Generation Z is maturing quickly and making its way into the workplace in ever-increasing numbers.
Generation Z is here to stay – who are they?
They are those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, this different generation is graduating from college and entering the workforce.
This generation of young people, currently aged 16 to 19, differ in many significant ways from their predecessors in the workplace. Companies need to be ready to face a new set of challenges and issues when it comes to motivating this new cohort of workers.
Technology has changed the way everyone interacts with each other, right across the world. Many young people now feel closer bonds with similar youngsters in other countries, rather than with their own compatriots, or even their families.
Despite this seeming disconnect from local community life, Generation Z is idealistic at heart, or so it seems according to new statistics published by Sage. A quarter of Generation Z likes to volunteer in their spare time, and a staggering 60 percent want to make a positive impact on the world.
This has huge implications for managers in the workplace. Appealing to self-interest will not be enough when it comes to motivating Generation Z in the office. Managers have to find a way to utilise this idealism. Charity campaigns and other social projects can be a good focus for bringing a team together and creating the kind of unity of purpose every successful company needs.
But do not mistake that altruism for softness, or that attachment to technology to ignorance. According to Sage, 41 percent of Generation Z wants a job with an opportunity for growth. This makes it essential that managers focus on training and career development with their employees. There needs to be a clear path of progression in place. Workers need to be given a real sense that they are on a positive journey, not a treadmill.
Tied to that is a feeling that they want to move on in the world, and be their own boss, sooner rather than later in many cases. Managers need to be aware of this and appeal to their employees’ sense of entrepreneurship. It can be positive to allow employees a degree of autonomy when designing and delivering projects, for example.
Generation Z can be expected to exert a huge influence on our lives in the coming years. They have enormous potential. It is up to us as employers and managers to channel that potential into success, with positive strategies that take proper account of the modern world.
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