The presence of Generation Z in the workplace is increasing rapidly day by day. It is estimated that by 2025, Gen Z will make up about 27% of the workforce in the OECD countries. But who are these people that are taking over our workforce? Generation Z consists of people born between 1996 and roughly 2010. The growing population of Gen Z in the workplace means that you might be the one to adapt to this change. This new generation is way different from their predecessors, so your new employees’ attitudes, traits, skills, expectations, and motivations will be way different as well. Adapting to this generational change in your workplace is a must for you since you would like to achieve the highest efficiency and its source is to make sure that you know your employees and their needs.
Before trying to know what your Gen Z employees need from you, you should first know who they are, how they work, what their personalities are like. We can give you a brief summary of common characteristics of Gen Z employees, which would not be equal to conducting psychometric tests and knowing each individual; however, having a clue about your new employees’ generation pre-employment is always an advantage for you.
Getting to Know Your Gen Z Employees
We all know that Generation Z is the generation of technological development and fast adaptation regarding the years that they have grown up in. But do we really know how they are in the work environment?
Traits of Gen Z in the Workplace
More Demanding: Compared to the previous generations, Generation Z is more demanding, meaning that they have higher expectations from their superiors. They are more conscious about what they want in life which helps them choose the career they want. Once they find themselves in a work environment that they think will benefit them, they don’t hesitate to ask for more. They want you to know that if they are going to help you grow as an organization, then you must help them grow as individuals as well.
Independent: Generation Z values independence. Freedom and flexibility in the workplace are crucial for them. They are dedicated to advancing their careers and since they are generally self-conscious people, they know themselves enough to know how they work better. They have their own methods to make their process more efficient. They give high importance to autonomy in the workplace.
Entrepreneurial: We have already mentioned that Generation Z is dedicated to advancing their careers. If you add courage to this dedication, you get entrepreneurial. They wouldn’t hesitate to act enterprising if they come across something they want to achieve to strengthen their career.
Creative: A report shows that 77% of Gen Z’ers state that they spend their free time with creative activities such as drawing, photographing, illustrating, and 83% of Gen Z’ers believe creativity has a positive effect on their mood and productivity.
Competitive: It is now known that Gen Z is self-conscious about what they want to achieve in life and they are dedicated to their goals which means that they are willing to work hard to get what they want.
Tech-savvy: Generation Z being born into technological developments is not new information. They not only can adapt to new technologies faster than previous generations but also they can benefit from technology most efficiently in their daily lives.
What Do They Care About
- Gen Z is an ambitious generation. They want advancement in their career. They work hard to get what they want and they want their work to be recognized and appreciated. They are willing to learn more and they expect their superiors to teach and guide them. As a result, their demand for progress tracking occurs. Gen Z employees expect to be evaluated occasionally. You can fulfill that expectation with online assessment tools and track their progress.
- Generation Z is a conscious and woke generation. They are caring and sensitive towards social issues. They value the freedom of thought and speech. Therefore, they listen and value each thought and expect their thoughts to be listened to and valued. They would like to be in a workplace where each opinion is heard and valued, where they can freely and comfortably express their thoughts.
- Being woke and open-minded, Generation Z does not think about diversity in the same way as their predecessors. Older generations define diversity within the scope of racial, ethnic, and gender demographics whereas the younger generation regards diversity as a blend of different ideas, identities, experiences, and opinions.
- Since Gen Z is an independent generation, they give importance to creating personal working schedules. They highly value work-life balance and they prefer to make a clear distinction between their work and personal lives. Employees need to have a space for themselves to set their own schedules and shape their own methods of working and keep the balance between their work life and personal life.
- As we all know, Gen Z was born into an influx of globalization, economic fluctuations, and technological advancements. These factors brought uncertainty and lack of validation to their perception of the outer world while growing up. Therefore they demand valid information about their surroundings and the things they are involved in, which results in their need for transparency in the workplace. They want to know what is happening around them, what people around them are thinking; they simply want to be informed and involved.
- We are living in times in which self-awareness and mental health are of high importance. Gen Z, being born and raised in these times, is a generation that gives priority to mental health. They expect their workplace to give importance to stress management and the mental health of the employees.
What Are Their Motivations in the Workplace
- This new growing population in the working environment regards personal development as of high importance. The young generation of the workplace needs constant learning and improvement. If the organization has to grow, then the individuals of the organization have to grow as well. They need a space for them to learn and grow. Their prior motivation for work is self-improvement.
- Younger people in the workplace are risk-averse people. Most of them witnessed various economic fluctuations therefore they want job security for themselves. They want stability and assurance to increase their dedication to their work. According to research conducted by APA (American Psychological Association), 81% of Gen Zs between the ages of 18 and 21 state money as a source of stress while 77% stating work as a source of stress.
- Gen Z in the workplace being ambitious and dedicated to work, wants their progress to be observed. They want to be mentored; hence, they want feedback. According to a research report, 66% of Gen Z’ers need feedback from their supervisor every few weeks or more to stay at their job.
How Can You Support and Motivate Your Gen Z Employees
If you want the highest efficiency from your employees, you need to make sure to provide them with the best work environment they can get. First, you have to know your employees. As we have listed your possible new Gen Z employee’s general characteristics, you might have a general opinion about them. However, if you want to know your employee, you must conduct pre-employment tests such as skill assessment tests or psychometric tests. With what Test Invite has to offer you in online assessment tools, you can cross that item off your list too. After knowing your employee and their needs, you need to pay attention to the workplace they will be working in. You have to make sure to be flexible, transparent, progress-tracking, caring, and appreciative. Then both you and your Gen Z employee could work together in sync and peace.
