With baby boomers on the brink of retirement, and Gen X and Millennials moving in the driver’s seat, Gen Z is poised to enter the workplace. The newest generation will soon surpass Millennials as the most populous generation on earth, with more than one-third of the world’s population counting themselves as Generation Z. [1]As Gen Z are about to step into workplace, is it important to understand their traits and how will this affect the companies and how should employers adapt.
As the successors of the Millennials, Gen Z are often being compared with Millennials on their work attitudes and behaviour. An Ernst & Young study points out that Millennials tend to have higher and unrealistic expectations when it comes lives and opportunities.[2] This was partly due to the consequence of Millennials growing in a stable economic and being sheltered from many forms of dangers by Baby Boomer parents.
This trait is then reflected in the workplace attitudes among Older Millennials, those who are born between 1981 ~ 1988, who challenged norms and reshaped today’s workplace to be more casual, open and flexible compared to the earlier generation. In spite of this, the work demands of Older Millennials are not consistent with Younger Millennials (those who are born between 1989 ~ 1996) and Gen Z (those who are born between 1997 ~ 2004).
Younger Millennials and Gen Z are the first generations for whom digital technology is native to their lifestyle. As a result, Gen Z and Younger Millennials are different with new attitudes, values, life goals and employment demands. The top thing Gen Z looks for in a job is a fun place to work while flexible schedule and paid time off comes at second place.
Every generation comes with its own stereotype and so does Gen Z. The newest generation comes with a set of stereotypes: (i) tech-dependent, (ii) on the look for new adventures, (iii) less loyal to brands, and (iv) prefers digital communications.
But of course, companies would be wise not to fall for the myths and stereotypes when hiring Gen Z!
[1] Deloitte, Understanding Generation Z in the workplace (United States: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/understanding-generation-z-in-the-workplace.html#top ) [2] Ernst & Young, Next-gen workforce: secret weapon or biggest challenge? (United States) https://www.ey.com/en_gl/consumer-products-retail/next-gen-workforce-secret-weapon-or-biggest-challenge