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30 April 2024 - 5 min read
With members of Generation Z coming of age and joining the workplace in significant numbers, it’s a good idea for HR professionals to get acquainted with the unique traits of this demographic cohort that could have implications for the people strategy of your organisation.
We’ve created this short guide to Gen Z in the workplace, informed by the latest research. Read on to find out more about how to adapt your workplace.
Gen Z is short for ‘Generation Z’. It’s a term used to categorise a demographic cohort of people born between a particular range of dates – in other words, a generation of people. Each generation comes of age in a specific social, political and economic context, and this means that their traits and behaviours can vary significantly.
Typically, society has divided generations according to when they were born over a 15 to 20 year period.
The Pew Research Centre does significant work in analysing demographic trends and the behaviour of particular cohorts (we’ll be coming back to their work later on in this blog). They categorise the various generations of the 20th and 21st century in this way:
As you can see from above, Generation Z are now starting to be old enough to filter into the workplace. Generally, up until now, workplaces have been dominated by Baby Boomer, Generation X and Millennial demographic cohorts. As Baby Boomers increasingly retire, the balance of generations in the workplace will shift, bringing with it a change in behavioural traits and the way that we work together.
As we covered in a previous blog, research has shown that by 2025 Gen Z-ers will make up around 27% of the total workforce. It’s clear then that employers need to be prepared for the impact of a new generation on organisations, and be aware of the ways that they can get the best from them.
It’s important to remember when we’re talking about demographic cohorts we’re essentially making huge generalisations about groups of individuals. Generalising isn’t particularly fair and sometimes it’s not particularly useful either. Unfortunately, it’s also arguably one of the only ways we have to conceptualise the different traits of different generations. People are unique individuals at the end of the day and will all have different and similar ways of thinking and acting. No generalisation is 100% correct: including the ones here. Bear this in mind when you’re working your way through this blog.
Researchers have labelled Gen Z as the first truly digital generation, dubbing them ‘Digital Natives’. Gen Z will generally have grown up in an environment where the internet was commonplace and widely used, and where using digital technology is second-nature and something done without needing to think.
As a result, many Gen Z employees may find it easier than other generations to use digital forms of technology for tasks. This can give them a significant advantage in adapting to new technology in the workplace but it can also be a drawback. Many Gen Z-ers might also be unfamiliar with physical tools/methods to complete common tasks that sometimes might need to be used: for example, using dictionaries or physical reference resources to find information, rather than the internet.
HR can help support Gen Z with technology by:
Unlike previous generations, research has suggested that Gen Z are likely to be much more honest about their struggles with mental health – either that, or that they struggle with mental health issues at a higher rate than previous generations. Both interpretations have major consequences for HR departments and how we interact with Gen Z employees.
A survey by the American Psychological Association found that 27% of Gen Z-ers report poor mental health and wellbeing – significantly higher than other generations. Another study by Ogilvy found that the outlook of Gen Z on their mental health falls well below the US average in other generations.
It would be silly not to expect spillover from this into the workplace: particularly when tackling the devastating effects of mental health and poor wellbeing is becoming more of a strategic priority for many of the world’s leading organisations.
HR can help support Gen Z in terms of mental health by:
A study by the Pew Research Centre suggested that Gen Z is particularly progressive when it comes to political, social and environmental issues, having implications for HR when it comes to recruitment and retention.
The Pew Research Centre, one of the leading organisations that’s looking at the possible traits of demographic cohorts, suggests that Gen Z and Millennials have a lot in common when it comes to their views on society. Both, according to the findings of the centre, have very progressive views.
Citing a 2008 study, Pew Research Centre says that 70% of Gen Z members surveyed wanted the state to take a more active role in solving problems in society, rather than businesses or individuals, compared with 64% of Millennials. They also highlighted how around two thirds of Gen Z/ Millennials think that people of colour are unfairly treated compared to white people.
Further research by the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations found that Gen Z and Millenials are more likely to experience anxiety, anger and guilt about climate change than older generations. An article by the BBC highlights how Gen Z are at the forefront of a new wave of activism on topics as broad as climate change, social and racial inequality and gender discrimination for instance.
Going forward, if the research and predictions match the reality, it’s likely that organisations will need to finetune their approach to issues like this in order to appeal to employees and customers from this cohort. Organisations that fail to take confident, progressive positions on issues that matter to Gen Z are likely to find it hard to attract and retain talent from this cohort.
Evidence shows that Gen Z are much more diverse than previous generations too. This has major implications when it comes to the workplace and your diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.
As a cohort, Gen Z are more likely to come from multi-ethnicity families than previous cohorts and as we covered earlier, Gen Z are also more likely to hold strong views on issues related to diversity and this has implications for your organisation.
As a HR department, you’ll need to take the lead in developing a strong DEI strategy that is able to appeal to this diverse demographic and tackle some of the issues that they feel strongly about.
As time passes and society evolves, generational change in the workplace is inevitable. It always has been and always will be. As the older demographic cohorts of the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers retire and move out of the workplace, HR departments will need to ensure that they’re ready to engage with the next generation moving into the workforce – Generation Z.
We hope this blog has helped to introduce you to some of the potential key traits of this organisation and help you prepare your own HR practice for the new challenges to come.
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