Generation Z members—generally, those born from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s—(under 21 years old) are just now entering the workforce. A manager poll was conducted on a Google Consumer Survey of 1,000 workplace managers in the United States and found the following:
- 36% believe that Generation Z will be more difficult to manage than older generations
- 27% believe Millennials will be harder workers than Generation Z
- 29 % of respondents expect it will be more difficult to train employees from Generation Z compared to older generations
- 26 %percent said it will be more difficult to communicate with Gen Z
- 20% of Millennial managers said they believed that Generation Z would make the company culture worse.
- 44% believe Gen Z’s reliance on technology is an advantage
Bruce Tulgan, founder of New Haven, Conn.based consultancy Rainmaker Thinking, research shows that managers worry most that Generation Z will view jobs as short-term transactional relationships. Furthermore, Gen Z will demand a great deal of flexibility and responsibility early in their working lives.
For the past few years, the workforce has been debating the issue of millennials. Now, organizations need to learn about the new generation following the Gen Y. We have much to learn about Gen Z and more research is necessary to understand this new workforce.
Recent research has proven that Gen Y can be more productive than other generations. Here’s why:
- Gen Y takes advantage of technology.
Millennials know technology and understand the technical resources that will enhance productivity. - Gen Y have side jobs.
The economy has forced Gen Y to take side gigs in order to supplement their paychecks and pay their student loans. The reason why Gen Y is more productive is because they are less secure in their job opportunities and have little job security. - Gen Y highly value productivity.
A recent survey by Microsoft found that 93% of its Gen Y respondents believe productivity is the key to happiness. - Millennials strategize for productivity.
Microsoft Gen Y survey found that 93% Gen Y’s keep a to-do list. They want to know what the priorities and deadlines are so they can get things done on time. - Gen Y has boundary issues between work and play.
This is where employers can educate this generation on the repercussions of what is posted on social media that might affect their future careers. Provide opportunities to be productive using their time away from work. - Millennials learn from failure.
They are driven by getting work done faster rather than perfectionism. Think video games. This can lead to some Gen Y’s to work too quickly but productivity in key positions. - Gen Y have a growth mindset.
Millennials has seen their parents lose jobs during the 2008 financial crisis. They learned that if you’re not moving up, you could easily get terminated. This generational cohort is consistently focused on learning more and doing better. This will help companies become more productive. Put this group in charge of re-vamping your Performance Management Systems. - Gen Y are amazing multitaskers.
Millennials’ brains live and breathe technology and therefore they can respond to dozen items. This can help immensely in customer service and change management.
Millennials are now the majority of the workplace (45%). They are moving into management as they become 30 years old. Companies need to consider how to change the workplace to support Gen Y’s skills. Remember if you have Millennials working for you and struggle with their work place patterns, learn more about their positive skills and how that can be successful in your organization.
Wilkie, D (Nov. 3, 2017) Managers Not Too Enthusiastic About Generation Z Coming to Work