With Generation Z now making up a quarter of the world’s population, understanding and engaging with this group is key to harnessing a valuable talent pool and their growing purchasing power.
Born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, Gen Z have been reared in a digital world with access to limitless information and instant communication. Known for their innovative and entrepreneurial approach, their unique perspective will have a growing influence on businesses as more enter the workplace. Because of this, whether they view Gen Z as future employees, customers, or business partners, all businesses need to understand this generation and adapt accordingly.
For many of us of older generations, Gen Z are a little mysterious. Their values —both political and social—may seem alien, but these drive their decision-making. For example, employers find that Gen Z employees are more concerned at interviews with environmental, social and governance issues than with their salary. They are focused heavily on holiday time rather than progression and yet, once employed, they may assume that career progression is a right, rather than a privilege to be earned. All of these factors combine to create conflict with the life-long values of older generations.
But just as we, from the baby-boom generations, shocked our parents with liberal behaviour, drugs, long hair, flower-power and flared jeans, Gen Z are not entirely wrong, nor entirely right. They represent change and they reflect the future. We either embrace them or we will fail.
Here are some of the things that Gen Z want us to be.
Be honest
In a world where misinformation and fake news dominate, Gen Z are looking for authenticity and honesty. It is integral to building trust with clients and employees, and this means demonstrating your company’s values and mission through actions not just words. Communicate openly and honestly with clients and employees, provide accurate information about your services and deliver on promises. Marketing speak, corporate jargon and polished scripts are out and relatable messages, storytelling and transparency are in. Show examples of your mission in action with client stories, community activities or employee perspectives on working in the business and above all, admit weakness and explain how it will be addressed.
Be Aware
Hand-in-hand with honesty is the need to be aware that we live in a world where social media leaves no room for lies and where the truth can be distorted. When a tiny failure can be warped into a fundamental flaw, businesses must be aware of how their information can be used. Something that someone might think is funny can be grossly misinterpreted by someone else and the backlash can be merciless.
Be meaningful
Gen Z are seeking meaningful work and want to know how their role contributes to the business’s mission and goals. They are looking for opportunities to learn and grow, so investing in their training and providing transparent career plans are key to demonstrating your commitment to their progression. Provide junior staff with leadership roles on projects to help develop their management skills and encourage them to contribute ideas and feedback through open lines of communication to ensure they feel valued and respected. Clients too want meaningful interactions and to understand the impact of your products or services on their business. Provide data to show improvements in the business or comparisons to industry benchmarks, and stay ahead of developments in their industry to provide insights and thought leadership. Hold round tables or workshops with opportunities for clients to hear from your experts on big issues that matter to them.
Be responsible
For as long as Gen Z can remember, the planet has been in peril and they want to be part of something that has a positive impact on the world. Appealing to Gen Z will mean having sustainability high on the business agenda and demonstrating your commitment to social and environmental issues. Employees will be keen to get involved if they feel they are making a difference so give staff volunteering days to encourage them to give their time or share their skills and expertise with local charities and community groups. For clients, knowing that you have implemented sustainable practices and are investing in the local community all helps to build loyalty too.
Be digital
Having grown up in a digitally connected world, Gen Z expect to be able to frequently and instantly communicate and they thrive with collaborative tools and mobile enabled systems. Provide clients with the facilities to access shared spaces where they can communicate and collaborate on documents and information in real time. For employees, instant messaging, intranets, project management tools and HR resources they can access from their mobile device, will help to increase their productivity and harness innovation. However, remember to consider portals, secure data and privacy.
Be social
Gen Z spend a significant amount of time on social media and reports suggest they spend on average 4.5 hours a day across multiple channels. TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat are their main sources of communication, entertainment, shopping and news, at present, but we also know that in six months’ time, there will be other popular platforms, so be flexible and aware. They are also heavily influenced by social media so posting an engaging, short video can quickly go viral and help to attract new employees or buyers to your business. Encourage staff to share your posts on their own social media to increase your reach and add credibility to your messages, but never try to be too funny without testing your ideas for offensiveness, accidental discrimination or political challenges. Expect that your social media will generate jokes and criticism: don’t take offense and don’t kick back at criticism; you will never win.
Be nurturing
Although they value flexible working and work life balance, Gen Z also value being in the office among their team. Being part of a community, working collaboratively and socialising together are important so provide a workspace and culture that fosters team work, problem solving and innovation. Mentoring programmes can also harness and develop Gen Z talent. Wellbeing and mental health are vitally important to this generation and providing trained mental health first aiders and access to counselling services are simple ways to support your Gen Z employees. Nurture your business community too by building partnerships and connecting professionals and clients with common interests to tackle challenges with a sense of shared purpose.
Adopting these approaches will not only help to create a dynamic and forward-thinking workplace, it will also go a long way in attracting Gen Z to your employee and client community.
Gen Z is the first generation in humanity that can communicate happiness or sadness, agreement or disdain to millions of people instantly. Yet if you accept the fundamentals of market economics, by which knowledge and information create ever improved markets, you will see that Gen Z has the tools to do better than any previous generation. Our task is to harness this power, not to fight it. The more we understand the power and, of course, conversely, the struggle of Gen Z in a world whose values come from a history that they often think to be bad, the more we can ensure that their knowledge will inform a future which is prosperous.
Jonathan FRANKS
Principal – UK
