming forward if they do recognize compliance issues.?

Also, it’s possible that an employee will see something that may resemble a breach of compliance but will second guess themselves. Those in leadership positions need to make themselves available for any questions or concerns that their employees may have so someone questioning something they saw or heard will speak up and ask questions, rather than keeping it to themselves. It’s not easy being a new or young employee and knowing you’re inexperienced and your input may not be valued in the workplace. A welcoming and supportive work environment can make a huge difference.

How do I train and communicate with my Gen Z employees???

Mary, here! I’m the growth marketing associate at Rethink. Gen Z wants two things: a purpose and some fun.?

In order to effectively communicate and influence your younger employees, bring one of those two things into the picture! As my colleagues have stated, we don’t have much corporate experience just yet, so we have a lot of learning to do. For a compliance message to resonate, we want — and need — to know the “why.”?

Why does this issue matter? Who is hurt by this behavior? What’s the bigger impact??

We all know knowledge is power. Deeper training will empower your Gen Z employees, and in turn, give them a purpose beyond their job description.?

Gen Z’s second desire: some fun! Don’t be afraid of some humor! Personally, I love “The Compliance Guys” in Rethink’s library, but I know I’m biased. We’re all pretty new to our careers, and the transitions from childhood to school to working at a desk all day is rough! Bring some life and humanity into your training and watch those Gen Z reporting numbers shoot up.?

We were the first generation in history to practically be born with a smartphone in hand. We went from watching television with commercials to streaming services with no commercials to 10-minute YouTube videos, to 15-second TikTok videos. Our attention spans are quick — I can admit our fault as a generation. If the training has a time requirement, break it up with videos and varied media content. If it doesn’t have to be long, keep it short and sweet.?

With every generation entering the professional workforce, comes a new set of challenges and cultural differences. At Rethink, we pride ourselves on our modern, innovative products, because in order to have an effective training program you have to reach all of your employees, no matter the demographic. In short, new generations need more background knowledge on compliance issues and to feel secure enough to speak up when they have to.?

Reach out to us at [email protected] to find out how Rethink can help you connect with your employees, even the ones born in the 2000s.