Whether you pronounce Generation Z as Gen Zee or Gen Zed (the latter being the more common because it is an international pronunciation), it is impossible to deny the power and influence this group of young adults, born between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s, is having, and will continue to have, on the world of work.
It would be easy to see them as an extension of their predecessors, the Millennials, but there is little fact to support this. They are a distinct group of men and women numbering about 69 million in the US alone.
There are a few important events that have shaped Generation Z individuals. The first is September 11, 2001. While most were too young to remember the day that the US was attacked by international terrorists — the fear, trauma, and loss experienced by their loved ones impacted their view of safety, the future, and the workplace environment. They also are less naïve, having learned at an early age of school shootings and the subsequent preventive measures that became standard operating procedures. Because of this knowledge they expect organizations to prepare and protect. They also are more risk adverse, have a higher-level of skepticism about the future, and a “live for today…” perspective.
Generation Z was also impacted by the financial crisis of 2008 and its subsequent recession. Though they were not employed at the time, they witnessed family, friends, and neighbors struggle to recreate careers lost when the world economy crashed. Company loyalty, security of position, and the sense of being taken care of by an employer was severely altered as they watched successful people having to re-invent themselves in mid-life and find employment. The legacy of this is a distrust of employers; a career strategy that often doesn’t envision staying and progressing in an organization, and a more conservative, pessimistic view of wealth accumulation working for a static organization.
They have borrowed money at a rapid rate to pay for the high levels of education they have attained. Their debt burden has altered how they spend, and their salary needs and demands. They will jump companies for small percentage increases because they need to make that monthly loan payment. With access to salary data on the Internet, they know their worth in the workplace and expect rumination not promises of future success.
This generation has never known a world without the Internet. They didn’t learn “how to,” it was always there and integrated into all aspects of their life since birth. They have little fear of the new technology; confident they have applicable baseline skills to tackle any new system, gadget or app. They integrate technology into their thought processes, collecting data effortlessly. Many are on the 24-hour news cycle, taking an active, vocal role in politics and policy.
A side hustle, what other generations would have called a part-time job on top of full-time work, is common. Inventing an app, running an e-commerce site, designing or creating websites, planning to go out on their own, is how Generation Zers view the future, see potential wealth enhancement, and honor their creative and entrepreneurial selves. At their full-time workplace they justify taking time during the day to handle some of the necessities of the hustle with their willingness to work off hours on their primary job. Executives who don’t understand this work ethic risk losing talented individuals — so stop checking their e-mails to see if it is “all work related” and measure the quality, quantity, and timeliness of the work being done.
Unlike Generation Xers, who seemed to do everything in groups, this new generation is showing more isolative, contemplative, tendencies. They are not antisocial, it’s that their sphere of contact is broader, and their devices give them easy access to people and places way beyond the building they sit in. The trend toward altering or even eliminating bullpens is being driven by these individuals.
The prestige of working for a well-known big brand is less alluring to this crowd. Many of their parents took the household name path only to find themselves in the midst of office politics, brand deterioration, or global turmoil (see 2008 financial crisis above). The attraction now is new ideas, potential for highly accelerated growth and opportunity to make a significant contribution early and maybe make big money. Even within the tech industry, the names familiar to most consumers are less attractive to Generation Zers than the start-up, spin-off, yet to be discovered. This is a challenge for established companies and firms as they are often not the first choice of the best and the brightest.
This upcoming generation is not willing to do grunt work. As interns they expect interesting projects and access. It’s not necessarily entitlement but more an energy and eagerness to contribute. Their knowledge and experience base, when used appropriately, can be extraordinary and unique.
This emphasis on experiences is apparent in how they spend their money and how they view their down time. Organizations who do not focus on this shift in need (demand) will find themselves losing the top candidates.
Generation Z prides itself on their active sense of social responsibility. They take global warming seriously, are concerned about the quality of food they eat, and the physical environment in which they work. They expect their employers, and the people they purchase from, to show the same level of concern and involvement. Poor citizenship, toxicity of any type, will not be tolerated.
The best recruiter for your company or group is the happy Generation Z employee. Their constant use of social media, willingness to rate and comment on everything from what they eat, to the movies they watch, or the organizations they work(ed) for, makes them superior ambassadors. They communicate with those they know and those they don’t yet, in a way that is credible and influential. Smart organizations tap into this network and encourage and reward people who attract other good people.
This is a global generation. What past generations saw as diversity (a variety of races, cultures, or sexual orientation) is commonplace and easily accepted because their workplace hires and respects people from all groups and categories. What Generation Zers want is diversity of thoughts and ideas — new approaches, variety of risk takers, people educated in a broad spectrum of disciplines. They don’t want the person next to them to look, think, or act as they do.
Generation Z is already making a significant impact on the workplace. How they think, act, communicate, and collaborate is distinctive and influential. Leaders need to embrace them, learn from them, and incorporate their knowledge and attitudes into the work environment if they want to compete in the 2020s.
Leave a Reply