Did you know?
In the next few years, Generation Z will make up one-fifth of the workforce.
Who are they, and how will they affect the workplace? It’s a question that’s top-of-mind for most companies today, as Generation Z has a specific set of traits, work styles, and worldviews that will likely transform the future workplace.
So—if you’re a small business owner, you need a better understanding of this generation and how it’ll affect your business to stay ahead of the curve.
Good news?
This guide offers just that. Keep scrolling to learn more.
Who is Generation Z and What It’ll Bring?
Simply put, it’s a group of people born between 1997 and the early 2010s. They make up around 20% of the U.S. population as of 2019, according to Statista.
What makes Generation Z unique compared to other generations?
In essence, they live and breathe tech: a full 96% of Gen Z’ers own smartphones, and they spend nearly 10 hours per day on them. When this happens, you’re bound to see its effect in the workplace.
For one, Gen Z will need a truly digital environment for the workplace—it’ll be a minimum requirement for them. It also means they won’t spend their time doing busy work that they think could be automated (e.g., data entry).
A second significant way Gen Z will affect the workplace is by expanding the importance of diversity and inclusion. A whopping 49% identify as non-white. It’s more diverse, culturally, racially, and sexually. For them, it’s essential to work with diverse people or, at the very least, for employers that encourage diversity.
Hence, it’s an opportunity companies can cash in on, provided they understand what this generation has to offer and accommodate them.
4 Tips for Businesses Hiring Gen Z’ers
Tap into the power of microlearning
Gen Z’ers hate to be in a rut. If they don’t grow their skillsets they can then put on a resume, they’ll be a lot more willing to lose steam and ultimately look for greener pastures. Hence, companies must provide them with small learning moments.
That’s when microlearning comes into play.
One of the core benefits of microlearning is that it puts Gen Z’ers in charge of their learning curve. Rather than making Generation Z stick to schedules or a set of learning materials, microlearning empowers them to continually deepen their subject matter expertise interactively.
Provide more frequent, quality feedback
You’ll need to do a better job at giving Generation Z as much feedback as possible.
To do it, cement your 1:1 meetings with Gen Z’ers and never cancel them unless, of course, there’s an emergency or when you don’t have much feedback to share. If you can’t attend a feedback session, be sure to reschedule it, but don’t cancel it altogether.
Second, before giving feedback to a Gen Z’er, collect some solid examples of their performance (numbers, facts). In this case, you need to be specific. It’s easier for a person to improve on one or two small, specific things than one generic.
Lastly, don’t forget to follow up. Once you’ve had a feedback session with your Generation Z employee, email them a summary of what you have discussed to ensure things don’t slip through the cracks.
Pull back the curtain on transparency
Gen Z’s entire lives are open to the public with all their social media accounts. You’ll have to be the same.
So—embrace transparency.
While you might be tempted to sugarcoat tough news, it can easily backfire, and Gen Z’ers might lose trust in you. That’s why it’s critical to be pull back the curtain on transparency when communicating the state of the business and stick to the facts—even when it comes back to bite you.
Ensure they strive for excellence
Give Gen Z’ers ambitious goals and have them shoot for them. After all, competition is part of their daily lives.
An excellent place to start is to introduce OKRs. It’s a management system designed by Andy Grove from Intel that will help Generation Z stay on track with their deliverables. Thanks to OKRs, each Gen Z staffer will understand their role in the grand scheme of things and know precisely what they need to do on a day-to-day basis to help drive the business forward.
