By the end of 2020 Generation Z will make up almost a quarter of the worldwide work force and if you thought that the Gen Y Millennials were rocking the boat you aint seen nothing yet!
Gen Z are digital natives, they don’t know a world without smartphones and social media. They are used to instant results right at their fingertips and can adapt to the fastmoving pace of technology changes without batting an eyelid, this means that capturing their attention for longer than a few seconds is a challenge. Their world is on demand and they are demanding.
Businesses need to adapt or face risking of losing out on all the benefits Gen Z will bring. But they also need to be careful not to believe everything they hear.
Fact or fiction
Lazy and entitled? Not at all, Gen Z are determined to succeed and often have a ‘side hustle’ to allow them to do just that. There’s a feeling that they don’t work as hard as previous generations but they do work smarter which achieves the same if not better results.
These kids think they know it all! Hardly, they have a drive to learn and absorb knowledge alarmingly quickly, they are more likely to approach you with requests for training and development and feedback than your Baby Boomers and Gen Xers. They do want their opinions heard though and why wouldn’t you, they are extremely open minded and could open up a whole realm of new thinking.
They have no loyalty. They want to grow and progress and they want to do it quickly that is true but that doesn’t make them disloyal, it just means as a business you have to make sure you have the provisions is place for them to be able to do that or yes, they will move on to somewhere that does.
They live online, but only by default of the times. They have no idea what life was like before you could just ‘Google it’ but because of that they have a need to seek out real life experiences too, they make the best of both worlds.
Generation Z also have more traditional values than their Millennial siblings, they want their dream job, they want their own house and they want their family around them.
Recruiting Generation Z
Companies need to be savvy in how they attract they eye of Gen Z, if your recruitment process isn’t up to scratch they will pass you by.
Social media is key here and you must be able to effectively #useallthehashtags. Unused or worst still no social media accounts will do you no favours with these job seekers.
Job adverts should include salary, benefits, company values and ethics as par for the course these days as well as detailed job descriptions. Don’t be worried about overloading the tasks, Gen Z are master multitaskers.
Communicate verbally as soon as possible, don’t do everything by email it’s a bit #oldfashionedtech for these guys.
Working 9-5 is not a way to make a living
This is something both Generation Y and Z have in common, flexible working is a something they don’t just want but expect. Working remotely and freedom to manage their time (so they can go to the gym or walk the dog in a bid to maintain good mental health) are things that business should start to embrace and not just instantly dismiss.
Once you have your new employee keep them engaged, make sure they have an onboarding program with a mentor or buddy type system that gives support and somewhere to go if help is needed in the early days. Training programmes and progression planning are also greatly valued assets that will help you retain this new wave of talent in the workplace.
Really, when it comes down to it Gen Z are no different to anyone else when it comes to feeling valued.
Oh and one last thing……… never ever call them snowflakes!