Early in 2022, *Emeka, a startup co-founder (doubling as Head of People and Culture) reached out to us to hire entry-level candidates for his company. He had asked dramatically on IG that we “pray for him” as he is about to hire his first Gen Z. Even though he would go ahead to recruit through our platform, he was worried about working with Gen Zs because of their bad PR. Well, not entirely bad PR, but stories on the corporate streets would tell you that Gen Zs can make your head spin. And spinning is relative.
When I set out to write this blog post, I met Doherty who shared the story of a former Gen Z assistant who made him reluctant to hire or work with Gen Zs anymore. The assistant did the barest minimum and was even nonchalant with it, which consolidated the popular opinion Doherty had heard about Gen Zs at the workplace.
It was the deal with *Emeka as well as Doherty’s story that led us to develop a guide to hiring and retaining Gen Z employees, based on CareerBuddy’s expertise in the corporate market.
But before we talk about the guide, let’s have this quick gist about Gen Zers.
If you’re a regular stroller on the career streets of social media like me, then you probably would be familiar with how Gen Zs stand out as a special breed of employees. And they have become a synonym for the “soft life” and “work without stress” culture. In fact, Gen Zs can be said to be the major proponents of the mental-health-at-the-workplace conversation. And then, there is the quiet quitting thing that raved on social media recently.
(I wrote about what employers are saying about quiet quitting, and you should read it here if you haven’t)
I met Itohan in late 2021. She was already a full-time graphic designer in a Lagos-based startup when she started to explore product design. It was mandatory at the company to take quarterly courses and training, and Itohan’s team lead was not welcoming of her inclination toward product design. It helped her career, yes, but made no sense to the marketing team to which she belonged. And for months, the two would be at loggerheads. The team lead assigned more tasks to her, and she would rather spend every minute of her free time building her knowledge in product design as that was where she saw herself making a career.
Who are Gen Zs?
The writer of this article mentions that they have been tagged the “loneliest generation”, “most creative generation”, and “most individualistic” generation.
Gen Zs, born between 1997 and 2012, Generation Z, are the first generation to be raised entirely in the 21st century, and as such, they are often referred to as “digital natives.” They are comfortable with and adept at using technology, and they have a shorter attention span than previous generations. Gen Zs are known for being independent, resourceful, and entrepreneurial outside of the work environment. They are often described as being more open-minded and tolerant than previous generations.
As the first generation of true digital natives, Gen Zs have a profound impact on the world, which is why you may face several fallouts with them at the workplace. The digital world is marked by speed, ease, and utmost flexibility, and if you are not offering those, you’re on a long thing bro!
For a long time, the ability to work under pressure was one of the highlights of job searches. I still don’t know why, but it kinda sold job seekers to potential employers. When it comes to Gen Zs, nah! And they are bold about it. Keep your job if you need employers to work under pressure because why would you even give such a condition? It’s giving top-tier toxicity!
And that is the major distinction between older generations and Gen Zs.
This age group prioritizes mental health, almost above sapa. And if we’re being honest, why should you build a workplace with great benefits laced with mental torture?
Gen Zs will speak up, most times. And even those considered introverts have their non-verbal cues to tell you when they can’t take shit anymore.
Gen Zs aren’t really problematic, but yeah, they could be complex. It takes understanding them to be able to deal with them; what they demand and what they stand against.
What Gen Zs are demanding
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Work-life balance: Gen Zs believe that work shouldn’t take a large chunk of their life. Recent conversations have shown that adulthood life is laced with so much work and less leisure and Gen Zs are standing against that. They are clamoring for a balance between work and life. And that is why they will prefer to work strictly within work hours, take lunch breaks with utmost importance, stay off work after work hours and during weekends, and keep work strictly at work. And that also informs their knack for flexibility
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Flexibility: COVID-19 opened us to the possibility of hybrid and remote work, and Gen Zs are here for it. Why stress to spend a full day working onsite when you can work from home and still be productive? The flexible work system has also made it possible to take on other jobs (part-time and freelance) and earn extra. Deprive Gen Zs of these work benefits and you might just receive a rejection letter from a potential employee or a resignation letter on your desk.
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Better work benefits: Many times, we all feel that we deserve better than we are getting, and Gen Zs take this seriously. It’s not just about the salary anyway. From work culture to flexibility and extra perks, Gen Zs want it all. But they also want the money! And when they find an employer that’s willing to give them more or a gig that pays good cash, they are ready to jump ship. Sorry, you can’t fault them.
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Communication & Feedback: Gen Zs are heavy on communication. On one hand, they tend to speak out and be quite blunt. On the other hand, they look forward to feedback as well. Gen Zs want to be told when they are doing well and they want to hear otherwise, even though that may spur another round of debate. Essentially, this demography wants to be explicit with workplace conversations.
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Independence: Gen Zs do not want to be micromanaged! They are largely talented and they want to be respected as such. Hover around them, monitor and question every idea, dictate to them what to do at every step, and you may just lose them.
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Pressure: “Ability to work under pressure” is the last thing you would read on a Gen Z resume or cover letter, and they mean it. They don’t even care if they have to go broke afterward; they won’t hesitate to resign if the pressure becomes much at the workplace.
How to attract, manage, and retain Gen Z employees
In the present day, it’s almost impossible to build a company without hiring Gen Zs. They are the connoisseurs of modern technology. The future of digital culture lies in their expertise and curiosity. If you are a startup founder or Head of Talent, looking to establish a lasting brand, it’s time to get on board and master the Gen Z work culture.
The 2022 great resignation put employers in a vulnerable position, and the discreet step to take now will be to build a culture that aligns with Gen Z values and also meets core company values. This is very possible. In spite of all that has been said about Gen Zs, they are still really talented and many of them are great to work with. Check the successful startups around, ask the startups we have hired for at CareerBuddy, find out with Emeka, the startup co-founder who later hired with Gen Z employees with us, and you will realize that about 80% of their workforce is Gen Z and they are doing well.
So, we carried out a survey with Gen Zs in our community to get in-depth insights on how to attract, manage and retain GenZs in your organization. Then, we created this guide for startup founders and employers, explaining the Gen Z work culture in detail and how to hire and retain them, while maintaining your company’s core values.
It’s absolutely free and available for download here.
Bonus tip: CareerBuddy has a 90% retention rate on candidates we’ve hired for our partner companies. We can take the hiring stress off your shoulders while you focus on achieving other company goals. Reach us here to hire your next candidate (Gen Z or not).
Bottom Line
Gen Zs are shaping work culture in an interesting way. They are controversial; problematic, yes, but talented and result-driven. You need them on your team, and they need you to also be Gen Z at heart!