Gen Z: inspiring a generation of new workers

So, you’ve mastered speaking to Generation Z as a consumer, but what about a member of your team?

According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025 the Gen Z population will account for more than 27% of the workforce – surpassing their Millennial older siblings. As they continue to become an increasing part of the workforce, employers must learn to listen to and leverage Gen-Z preferences to effectively attract and engage top talent. We believe this can be achieved in four ways:

1. Leveraging smart technology
2. Authentically promoting sustainability
3. Supporting diversity and individuality
4. Building a collaborative community

By bringing these values to life, brands can begin to reap the benefits of a stronger workforce.

1. Leverage Technology

Gen Z has entered the workforce, and they bring higher expectations for technology and the digital ability to consume information. Many retail ops teams still run their stores with an unreliable paper trial, but this is old-fashioned and very hard to engage works with, especially Gen Z.

As digital natives, Gen Z are looking for employers that adopt a technology-first approach to their employee’s experience. But this cannot be tech for tech’s sake – this technology must be well-thought out, since this generation are especially sensitive to poor technology.

A report from Asana even found that Gen Z is especially affected by the “distraction tax” of switching between different apps at work — especially given an average of nine apps are used each day.

Leveraging smart tools to streamline work processes and reduce the number applications being used can help in this regard. With Cegid Retail Store Excellence get the best out of your new Gen Z workforce by giving them onboarding and training in an intuitive and engaging way. The app even uses social media features like a ‘newsfeed’ and videos to ensure maximum engagement. Explore more about the Cegid Retail Store Excellence platform here.

2. Authentically Promote Sustainability

A fully engaged Gen Z employee is one that embraces your organisation’s values and culture. LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence report found 80% of Gen-Z employees are looking to work for companies whose values better align with their own.

This is particularly the case with issues concerning sustainability. Gen-Z is known as the ‘socially conscious generation’. While many brands have adopted corporate social responsibility recently, attracting Gen-Z means weaving that commitment into your organisation’s fabric.

An overarching authenticity that supports every decision you make as a business plays a significant role in helping you engage with your Gen Z employees. Anything viewed as inauthentic, or a fabrication is likely to be questioned and called out. Instead, be real and relatable. Be motivated by sincerity, not manufactured by market research.

3. Support Diversity And Individuality

Diversity is an expectation of Gen Z, not just a goal anymore. This is not just isolated to race and gender, but also to identity and orientation. Every day of their lives, Gen Z interact with people of different culture groups and orientations so employers must be open to a highly diverse workforce to fully engage their Gen Z employee segment.

According to a survey from Monster, 83% of Gen-Z candidates said a company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is important to them.

So, to engage your Gen Z workforce, cultivating a respectful, inclusive and diverse environment is crucial to retaining top talent. One of the best ways to nurture a sense of community is by establishing employee groups that support underrepresented employees and ensure their voices are incorporated into more inclusive decision-making.

4. Build A Collaborative Community

One of the things Gen Zers want in the workplace is the chance to be part of a community. As such, effective communication between peers and superiors is a priority. Businesses need to provide their new workers with a voice that they can use to disrupt and express their ideas. Their opinions need to be recognised, shared and considered.

One of the ways to best engage with this emerging member of the workforce is to support a collaborative environment that encourages teamwork and camaraderie.

So, organisations that foster cooperation amongst a sense of community in the workplace will draw the best from Gen Z – consequently, revealing their innovative spirit and commitment to succeed when motivated properly.