Is your workplace ready for Gen Z?
Venkatesh Veerachamy (Venky)
Co-Founder & COO - Zuci Systems & INTICS.AI
April 19, 2022 was a special day for Walter Orthmann—he had just turned 100! But what was even more amazing was his career. To help his family financially, he started working at an early age. He joined a textile company, Industrias Renaux S.A. in 1938, as a shipping assistant when he was just 15.?
He never left.
Today he continues to work there, setting a Guinness World Record for the longest employment—over 86 years and counting!
What about Gen Z?
Would a Zoomer—someone from Gen Z—ever do that? Or even think about it?
Also called the iGen and Centennials, Generation Z is the age group succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Typically they are born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s.
The thing is, people of earlier generations never thought twice about spending long years, and sometimes their entire life, working at the same organization. I’ll bet you know a few—or many—folks who took up a job right after their degree, and continued working in that organization till retirement.
While this can be considered loyalty, it is unimaginable for today’s young generation, especially Gen Z. That doesn’t mean they are disloyal, though. It’s just that their attitude is different.
The main reason for this attitude is the availability of job opportunities. When I was in college, the only option to make it big in life was to join an engineering or medical program. If you didn’t make it, then you didn’t have a life. It was that simple.
Today, the job market has exploded, the expectations have changed, and there are plenty of opportunities for all kinds of skills—not just engineering, science, humanities, and arts, but even fields that didn’t exist or were not considered ‘respectable’ careers back then, such as cooking, traveling, blogging, wellness coaching, and ‘life hacking,’ to name just a few.
This matters because Gen Z makes up more than one-third of the world’s population.
They are tech-savvy, digital natives, and they’re entering the job market now. Zoomers will dominate the workforce for many decades to come.
What are the expectations of Gen Z?
The success of an organization depends on the success of its employees. The future of work is employee-centric, and Gen Z is not going to compromise on it. In fact, they are often called ‘the generation that wants it all.’
Gen Z is more focused on making money than previous generations but have less experience than they did.
Beyond remuneration, their expectations include recognition, great leadership, work-life balance, and values that match their own. Even if one of them is not perfect, they won’t think twice before jumping ship and moving to another company where their expectations are met.
On the other hand, Gen Z is one of the hardest working segments today, and here are some interesting facts about them.
So, while Zoomers may be demanding, they are also genuine assets to any organization: they learn fast, embrace change, and are geared for today’s world. This makes it worthwhile to understand how to ensure they fit in well at your workplace.
How do you model your workplace to accommodate Gen Z?
Some of the quick hacks that organizations can look at are:
- Get to know them better
This is a generation that, given a choice, would choose unlimited internet over a college degree—no kidding! Become curious about Gen Z to understand their likes and dislikes. This would help you align with their intrinsic needs and earn their trust. ?
- Involve them in everything
Gen Z are not likely to be happy as passive spectators, so get them to be a part of everything and co-create organizational initiatives with them.
领英推è
- Adopt reverse mentoring
The traditional scenario would be to have older employees mentor newer ones. How about having Gen Z reverse mentor their mentors? Being digital natives, they have a lot of intrinsic tech knowledge that can be invaluable in future-proofing your initiatives.
- Promote bite-sized learning
According to Jean Twenge, psychology professor at San Diego State University, Gen Z students switch between tasks every 19 seconds. Encourage bite-sized learning to fit into their learning style—think Instagram reels and YouTube shorts.
- Speak their lingo
Understanding and including their lingo in the organization’s everyday communication will go a long way in gaining their acceptance. IDK, some might find it “sus†but more likely they’ll think you’re the GOAT.*
At Zuci, we constantly look at ways to make the place appropriate for all age groups, where everyone’s voice is heard, recognized, and appreciated. Gen Z is a mix that we want to accept for what they are and what they bring to the table.
If your company culture is aligned with the values of Gen Z, you will have a dedicated and talented team on your hands to help you succeed.
Keeping Gen Z’s characteristic traits and work ethics in mind will go a long way in creating a happy workforce. Remember, it is a work-in-progress and you may need to continually recalibrate to bring Gen Z talent into your organizational mix.
Photo by Saad Jameel on Unsplash
References:
1.???? As per a Monster (now Foundit) survey
2.???? According to a Deloitte study
3.???? Based on a research study by Dell Inc.
* IDK: I Don’t Know; Sus: Suspicious; GOAT: Greatest of All Time
Readers – A Quick Note:
People management is not just a matter of dry theory; it's about practical insights and actionable strategies. So, if you are curious about leveraging your team's full potential and understanding the true power of people, read my book, People Forever. In this book, I have tried my best to dive into the 'how' and 'why' of team building, employee recognition, and everything in between.
Now available in Amazon and Notion Press!
Would love to hear your feedback and suggestions. Thank you.