Generation Vex
Ten ways in which Gen Z is really, really going to wind you upThose of us involved with emerging talent will already have heard plenty about Generation Z. (They’re the generation also known as ‘post-millennials’ or the ‘iGen’, born between 1995 and 2010.) Some of what we’ve heard is good – Gen Z is entrepreneurial and thoroughly tech-savvy – but some of it will have graduate recruiters running off to lock themselves in the assessment centre toilets.
It’s not quite as bad as an approaching zombie apocalypse. But Gen Z is truly terrible at social skills, hard to engage intellectually and utterly unwilling to do what it is told. So actually, it is as bad as an approaching zombie apocalypse, now we come to think about it.
Anyway, The Forum Corporation recently conducted a survey into Gen Zs to ascertain where future management pain points might lie. We spoke to Forum’s MD, Cynthia Stuckey, who cast light on the findings and suggested ways in which the large number of grating incompatibilities might just be overcome.
1. They’ll hate you telling them what to do.
Remember that puppy you had that never listened? You told it to sit and it ate your newspaper. You told it to beg and it ate your newspaper. So you told it to eat your newspaper – and it took out a smartphone and started playing Sniper Fury HD.
Well, Gen Z is that self-same puppy. ‘This generation grew up knowing uncertainty,’ says Stuckey. ‘Parents losing long-term jobs, family homes being sold, war and social unrest occurring globally, financial security in question. All this created a generation that has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and wants to make its own way in the world.
‘Plus, they have the ability to source information for what they need, quickly,’ Stuckey continues. ‘These two factors lead to a perception that Gen Z ‘thinks it knows it all’, when in fact it’s really demonstrating independence, self-confidence and entrepreneurial spirit.’
How do we manage this? ‘Have clarity on their role outcomes and on who you want them to work with, and how. They’ll need consistent feedback. Additionally, giving them the freedom to execute within appropriate boundaries will be very important.’
2. They’ll have a very short attention span.
One expert reckons Gen Zs have an attention span of eight seconds. In other words, as soon as you’ve said ‘The thing you need to understand about appropriate boundaries is…’ you’ve lost them. They’re away with the fairies, thinking about Snapchat, Justin Bieber and how they can gatecrash your Netflix subscription.
3. They’ll be offhand about diversity and CSR.
Next time you land a D&I initiative in the workplace, get ready to be met by Gen Zs rolling their eyes. This isn’t because they don’t care about diversity – it’s because they’ve pretty well got diversity already sorted.
‘Generation Z will assume workforce diversity is a given,’ says Stuckey. ‘It’s grown up amid anti-discrimination legislation and increased globalization, so it’s part of life. Their level of acceptance is extremely high for all types of diversity, whether that’s age, culture, sexual orientation or religious background.
‘As their acceptance is high, they see little value or need for policies and programmes to address this issue. So to engage them, it’ll be important to provide them with context.’
4. They won’t be at their desks.
Forum says that 40% of Gen Zs, who’ll be pretty well teched up for remote working even before they walk through your door, expect flexibility. They’ll assume they can work in a coffee shop without asking you.
And they won’t thank you for asking them to stay in the office late – 31.6% will be annoyed by boring old managers expecting them to put work ahead of their social lives.
5. They’ll want everything now.
Forum’s study also found that Gen Zs admit to wanting everything done instantly, from answers to questions asked of managers through to promotion. Stuckey believes that this is because they’re a generation born into an era of home internet and smartphones, and used to having many things (data, music, conversation) instantly available. This expectation carries through to their work life.
‘HR will need to ensure leaders respond to Gen Zs within an agreeable time frame that keeps both manager and employee happy,’ adds Stuckey.
6. They’ll whinge about training.
Twenty-six per cent of Gen Zs describe bosses that don’t spend time training and developing as ‘irritating’. 35% are eager to develop skills, mostly preferring mentoring and line management as a learning channel. Our tip: teach them how to make eye contact and shake hands, because…
7. Their face-to-face skills are awful.
The Forum study found that 27% of Gen Zs admit they lack confidence in face-to-face communications. This is because they literally spend 23½ hours a day online. (We made that last stat up, fact fans.)
‘Leaders should check in with Gen Zs regularly in person, rather than rely on email or phone,’ says Stuckey. ‘Encourage them to put forward ideas during team meetings so they get comfortable presenting in front of others, and invite them to take the lead during client meetings.’
8. They’ll want a lot of moolah.
Gen Zs aren’t into work because they love a cause. 67% think the most important thing about a job is the amount of salary they can stuff into the wafer-thin pockets of their skinny jeans.
9. They won’t care about your office environment.
You know that bright spark who suggested you should ‘get with the kids’ by painting the office funky colours and hiring a table tennis table for the office?
Well, save your money for something else: a measly 4% of Gen Zs worries about working in ‘a modern office environment with the latest facilities’.
10. They won’t stay, anyway.
Finally, according to an Adecco survey, one quarter of US students don’t believe you should stay in a job for longer than a year. So if all the above worries you, don’t let it: that annoying Gen Z will have packed her Jack Wills bag and scurried off almost as soon as she’s arrived.
One final word. What comes after Generation Z, apparently, is Generation Alpha. And by all accounts, they’re going to be even worse. One commentator described them as ‘Generation Z on Red Bull.’
Hopefully, we’ll all have retired by then.
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