Employers need to prepare for the shift without neglecting Millennial and Gen X workers

The American workforce is facing a set of extraordinary circumstances – the COVID-19 pandemic is raging on, meaning remote work will likely continue throughout the year; the recession is straining both employees’ and customers’ finances; and, after last summer’s racial reckoning, corporate companies are still grappling with how best to address their own systemic inequities.  But there’s another major shift happening that’s bound to have just as big an impact, if not bigger – Gen Z is entering the workforce.

The upper tier of Gen Z (ages 18-23) is just getting started at a time when many workers and businesses are struggling to stay afloat.  This creates a somewhat complicated scenario for employers.  How do you meet the needs of these entry-level employees while still tending to your existing teams?

A great place to start is by understanding Gen Z at a deeper level, to figure out how their presence will alter office dynamics as well as your approach to people management.

Gen Z & The Workplace: Change Is Coming

Gen Z is unlike any generation that came before it.  Their demographic makeup is actually reflective of America’s racial and ethnic diversity; only 52% are non-Hispanic white.  They’re the best-educated, with an estimated 57% enrolled in two- or four-year colleges as of 2018.  That’s compared to 52% of Millennials at a similar turning point in 2003 and 43% of Gen X in 1987.  They’re a more progressive bunch, with leftward views on issues like government’s responsibility to address societal inequities and the use of gender-neutral pronouns.  And they’ve never known a world without rapid technological advancement.  

Also, Gen Z workers are beginning their careers when the job market is at a historic low.  Not only are they navigating the usual anxieties, like polishing their resumes and networking, but they’re also witnessing total upheaval across the country.  

Taking all this into consideration, it should come as no surprise that Gen Z workers have different needs than generations past.  Ideally, employers should be able to provide Gen Z employees with:

• Security: With so much uncertainty all around them, these workers need great pay and benefits like health insurance.  They need to know that the company they work for has their back.
• Autonomy: Gen Z workers are independent, driven, and willing to work hard.  They want to take ownership of their development.  For traditional employers, this means a more hands-off approach.
• Technology: This generation doesn’t just understand tech – they live and breathe it in almost every aspect of their lives.  They’ll be looking for streamlined digital tools that make work easier and that align with the kinds of tools they’ve always used.
• Face Time: They don’t want to be “worker bees” who just execute and only communicate with the boss via email.  They want to be seen and developed, and they expect coaching from their managers.

So, how should employers get ready to welcome Gen Z to the workplace?  There are a few key steps they can take.  First, reexamine your hiring practices.  You may need to develop new candidate profiles to match your open roles to the right workers, instead of just posting a job and waiting for applicants.  This level of personalization may also be needed on a per-project basis once workers are onboarded.  For example, an internal marketplace could help you match projects with employees who have the necessary skillset, rather than giving projects to a particular department just because that’s how you’ve always done it.

You’ll also need to outline more flexible career paths to accommodate the hunger of young workers who want to learn more and move up.  And in prepping them for next steps, you can lean on Millennials and Gen X to mentor and train them.

That connection – between Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X – will be crucial, not just for Gen Z’s success, but also to ensure the rest of your team isn’t neglected.

What About Millennials and Gen X?

Though their needs differ, Millennials and Gen X both still need dedicated resources and attention.

This moment marks the second time Millennials have endured a financial crisis of epic proportions.  Many of them entered the job market during the Great Recession, unfortunate timing that continued to impact their career advancement and earnings potential for the last decade.

Right now, this generation needs financial security – competitive pay, great benefits, and all-around assurance that the bottom won’t fall out when they need support the most.  They also need connection, with managers and other team members, and self-care resources.  Some of these requirements might sound similar to those of Gen Z, but Millennials are dealing with twice the trauma and the assistance they need is a bit more nuanced.

On the other hand, Gen X has fared better throughout the pandemic, largely because they’ve lived through several major crises in their lifetime.  They’re more risk-averse and more capable of making sense of this moment.  But this means Gen X employees aren’t squeaky wheels, and so the saying goes, it’s always the squeaky wheels that get the oil.

Right now, they need reassurance that the workplace won’t leave them behind while shifting and changing to meet Millennial and Gen Z demands.  They don’t want to lose their jobs to make space for younger employees nor do they want the technology or processes to change so rapidly that it throws them off-balance.  It’s important to note that Gen X is at a critical career stage, where many workers are reaching the upper echelons of management or becoming executives.  Though they’re experienced and even-keeled, they still need development.  They’re counting on it.

All of this might seem overwhelming.  Each generation of workers has different needs, and in many cases, they don’t quite align, which makes it difficult for employers to create inclusive and adequate people management strategies.  It may take some trial and error to find the right mix of initiatives, but there’s one thing that will help everyone – stronger intergenerational partnerships.

Working Together

The best way to ensure everyone feels supported is to encourage collaboration.  First, of course, you need to address the most pressing needs of each group.  For Gen X, they need immediate feedback, flexible work arrangements, and opportunities for personal development.  Millennials need a flexible schedule, regular personal interaction, and people management that’s tied to their results.  And Gen Z needs challenges – give them multiple projects and allow them to be self-directed and independent, without sacrificing their work-life balance.

From there, there are several ways to bring them all together:

• Mentorship: An effective mentorship program allows Gen X and Millennials to coach Gen Z, thus giving older employees purpose while offering professional development for younger workers.
• Co-leadership: With each project, pick co-leaders from different generations.  Hypothetically, Gen Z and Gen X could work together, combining a mix of new ideas and expertise for truly innovative work.
• Values: Update your values to ensure they include components that are important to everyone, like healthy work-life balance, inclusion, and transparent communication.
• Well-being: Though Millennials may be a bit louder about this, everyone can benefit from wellness perks.  Healthy workers are more productive and more bought in to the company mission.  So extend gym discounts, mindfulness tools, and other resources to all employees.
• Standardized tools: Get everyone on the same page.  Gen Z shouldn’t be on Slack while Millennials and Gen X stick to email.  Introduce the tools that work best for your organization and ensure every worker is trained and acclimated, regardless of generation.
• Learning and development: Create opportunities for everyone to keep learning.  Think about skills-based training where everyone can benefit and no one has the upper hand, like the rollout of a new internal communication system.
• Feedback: Seek feedback often to understand what is and isn’t working, and also to hear the team’s ideas about how to close generational gaps.

Conclusion

Gen Z will certainly change workplace dynamics in the years to come, but every generation has needs.  The most successful employers will be those that create level playing fields where everyone can thrive.