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With Gen Z set to overtake Baby Boomers in number in the full-time workforce in 2024, one of the UK’s leading HR and recruitment specialists, Gi Group, explains how this will shape the future of work and why this pivotal cultural shift shouldn’t be ignored by organisations.
Those born between 1996 to 2010, referred to as ‘Gen Z’, are quickly becoming a more dominant presence in the workplace with their demographic set to overtake the number of boomers by the end of 2024.
Despite Gen Z often being seen as ‘kids’, they are quickly making up a very important part of the UK workforce and with it brings a whole new set of values, behaviours, and expectations.
It’s not a new phenomenon that each generation heralds fresh outlooks and traits to the professional environment, with millennials known for collaboration, boomers for their loyalty and Gen X for their entrepreneurial spirit.
When it comes to Gen Z, however, they have received a bad rep in the professional landscape, often described as entitled and with a lack of motivation and productivity. Research has found that three in 10 hiring managers admitted to avoiding hiring Gen Z candidates due to perceived negative traits such as entitlement, unrealistic remote-working requests and lack of professionalism[1].
Assumptions aside, a new generation is rising and how employers are responding to this is vital in order to attract and retain this key part of the workforce, recruitment specialists, Gi Group, advise.
A good place to start is by focusing on the positives that this generation brings to an organisation, Lewis Hanrahan, Business Manager at Gi Group’s Nottingham branch explained: “Gen Z are such a valuable asset to any workplace and it’s time for employers to acknowledge this. By recognising what it is that they value, whether that be mental wellbeing, work-life balance, transparent leadership or diversity and inclusion, you can learn how to engage with them and encourage long-term commitment.
“Fostering thriving work environments means listening to the needs and interests of everyone within your organisation, no matter the age. Our outlooks and strengths are shaped by environments we grew up in, but this shouldn’t be seen as a negative, instead a positive to work collaboratively and bring multiple strengths and skills to the table.”
One of the areas that Gen Z place high value on is self-improvement and personal growth, seeing training as a means to enhance their knowledge and capabilities in the increasingly competitive job market. Research has shown that Gen Z are more likely to change jobs to develop their skills and progress in their career than other generations[2].
To avoid losing valuable employees seeking new skills elsewhere, Lewis explained how it’s crucial to offer training and development which adds value to the employee. He said: “Showing commitment to long-term growth is more important now than ever. With technology advancements shaping the world of work at a rapid pace, new skills are constantly being required. Gen Z want to be ahead of this and constantly learning, so to deter a pattern of job hopping, it’s key to offer development from within.
“This isn’t a blanket approach to training however, it requires an ongoing, tailored programme listening to individual goals and pinpointing areas for improvement. This should then be paired with a growth mindset, where internally you encourage employees to take risks, create pathways for honest communication, provide regular feedback and listen with an open mind. This atmosphere creates a space where people feel inspired, supported, and strive for growth, something that Gen Z regard as highly important.”
Another preference Gen Z is bringing to the workplace is their approach to hierarchical structures. Compared to previous generations, where there was an acceptance of command-and-control approach from the top, the world of work is beginning to see an evolving structure in some sectors, with a flatter middle management and trainee dynamic – driven by the Gen Z attitude to learning and development.
Lewis added: “Transparency between leaders and the wider team is becoming a more popular way of working, no doubt a change that Gen Z has welcomed and will continue to do so as they populate more workplaces. It’s here where collaborative leadership is valued as people from across the business, no matter their job title, participate in decision-making and problem-solving.
“While ultimately all businesses need empathetic, talented, and vision-driven leaders who have the experience to back their decisions, we are advising our clients that it is key to look at breaking down some of the barriers that existed in the traditional workplace structure. This can have a huge impact in terms of building long-standing, happy teams at all levels – but particularly for those in their early to mid-20s who may feel disconnected from established working models having been educated and job-searched during the pandemic and its aftermath.”
Looking to the rest of the year and beyond, Lewis concluded: “2024 will see Gen Z trying to flip the script on the workplace and continuing to challenge traditional ways of working. Employers must understand that there isn’t just one way of doing things and instead, take an approach that blends insights, knowledge, and skills to move forward collaboratively and celebrate how the future of work is constantly evolving with each generation.”
Sherrie Brown, Candidate Experience Executive at Gi Group, comments: “Too often we see businesses adopting a ‘one-plan fits all’ method when attracting candidates, but it is so important to consider the differences between these generations.
“Both generations spend time on social media, but they generally use different platforms. Millennials are more likely to use professional networking platforms, whereas Gen Z don’t differentiate their social accounts between professional and personal. Gen Z are the first digital native-generation and are more mobile tech focused, which means they respond well to faster recruitment processes, rather than face-to-face interactions. When recruiting it is important to be mindful of the candidate experience, and to use the right communication channels, messaging and timelines. Integrating new platforms and strategies that shorten the hiring process and keep the candidate engaged, can be the difference between a great hire or losing a candidate to a competitor.”
