YOUNG AND RESTLESS AT WORK!

Dona Senara explains how the youngest team members can be motivated

World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates indicate that by 2050, a third of the workforce will comprise Gen Z. Yet, attracting, managing and retaining these youngest workers will require a different approach as they pose a potentially bigger challenge to businesses.

Speaking to CNBC, Professor of Business Ethics at the University of San Diego Tara Salinas said that while Gen Z has well-honed technological skills, organisations will need to make room for a clear absence of other success related competencies.

According to Salinas, Generation Z comprises digital natives who have always communicated online. As a result, their soft skills or interpersonal abilities have suffered. Moreover, they faced an even greater blow due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this has affected how corporates should deal with them at work.

In line with her views, social media sites such as TikTok and software platforms like ChatGPT can help businesses improve how they interact with Gen Z.

Zoomers are making it abundantly clear that their only goal at work is to enter, complete assigned tasks and leave. They place more importance on maintaining a work-life balance than developing emotional commitments to their jobs.

This is where companies need to consider organisational culture and mentoring initiatives.

Losing a job seems almost like a vacation for Gen Z – and even some millennials. This may be because they’re the only generations to have gone through the pain of the debt crisis, gun violence, climate change and the pandemic at the same time.

Although Gen Z may be the first generation to enter the workforce with native digital skills, Salinas claims that this comes at the expense of interpersonal dynamics and in-person communication, both of which are difficult for them to master.

Therefore, organisations must adapt to these workers’ needs to manage them successfully and position them for success. In exchange, Gen Z can offer businesses crucial expertise in social media and more recently, AI platforms.

Investment in mentorship and professional develop­ment of Generation Z employees must be a part of corporate culture

Furthermore, while Gen Zs have a lot to offer a company, they also have high expecta­tions. Studies have shown that the main reason they leave their jobs is because some corporate values don’t align with their own.

Organisations that view culture as a secondary factor will not sit well with this generation as they predominantly want to work for a business that, in essence, invests in the world and is a decent global citizen.

This could be due to Gen Z growing up in a context where more firms have been open about caring for employees’ mental health. And as self-care, mental health and global issues are significant to this generation, they will disregard organisations that don’t value such attributes.

Another important factor highlighted by CNBC is the importance of companies establishing mutually beneficial mentorship programmes when dealing with Gen Z employees.

Employers must recognise that younger workers also take career development and mentorship into account when determining whether to join or leave a company, even while flexibility and remote work continue to be top priorities.

Salinas says that everything comes back to organisational culture. Investment in mentorship and professional development of Generation Z employees must be a part of corporate culture. This will give them the chance to acquire the abilities they lack.

Mentorship has become essential for employees who wish to advance their education and can likewise expose more senior personnel to emerging technologies.

Gen Z can use it both ways. A mentor is typically thought of as an older person who guides a younger person but with Gen Z, they can teach more seasoned workers about the technology they’re still learning.