Generation Z Will Disrupt The Workplace

I remember getting stumped when a college student asked me to define the word career. I remember mumbling something about it being much more than just the job that we do. It was only when I looked up the Oxford Dictionary that everything fell into place. Career is our journey through life. Yet when we talk about Gen Z careers most people only mention what organizations have to do differently.

They are people born in the late nineties and are barely out of their teens. To understand a generation it is important to understand the defining events that they have experienced. These life experiences will influence the lens with which they will view the world.

Nineties was the era of Liberalization. It was an opening of the economy in India and the rise of the IT sector. The media exploded with choices and social media became a word. New sectors like the BPO emerged and started hiring younger people. Careers were not just about being a doctor or an engineer. Mobiles became the dominant mode of communication and television channels exploded. Urbanization increased, the joint family was not the default norm. Rising rates of divorce made single parent families fairly common. The marginalized communities found greater tolerance than before. The LGBT community, People with Disabilities and many more groups came into center stage. A more affluent India started traveling abroad and made the world their home. Experience of cultures beyond the native culture started being accessible to the middle class as well especially

Choices: This generation grew up with choices. Plenty of them. The ability to change tracks and pursue dreams is the greatest privilege this generation has experienced. Unconventional career paths have opened up. It feels like a buffet of equally attractive options that are available. The natural response is for people to try out a spoonful of several different career options and suddenly discovering that there is no space left for more. The shortened attention span leads to a need for instant gratification. Get what you love is the philosophy that will drive careers. The older generations were taught to love what they got.

Role models: Every generation will have its role models. In India the aspirational jobs and role models no longer come from the corporate honchos. Today the startups and entrepreneurs are the new role models. Generation Z has the financial cushion in the family that their parents did not grow up with. That has resulted in Gen Z having financial surplus at very early stages of their career and being able to take more risks. YouTube and other social media stars have the kind of following that several movie stars envy.

Hyper-connected: The digital natives have always experienced all answers instantaneously at the click of a button. This generation does not need to depend on previous generations for any need – social, emotional and least of all – entertainment. They learn from their peers and trust their opinions on choices to be made. Lack of information asymmetry makes them feel equal to people who may have more experience or tenure. In organizations where the rules are still made by the previous generations, the senior leaders have to get used to being challenged by the mobile wielding fresh hire.

As the restless and individualistic Digital Natives enter the workplace armed with digital savvy, they will cause disruptions in organizations that have no precedent. And this generation has barely started.

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First published by TimesJobs Aug 2015 <Times Jobs Aug 2015>

Download the sketchnote & use it <Gen Z Sketchnote>