Organizations experienced a shift in employee sentiment that ramped up during the pandemic and accelerated in its wake. As a result, the top-down, control-and-command mode of leadership that dominated the workplace started to fade as companies made room for discussions about employee well-being, belonging, and purpose.
Meanwhile, the latest generation to enter the workplace started to hit its stride. Now, company leaders are trying to understand how Gen Z workers will fit into their evolving environments. As “Zoomers” flesh out company teams and Boomers retire in greater numbers, many leaders are deciphering what these younger employees want and need to become team players.
Executives don’t need a crystal ball. The latest wave of employees desires all the people-centric priorities heightened by the pandemic. The catch is that they are more determined than their older colleagues that their employers meet these standards. The quest for meaning, ethics, and purpose will increase as Gen Z floods the working population. They are the voice of the future and are starting to make themselves heard.
Gen Z is just beginning to impact the workplace, but it won’t be long before they catch up with or move past previous generations. Savvy business leaders are doing their homework on who their freshmen team members are and what drives them.
First, they need to get a handle on the volume of workers this generation will represent. Johns Hopkins University reports that over 100,000 Baby Boomers reach 65 every day, and Glassdoor estimates that Zoomers will surpass Boomers at work for the first time next year. By 2030, Gen Z will make up approximately 30 percent of the workforce. So, the working population will change dramatically in just over half a decade,
Pew Research, the organization most accept as the authority on defining generational age spans, says Gen Zers are those born between 1997 and 2012. Due to the shift in US demographics, Johns Hopkins notes they will be the most diverse generation in history. Their research team also lists a series of events that helped form Gen Z workers’ outlook. Many came of age during:
These and other distinct factors, like rapidly accelerating technology, shape the perspectives of the newest cohort of workers. They’re not the only generation that has faced waves of adversity and change. But they may be the first to collectively take a firm stance on their expectations from their employers and the organizational culture they will need to thrive. As Aaron Terrazas and Daniel Zhao predict in Glassdoor’s 2024 Workplace Trends report:
“The coming year will represent a pivotal moment of cultural change that U.S. companies cannot ignore as Gen Z workers make up a rapidly growing share of our workforce.”
Researchers at Johns Hopkins (JH) report that Gen Z’s expectations about work culture are beginning to shake up how employers interact with their staff. Based on their assessment of their university’s students, the Johns Hopkins team created a list of what these future employees will require from places where they work. Among their priorities:
Like every generation, employee engagement is the key to win/win relationships between Gen Z workers and their employers. High engagement reflects employees’ commitment to their jobs and is the key to boosting morale, productivity, retention, and customer service. Gen Zers become engaged when they work for companies that live up to their views on social concerns and offer work schedules that enhance their performance.
Johns Hopkins discovered that the probability of younger workers not being engaged at work is higher than that of their older colleagues. This may be because employers are still evolving in their ability to meet this generation’s needs. JH cites a Gallop poll that found 54 percent of Gen Z workers are disengaged.
JH research also found that Gen Z workers report higher stress and burnout at work. According to Gallop, 68 percent of younger employees report feeling stressed on the job most of the time. Stress and burnout go beyond low engagement in derailing employees at work. Given that this generation will soon form a high percentage of the workforce, employers who don’t act to meet their needs will find it hard to remain competitive.
Johns Hopkins specialists outline six tactics for organizations to attract, engage, and retain Gen Z employees.
In an article for Franchsing.com, Cal DiJulius sums up the impact this generation will have on the workplace:
“Innovation and change are integral to Gen Z's ethos. Their preference for purpose over paycheck, their desire for meaningful engagement, and their quest for authenticity in the workplace are not just passing trends but are reshaping the future of work. As organizations, it's imperative to recognize and adapt to these shifts.
The narrative of Gen Z is still being written, and it's a story of resilience, adaptability, and purpose. By reworking culture, emphasizing purpose, and providing an environment that aligns with their values, companies can unlock the potential of this dynamic generation.”