A lot of focus has been put on hiring Millennials. This generation has many differences from the generation prior due to the advancements in technology that occurred as they emerged into the workforce. Although Millennials are still one of the main generations in the workforce, we also now need to pivot our focus to the emerging workforce, Generation Z and learn how to retain employees in this generation.
Individuals that are in Generation Z were born from 1997 to 2012. According to World Economic Forum by about 2025 about 27% of the workforce will be Generation Z individuals. They are the generation immediately following the Millennial generation. This makes this generation between the ages 9 to 24 years old. Although no one is looking to hire under the age of about 16, that still leaves six years of individuals that are in the workforce in different types of jobs. 16–18-year-olds are likely looking for their first job somewhere such as a grocery store or restaurant. Individuals that are 18 years or older may be looking for a job to jump-start their career.
This makes them the emerging workforce, and an eager one. They can easily be taught new skills are excited to get started working, making money, and beginning their career. Below we will describe a few items that make this generation different, and how you can use these differences to help retain employees in this generation.
How to retain employees from Gen z
1. Flexibility
This generation likes flexible schedules. This means two things. First, that they have flexibility with their hours. So, they can work 9-5 or 7-3 whatever makes them most comfortable. They also like to have the flexibility to work where they want. In the office, hybrid, or work-from-home. This gives them the ability to work from where they need to and can do other things as well.
2. Diversity and Inclusion:
Diversity and Inclusion have recently become one of the forefronts in business. Organizations want to be inclusive and so do employees. Having an environment where there are a diverse group of people is super important to this generation. This makes sure that the applicants in this generation will feel comfortable from the start of their process. It will also ensure that they will fit into the work environment free of any biases.
3. Work-Life Balance:
Generation Z wants to make sure that their job is not their whole life, so having a healthy work/life balance is important. This could include weekends off, flexibility for car services and doctors’ appointments from day to day. As an organization helping this generation, be aware that you are flexible with other responsibilities you have out of work. This could even include being flexible with the school if you are in high school, college, or graduate programs to be mindful of class times.
4. Growth and Development:
This generation is driven by growth. Think about social media for a minute, the growth of their pages on Tik Tok could be huge for this generation. And this feeling follows through everything in their lives. They want to continue to progress in the position they are in. They want to be able to learn and develop so that they can get more responsibilities and promotions within the company. Being transparent about these opportunities to both develop and learn and the opportunity to grow within your organization could be a real push for this generation and help organizations successfully hire them.
5. Teamwork:
This generation loves to feel like they are part of the team. They want to feel as if they are a part of a bigger initiative. Working as part of a team accomplishes that because they can meet and share ideas to help them be more productive and feel as if they are less distant from the people that they are working with, especially in a work-from-home environment.
As I stated above, there are many similarities between this generation and the Millennial Generation. This generation was brought up in a time of technology and has a different view of what a job should look like. The 5 items above help to shine a light on some of the most important points to help retain employees in this generation.
Related Blog Post: Hiring Millenials in Today’s Job Market
Related Resource: Best Hiring Practices- Top Questions Answered
