Is your workplace ready for Gen Z?

The next generation of workers, known as “Gen Z”, is slowly beginning to find its way into the workplace.
As it does, it is bringing with it some interestingly significant differences from its predecessor – the “Millennials”.

Via this article at SHRM, we have a study from Universum which suggests that Gen Z’ers are more independent, more entitled, more likely to skip college, more interested in job security, and more interested in jobs that align with their personal interests:

The vanguard of Generation Z, people born in 1995 and later, are on the cusp of entering the workforce. Research has shown that they differ in some surprising ways from their Millennial predecessors. Understanding this group’s attitudes toward work and life is a must for companies preparing to recruit the next generation.
[snip] Eighty-two percent of respondents reported being open to being contacted by employers regarding work opportunities, and 32 percent reported having already received this type of communication. But recruiters should take care to tailor engagement to this group, as 58 percent said they dislike receiving overt job advertising in their social media channels.
The majority of Generation Z expect brands to have a social presence, however. “Understanding what content resonates with talent is critical to being at the top of the newsfeed and successfully engaging with them,” Bailey said.

Culture Fit
The biggest fear that this generation has about starting work is not finding a job that matches their personality (37 percent), followed by a concern about a lack of development opportunities (36 percent), worries about underperforming (33 percent) and concerns about not fulfilling career goals (28 percent), according to the Universum study. “This desire to be themselves and express their personality at work is critical for employers to heed,” Bailey said. “You see that they would rather create their own opportunity that aligns with their own values and beliefs as opposed to going into an already-established company.”
The focus on culture fit is not a new concept, but has been growing, Gorman said. “It’s becoming more important to employees that their work fits with their life. The notion of balance seems to be fading in favor of fit for most workers. For Gen Z, the biggest aspects of their future employer’s culture that need to match their personality are friendliness, diversity and office environment.”

The future workplace is going to be dramatically different than the one most of us have been accustomed to for the last 50 years, and no recruiting office will be able to avoid the need to accommodate the demands and expectations that lie ahead. In order to remain competitive, companies – both large and small – will need to recruit with more agility and flexibility than, perhaps, ever before.

[Image Creds: The Virtual Leader, Greig]