Members of Generation Z, namely people born roughly between 1997 and 2012, now form more than a quarter of the global workforce, and their share of the labour market will continue to grow rapidly. This generation is still often perceived as “the young, new” group of employees and has its own specific characteristics. Although everyone is different and generalisations are difficult, these traits can be statistically identified. This article offers managers practical advice on how to attract employees from Gen Z and retain them in the long term.
Work-life balance
In the past, an ideal balance between personal and professional life often simply meant an extra week's holiday beyond the legal minimum. Today’s employees, however, rightfully demand more. They understand that time is the most valuable resource and do not wish to neglect their families, hobbies, personal development or other projects for the sake of work. If you want to attract young employees, you need to offer genuine flexibility. This might also mean abandoning traditional thinking and introducing alternative forms of employment and collaboration.
Meaningfulness and diversity of work
As INC.com states, employees from Gen Z do not thrive in monotonous work environments. If they remain in such roles, they tend to show minimal engagement and may eventually burn out, stagnate professionally or leave altogether. People from Gen Z not only seek work that is diverse and meaningful but also excel at it. So providing them with such work is in everyone’s best interest.
New management approach
Members of Gen Z expect their supervisor not to be a despotic micromanager. If their manager dictates tasks too precisely and allows them no room for creativity, initiative or gradual growth, they can easily become discouraged, lose motivation and gradually disengage from their work. Managers should therefore lead through trust, openness, and empowerment rather than rigid control.
-mm-