Preparing for a Generation Z Workforce
Millennials have dominated the majority population for the past couple of years. We, as employers, have gotten accustomed to the different characteristics millennials have. Millennials are no longer the leading generation, though. Currently, 25% of the population is made up of Gen Z, while Millennials are around 24%. The next task is learning and adopting a conducive work attitude to fit with this new generation. So how can you as an employer adapt to this new workforce coming in?
Millennials vs. Gen Z
Generation Z is a future-focused generation. More of a realist outlook than an optimistic one, like millennials, Gen Z is ready to work hard for their success. Instead of expecting it to come to them, they go out and get it. Another aspect of the next generation is their technological innovation. Gen Z likes to communicate with pictures over a phone call or text. This means that a wide variety of mediums that have been used in the past will no longer be effective, like text-heavy emails or websites with clutter. Gen Z is able to think, communicate, and consume information through images. This makes Gen Z a tech native, always connected to the internet, sometimes on multiple devices. This innovative and fresh perspective can be a huge benefit to older generation employees.
Another important distinction between Millennials and Gen Z is their work principle. Millennials are all for having a work-life balance, where, Gen Z is much more focused on equality and diversity in the workplace. They also look for job securities and pay increases. While Millennials are more open to working in a team environment, Gen Z is an innovator. They display a competitive spirit and choose more often to work independently. Along those same lines, they prefer their own workspace rather than a shared one.
Concerns
Gen Z is concerned about availability in the job market going forward as well as the cost of higher education. They prefer over anything else to be financially stable. Keeping these in mind will help promote your business to better attract Gen Zs. Talent retention should be the main goal of your HR department, to minimize turnover and promote a work culture Gen Z can thrive in.
There are a couple downsides to the Gen Z work ethic. One big negative characteristic is their short attention span. Condensing things into 180 or 360 characters has become the norm with communicating. Anything more will not have an impact. Another negative characteristic is job loyalty. Companies need to find ways to retain employees that like to learn and explore new ideas.
Gen Z never had to deal with phones attached to the wall or dial-up internet. A generation so dependant on technology can have some negative aspects to it. Technology is not always reliable. If there is a problem and the internet can no longer be a resource, will work still get done? One argument that can be made for this tech-savvy generation is that Gen Z is also very comfortable with communicating face-to-face with clients. This generation is able to strike a perfect balance between online and offline workspace.
Key points to take from how to adapt a work environment to a Gen Z employee is...
1. Give them constructive feedback regularly
2. Give them the opportunity to work and thrive on their own before bringing them together as a team 3. Use their familiarity with technology to your advantage
4. Give them a reason to succeed
5. Highlight abilities for growth in the company early on in the interview process
6. Work towards being a socially responsible company
image - https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/12230847/what-you-need-to-know-about-gen-z
Generation Z is a future-focused generation. More of a realist outlook than an optimistic one, like millennials, Gen Z is ready to work hard for their success. Instead of expecting it to come to them, they go out and get it. Another aspect of the next generation is their technological innovation. Gen Z likes to communicate with pictures over a phone call or text. This means that a wide variety of mediums that have been used in the past will no longer be effective, like text-heavy emails or websites with clutter. Gen Z is able to think, communicate, and consume information through images. This makes Gen Z a tech native, always connected to the internet, sometimes on multiple devices. This innovative and fresh perspective can be a huge benefit to older generation employees.
Another important distinction between Millennials and Gen Z is their work principle. Millennials are all for having a work-life balance, where, Gen Z is much more focused on equality and diversity in the workplace. They also look for job securities and pay increases. While Millennials are more open to working in a team environment, Gen Z is an innovator. They display a competitive spirit and choose more often to work independently. Along those same lines, they prefer their own workspace rather than a shared one.
Concerns
Gen Z is concerned about availability in the job market going forward as well as the cost of higher education. They prefer over anything else to be financially stable. Keeping these in mind will help promote your business to better attract Gen Zs. Talent retention should be the main goal of your HR department, to minimize turnover and promote a work culture Gen Z can thrive in.
There are a couple downsides to the Gen Z work ethic. One big negative characteristic is their short attention span. Condensing things into 180 or 360 characters has become the norm with communicating. Anything more will not have an impact. Another negative characteristic is job loyalty. Companies need to find ways to retain employees that like to learn and explore new ideas.
Gen Z never had to deal with phones attached to the wall or dial-up internet. A generation so dependant on technology can have some negative aspects to it. Technology is not always reliable. If there is a problem and the internet can no longer be a resource, will work still get done? One argument that can be made for this tech-savvy generation is that Gen Z is also very comfortable with communicating face-to-face with clients. This generation is able to strike a perfect balance between online and offline workspace.
Key points to take from how to adapt a work environment to a Gen Z employee is...
1. Give them constructive feedback regularly
2. Give them the opportunity to work and thrive on their own before bringing them together as a team 3. Use their familiarity with technology to your advantage
4. Give them a reason to succeed
5. Highlight abilities for growth in the company early on in the interview process
6. Work towards being a socially responsible company
image - https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/12230847/what-you-need-to-know-about-gen-z
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