STOP TRYING TO PUT GEN Z IN A BOX

I fell into the trap too.

In a quest to deliver some value to leaders in my network, I decided to write an article on what to expect from Gen Z workers – that’s anyone born between 1995 and 2012. We have lots of Gen Z people entering the world of work right now, so surely it would be useful to know what they want from work, and how to give it to them.

I started my research by peering through some key reports. This was my first red flag – there are hundreds of these reports. I chose a few that seemed the most concise and reputable, and went to work. It was hard going. All of the reports had some clear conclusions, yet I wasn’t able to develop a clear picture of what Gen Z people may want from work. Undeterred, I carried on – “People need to know this” I convinced myself.

However, I failed. I wasn’t able to put together any concrete conclusions. Why? Because the reports I was looking at simply didn’t match. At best they were incomparable, at worst entirely contradictory. Let me give you some examples:

If you believe Rain Maker Thinking then Supportive Leadership is the most important thing for Gen Z at work. However, according to Barna and Forbes, Financial Stability is the one.

Quartz explains that Gen Z want career advancement opportunities more than anything, however, Entrepreneur, think that Gen Z are more concerned about their personal space.

Inc.com is sure that Gen Z are really after a good work/life balance, whereas Global News says they want to work for an organisation they’re proud of.

It seems everyone knows, and yet no one knows. Here’s the real truth:

Everyone has fallen into the trap. The same one I fell into.

The trap where you attempt to define an entire generation of people in one single report. The trap where you try to define over 2 billion people through a survey sample of just 2000!

This trap is called Generation Stereotyping. It’s a trap because it’s impossible to deliver accurate results – there are always flaws. These stereotypes have never been useful and aren’t now, mainly because they ignore three fundamental principles of life.

PRINCIPLE #1 – EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT

The generation stereotypes, and therefore the reports that quote them, assume that every Gen Z person that walks into your office tomorrow will be the same as the next – this isn’t how life works.

As a millennial, I can see how frustrating this can be.

According to KPMG, millennials are tech-savvy job hoppers that have great work-life balance.

It takes me just 10 seconds to think of 3 of my school friends…

1 of them refuses to use a smart phone – not exactly tech-savvy.

1 of them works 18 hours a day, every day – not exactly good balance.

And 1 of them has held the same job since leaving uni – that’s nearly 10 years – not exactly a job hopper.

This stereotype offers zero value to anyone – simply put, it’s wrong. But then, how could it be right, when everyone is different?

PRINCIPLE #2 – PRECONCEIVED IDEAS DAMAGE RELATIONSHIPS

Preconceived ideas can generate unconscious bias.

Again, I can relate to this as a millennial. Initially millennials were widely considered to be a bit more lazy, and flaky than previous generations. The thought was that we wanted bean bags, pool tables and funky slides, or we wouldn’t come to work – not true!

However, this preconceived vision of millennials meant that as we entered work, many people expected us to be lazy and flaky. This is the image that people have of you before they get to know you. Therefore, you have to work extremely hard to change their mind – you start in the negative zone, and it’s up to you to push your way out of it.

Let’s look at Gen Z then. One of the key assumptions made about Gen Z is that they want financial stability. This means that a future employer could look at this and focus on the financial side of things. They may offer their new Gen Z team longer-term contracts, with additional benefits, such as corporate gym access, to curb their outgoings. However, what if one of the team doesn’t care about money? What if they want to learn and develop instead? If that’s the case, you can be sure that person won’t be hanging around long.

Preconceived ideas lead to breakdowns in relationships. It’s actually safer to know nothing, than know the wrong thing.

PRINCIPLE #3 – YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT UNTIL YOU’VE TRIED IT

I’m not sure about you, but I had no idea what I wanted from work when I landed my first job. In fact, I’m pretty sure the only thing I knew was that I didn’t want a proper job! I was quite happy with my mediocre DJ career…

8 years later, I love my work and I know what I want from work, but this took time. I’m certain that if someone had asked me what I wanted from work in 2011 and now, my answers would be completely different – like 2 different people.

The point here is that, even if these reports were reliable, the respondents themselves can’t actually know what they truly want yet. Not for any reason other than the fact that you don’t know what you want until you’ve tried it.

SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

What does this mean? We have to wait and see what Gen Z brings to the party? We have to wait unprepared?

Well, there is one thing you can do when a new generation of people enter your work…

EMPATHISE.

Empathy is your ticket to discovery.

In fact, empathy is actually the exact opposite mindset to these reports and generation stereotypes. Empathy acknowledges that everyone is different, with different drivers and different attitudes. Empathy means you need to take the time to get to know each person, individually. When you do this, you will get a great picture of what Gen Z wants from work – lots of different things! By regularly deploying empathy, you will be able to tap into each of your new recruit’s mentality and mindset.

Being ready to empathise will prepare you better than any report in the world. So, the next time someone asks you want Gen Z want from work, tell them this…

I don’t know…But I can’t wait to find out.