I remember the struggles with millennials and am now living through the challenge of understanding and accommodating Gen Zs in the workplace.  Both generations challenge the current status quo.  Both generations force the re-evaluation of what we know and expect.  Both generations have come closer and closer to knowing who they are and what they want and having the courage to demand it.  So, how does this affect business as most of our junior managers developing to be middle managers are Gen Z.

For those who aren’t aware, Gen Z consists of individuals born roughly between 1997 and 2012 (in 2024, they are between 12 and 27 years old). This generation are the first digital “first language” speakers.  They have been raised with smartphones in their hands and social media as a key entertainment and information provider.  How they are wired because of this immediate access to information and view of the world through social media has influenced their communication habits, workplace expectations, and professional (or unprofessional, depending on your perspective) behaviour.

They are gifted with inherent technical competence and confidence which is supported by inherent creativity. They are passionate about what they believe in. Are willing and feel an urgency around building a better future.  They have a balanced amount of realism and idealism.  They expect results immediately and seem to struggle with projects and activities that require planning, patience, resilience and tenacity. Their communication is bound to technology which often means they avoid face-to-face communication and seem to struggle with face-to-face conversation, especially when they involve some conflict or feedback.

Understanding Gen Z’s doesn’t reduce the challenges businesses face working with (and retaining) them.  The following challenges are the most common difficulties for business:

1. Gen Zs value work-life balance.  They will often prioritize overall wellbeing and health over career progression.  They challenge traditional businesses that expect long hours, sustained high pressure and prioritising of work over personal life.  They can be inflexible and seem self-centred when requests for exceptions around working hours and unusual demands are made.
2. Gen Zs expect immediate and regular feedback.  In traditional work environments where managers are also producers of work, the “management” requirement when managing Gen Zs has to be more intentional and frequent which can be time consuming and interferes with work delivery.  The need for clear communication around performance, delivery expectations and management boundaries are necessary when managing a team of Gen Zs.  These can be challenging for managers with high technical work loads and limited time for management.
3. Gen Zs are impatient and pursue what they want.  This leads to more frequent changes in jobs.  It also means that they are demanding about their work environment aligning with their expectations.  They are also willing to leave a job to find an environment that is more aligned.  At a business level, this shows up as frequent job changes, unreasonable expectations around work requirements (hybrid, work from home, flexible hours etc.) and even a perceived lack of loyalty to the company and self-centredness.
4. Gen Z’s need meaning and purpose in their lives.  They need to understand “why” their work is important and contributing to causes they believe in.  When they align with the company values and mission and their work is contributing to changes in their world that they perceive as valuable, Gen Zs are likely to be engaged, committed and resilient in pursuing the results they believe they can deliver.  When a job is simply a pay-check, Gen Zs can show up demotivated, disinterested and disengaged. 
5. Gen Z’s have grown up in a world of rapid and constant change.  This has built a resilience and comfort with change.  They need to understand the reason for change and then will often lead and motivate for the change.  They are challenging when change is not being made that they perceive as necessary. In more traditional businesses where change is slow and/or resisted, Gen Zs will challenge the status quo.  This is currently being observed with the challenge against non-hybrid working, time-based work hours instead of outcomes performance and inflexibility around how work is delivered.

As business leaders, there is immense value that can be gained from leveraging the strengths of Gen Zs in the workplace.  More importantly, resisting some of the changes they bring is futile as they are the future leaders, so, embracing some of the healthier aspects they bring can support our businesses and enable us to become even more competitive and resilient in the challenging marketplace.  Business is evolving and the skills needed to remain ahead are changing.  Many of the inherent skills Gen Zs have can support business evolving and being even more successful.  Executives need to

• Explore how to attract and maintain their Gen Z managers. 
• They need to develop strategies to leverage the strengths of Gen Z to the benefit of the business. 
• They need to recognise expectations and policies that are in place for their comfort but no longer serve the business and retain Gen Zs. 
• Recognise the skills and abilities that Gen Zs aren’t strong at but that will benefit themselves and the business (conflict management, giving feedback, face-to-face communication, planning and holding others accountable to mention a few) and then implement a programme (such as our RainTree Business Coaching Leadership for Results group coaching program) that will build these skills through mentoring, coaching, training and leading by example.

In the modern working world where strong managers and staff are going to be the key differentiators and secrets to success, how do we stop resisting the changes that Gen Z introduce?  How do we build the key skills that will be needed and leverage the skills and changes they bring so they thrive, and our businesses thrive?