With every new generation to enter the workforce, a new set of societal stereotypes enters the spotlight.
Often, these stereotypes are not without precedence, but appealing to what each new generation wants is crucial in being able to build a pipeline of talent for the future.
In this blog, we look at the stereotypes often associated with Gen Z, and what both businesses can do to look past these and harness the power of the future workforce.
The Gen Z stereotypes
Digital natives or digital obsessives?
Gen Z, or anyone born from 1997 to 2012, have the curious distinction of being the first generation in human history to be termed ‘digitally native’. What this roughly means is that the rise in the internet, social media and smartphones arrived when they were in their formative years, leaving them without experiences of life without them. Being born in 1997 also means you would be making your career choices around 2012/13, a time very different to when someone born just 5 years earlier would be making the same choices (2007/08, when the first iPhone had barely been released).
This has potentially given Gen Z a boost over some latter millennials, who will have been less inclined to pursue digital careers. Being digitally native can certainly be advantageous in the workplace, but there are growing stereotypes that Gen Z relies too heavily on technology, and struggle to cope without it. Whether it’s a need to load up TikTok every 3 minutes or being unable to write an email without engaging ChatGPT, are those born in a world where everything is on their phone becoming too uncomfortable without it?
They have no work ethic
This is perhaps the most damaging stereotype of Gen Z. Like any stereotype, it’s not without some basis in reality. In a post-pandemic world, there has been an increase in disillusioned young people, who feel they should have more opportunities to work as they see fit, rather than be part of what they see as ‘the rat race’.
But broadly, the phenomenon of ‘not wanting a traditional job’ all comes down to changing perceptions and attitudes to what work is, and what Gen Z aspire to in life. According to Deloitte, Gen Zers admire people with good work-life balance more than traditional status symbols like a person’s salary, house, or car. In a study of UK Gen Zers, nearly half of respondents say they would leave a job for one that better supported their wellbeing.
Gen Z is far more likely to shun the traditional 9-5 job in favour of something that gives greater flexibility, and they are far more fired up about jobs that make a difference or align to their own personal values. And with the rise of automation and artificial intelligence, a lot of entry level jobs are disappearing out of the jobs pool, reducing opportunities… ironically for a generation for which technology is so ever-present.
They’re salary-chasers who won’t stick around
Due to the penchant for job-hopping, many Gen Zers are held up as nothing more than salary chasers who don’t care about an organisation and instead are playing the salary game. Some statistics indicate that this could be true. 83% of Gen Zers reportedly consider themselves job-hoppers with only a little over one tenth of them committing to stay in a job for four or more years.
But this trend isn’t necessarily because they just want more money to spend, rather the fact that the generation is facing worse economic conditions than before, with inflation, rising rent and mortgage rates and a cost of living crisis all creating issues when it comes to financial security.
So Gen Z shouldn’t always be considered a flight risk. This generation is actually willing to leave a job if it means increasing compensation, responsibilities, which actually means they’re just as willing to stay if given the same opportunities at their current company. Which relates to the next stereotype:
They take their coffee slow-brewed but want their career progression instant
This could be a by-product of being brought up in a world where everything is available on demand. Want to find the answer to something? Google. Bored on a commute? Stream thousands of TV shows in an instant on your phone.
Growing up in this world of instant gratification has led Gen Zers to want to move quickly. According to a study, only 2% of candidates expect to wait for more than two and a half years without gaining a promotion. While this might suggest impatience and even entitlement on their part, it could actually demonstrate that Gen Z is willing to invest themselves in progression within your company, and has a drive to succeed. In fact, this very stat could well be the best evidence against accusations that Gen Z are salary-driven job-hoppers who won’t put the work in.
Ready to work anywhere… except the office
The Boomer generation, Gen Xers and even some of the early millennial generation are often quick to criticise Gen Zers of being unwilling to work from the office, and be obsessed with flexible and home working.
But the statistics don’t actually always back this up. According to a recent study, less than a quarter of those who entered the workforce in 2023 prefers completely remote work, Gen Zers mostly want in-person jobs (57%), which is more than other generations. In fact, it’s actually almost half of millennials want a fully remote job, nearly twice the number of Gen Zers.
Why you might have to adapt to appeal to Gen Z… and that’s a good thing
The Gen Z workforce is educated and skilled, with more people than ever before enjoying degree-level qualifications and a world of information and self-learning at their fingertips. It is driven, especially when working towards a cause that is important to them. It’s also the first generation to be true digital natives, and with technology playing such an important role in their early development, they are equipped with the necessary tools that can help your business develop into the future.
Securing this candidate pool sounds like a no-brainer, and it’s entirely possible to build a culture that allows this wealth of young talent to thrive and develop. For some businesses, this may involve a review and a change of cultural practices, but this is certainly positive.
Be digital native in your attraction practices
If the stereotype holds that they’re ‘obsessed’ with digital platforms… that’s where you’ll find them to attract them. Gen Z spends a lot of time on social, so that’s where you’ll need to be present. The key platform to focus on is Instagram.
Focus on interesting content over standard job postings, and definitely use Gen Z to appeal to Gen Z – spotlight your own employees and ask them what would attract them to apply again.
Offer progression with salary raises
If Gen Z favours swift progression as indicated above, then paint a picture of what their career could be like in your business. Failure to do so will result in them simply moving on. And crucially, show them how what they earn now could increase in the future. Gen Z want to know where they’re going to go, and ideally how long it could take. They want to move quickly, don’t forget – so show them how they can.
Have strong values and culture
Gen Z wants to work for someone who has values that align with your own. Gen Zers care about societal issues, and they want to see their employers actively working to engage with those issues. They expect employers to take a stance on important causes, such as the environment and diversity & inclusion.
Culture is an important part of any business. It attracts the best talent, drives engagement and retention, impacts happiness, and affects overall performance. Nearly two-thirds of employees listed corporate culture among the most important reasons they join and stay with an employer. Workplace culture has been found to be the single best indicator of employee satisfaction, and this is no different with Gen Z.
Offer choice of where to work… it really doesn’t matter
Presenteeism is a bit 2019, folks.
As we approach half a decade since flexible working first became much more common, it’s time to accept that it’s here to stay, in some form. If you want a thriving Gen Z workforce, it’s crucial to accept this and adopt policies that work for both you as an organisation, and the employees themselves.
This might involve a cultural change to focus more on outputs than attendance. Is an employee hitting their targets? Are they on schedule? Are they available to contact during working hours? Then it really doesn’t matter where they work.
Naturally, there are some jobs for which this doesn’t work. But for traditional office based roles, where much of the time is spent on a computer or on Teams calls with colleagues in other parts of the world, it makes little difference whether employees are sat in your business office or their own home office. With this being such a key factor in where Gen Zer’s choose to go, and whether or not they stay, it’s crucial to allow flexibility and balance for those who want it. It’s the outputs that matter.
Gen Z is in the workforce to stay. Cutting through the stereotypes and adapting your business to suit this highly skilled workforce is critical for the future. Their needs and values may be different from generations before, but this doesn’t mean they’re inferior. Forcing them to adapt to old school working practices will result in you losing out on this vastly skilled and promising candidate pool.
Find out more about how AI is making Gen Z rethink its working practices here, and search our latest jobs here
