With Baby Boomers on the brink of retirement and Gen X and Millennials squarely in the driver’s seat when it comes to the workforce, Gen Z is poised to come in and shake things up.
According to a recent CNBC article, the oldest Gen Zers are graduating college, and are about to enter the workforce with an entirely new set of expectations.
Gen Z wants to work hard and learn
“These Gen Zers have seen their parents struggle financially [due to the recession and student loan crisis], so parents are having conversations about finances, money and debt with kids earlier. They’re having conversations older generations never really had before,” said Dr. Denise Villa, CEO of The Center for Generational Kinetics.
In The Center’s most recent study, 35% of Gen Z surveyed said they plan to start saving for retirement in their 20s. Twelve percent (and keep in mind, many of the people in this survey were still teens) say they’ve already started saving.
Smarter recruiting
Hiring Gen Z will require changing up your recruitment strategies. Simply placing a “Help Wanted” sign in the window isn’t going to work for them.
“Think of your company as a brand,” said Heather Watson, Behavioral Designer at The Center for Generational Kinetics. “What makes it unique? What makes it fun? How do you visually show that?”
Have a fun workplace
The top thing Gen Z looks for in a job is a fun place to work. While a flexible schedule and paid time off were not far behind. But while they want to have fun, that doesn’t mean they’re not serious, explained Villa.
“They want to work,” said Villa. “They want to do a very good job at that position. They’re not looking at climbing the ranks quickly. They’re looking at getting value quickly.”
Get Solutions for Your Gen Z Employees — Sign Up for Our Free Gen Z Webinar
We’ve compiled our original Gen Z data into a live, free webinar that reveals what Gen Z values at work.
The webinar, “How Gen Z Will Change Work: My Cubicle is My Bed,” will cover everything from basic Gen Z characteristics, to best practices for retaining and engaging Gen Z employees, and everything in between.
Solve Your Gen Z and Millennial Challenges with Custom Generational Research
We lead national and international generational studies for our clients every day. We also keynote events around the world, helping businesses better understand their customers and workforce.
Let us know how we can help you. Send us an email or give us a call and we’ll be happy to provide a little information for you to review.
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