Stop for a moment and look around your workplace, don’t you see a lot younger faces day by day? As few senior individuals of your workforce are retiring and replaced by Gen. X and millennials, roughly around 61 million individuals of Generation Z are now becoming a significant segment in teams of almost every organization hrtech.
Like every generation, even Generation Z has certain characteristics, expectations and goals that make it unique amongst other employee segments. Additionally, like other generations, those particulars mean employers must understand what motivates Gen Z to maximize their engagement with the company and also enhance productivity. Generation Z consists of individuals born between the year 1995 and 2012, are now entering the workforce in great numbers. This age group tends to be extremely comfortable with technology as they are born and raised within the digital age. As per the research done by Manpower Group, by the end of 2020, Gen Z will comprise 24% of the workforce worldwide.
Knowing how to engage with employees, including Generation Z employees, can be a challenge. However, organizations that recognize the difference between Gen Z and other employees will surely be successful in engaging with this newest generation of talent?
- Leveraging Modern Technology
Generation Z is the first generation that has never seen a world without the internet or social media. As such, Generation Z individuals are true digital natives and thrive on social media and other types of digital communication. To keep them occupied in the workplace, it makes sense to include modern technology that enables them to communicate, collaborate, and develop relationships with others. Some examples of modern digital tools that can support the engagement of your Generation Z workforce involve:
- An interactive organization chart that permits employees to populate their profile, learn about one another, and collaborate through integrations with contacts, email, and calendars
- Collaboration platforms like Slack
- Virtual onboarding resources that help newly recruited quickly ramp up and familiarize themselves with the processes and individuals they will interact within their new role
- Digital learning libraries that allow Generation Z individuals to personalize their learning and do so at their own pace
- Encourage transparency
Even before they come on board, Generation Z individuals know how to utilize technology to find just about anything they want to know about an organization. As employees, they will be further engaged by the culture of a company that encourages and embraces transparency. You can create transparency by allowing employees to see and interact with the company org chart; by encouraging direct, honest communication from organizational leaders; and by providing employees with various methods to get to know one another.
- Celebrate Diversity
As per the Pew Research Center, Generation Z is the most ethnically diverse generation yet. To engage the Generation Z workforce, it is important to highlight efforts the company is making to celebrate the many kinds of diversity that comprise the workforce. You can do this by showcasing the diversity and inclusion efforts of the company on social media platforms and the company intranet, and also through profiles that allow employees to share their skills, interests, and fun facts that make them unique.
- Provide constant feedback
Maybe because of the real-time immediacy that digital platforms provide, Generation Z employees generally expect more frequent feedback. They also appreciate getting regular updates that makes them understand if they’re on the right track in the workplace. As per a study, 66% of Generation Z employees said that they needed feedback from their supervisor in every few weeks or more to stay at their job. In addition to regular performance reviews, Generation Z can be engaged by regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings, interaction with senior leaders and employees from other teams, and continuous training from managers.
- Highlight the Organization’s Mission
Research shows that when employees feel aligned with the mission of the organization, they tend to be more engaged and stay with the company for a longer period. Generation Z employees are no exception. They have a range of passions and interests, and when the company aligns with those passions, Generation Z workforce is likely to be engaged and motivated at work. You can highlight the mission of your company via storytelling on the company intranet, through company-wide and departmental meetings, and in smaller team discussions that help Generation Z individuals see how their interests align with the work of the company.
Final Take
Guesswork will not be adequate to engage any segment of your workforce, significantly less one like Generation Z with particular expectations and a willingness to question your decision making. The majority of the Generation Z wave has yet to even hit the shoreline however it is already making permanent changes in the ways an employer must engage its workforce.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chandrima Samanta
Content-Editor at MartechCube
Chandrima is a Content management executive with a flair for creating high quality content irrespective of genre. She believes in crafting stories irrespective of genre and bringing them to a creative form. Prior to working for MartechCube she was a Business Analyst with Capgemini.
