10 characteristics of Generation Z (and how to harness their creativity at work)

If you were born between 1994 and 2010, you can consider yourself part of the Generation Z (also called postmillennial or centuric). Depending on who you ask, this generation may also include those born between 1997 and 2012. The important thing is not exactly when they were born, but to understand the world in which they live: technological innovation is part of their horizon and they are willing to organize for make the world a better place. Your survival probably depends on making it.

Giphy: Fran Borzea

If you are an employer of the generation millennial or earlier, it’s critical to understand that Generation Z members were born into a world very different from yours. This difference is what makes them invaluable allies in the work environment. The first wave of Gen Z college kids is already out there, looking to make their way in the competitive job market, though most are still in school and we won’t hear from them for years to come. Your expectations about the work environment should also be taken into account to avoid misunderstandings. And although they were born and raised directly in digital environments, that does not mean that they do not value human contact. Let’s go step by step.

So here are 10 things to know about Gen Z at work:

1. Generation Z is the most self-taught

They probably went to schools with less structured or collaborative educational programs than previous generations. This is because study programs have changed on par with technology. Your way of learning may seem less structured than before: instead of taking a class to learn something, you probably took a free course, watched tutorials on youtube or they learned through trial and error.

His idea of ​​learning is not to obtain a university degree that guarantees his knowledge, but the constant search updates and new ideas. However, they must develop frustration tolerance and take care that the variety of their interests and expectations is balanced with the discipline necessary to achieve your goals.

2. They need self-paced training

Very hand in hand with the previous point, the way in which Generation Z receives training to integrate into a new work environment is also changing, even from the point of view of the employer. If technology and the economy are changing, why should training be just as structured?

Clear and direct feedback It is the best way to explain to them what their role is within a work group and what is expected of them in a company. In turn, Generation Z has no qualms about expressing all its doubts. This can be very beneficial at work, as they have the ability to modify old learning methods (and even improve them) while applying them.

3. They need to feel valued to create value

Labor wages do not grow at the same rate as the cost of living. That is why the members of Generation Z are not willing to stay spend a lot of time in a job where they do not feel valued and rewarded both financially and professionally.

Unlike their predecessors, the millennialsGeneration Z has to pay for medical services and save for herself, which is why she sees a job that does not help her meet her basic necessities as a disadvantage. On the other hand, not all rewards come in the form of money: advancing your career or accessing better jobs are also valuable rewards to motivate them to stay in a job.

4. They have an entrepreneurial spirit and are independent

Generation Z is ambitious. A survey of Online Schools Center states that 41% of those surveyed in this age range plan to have their own business. This contrasts with 4% of the millennials included in the study. This does not mean that they simply want to «be the boss», but that they were born in an economy where work freelancing seems to be the norm. Like the millennialsthey have owed employ themselves just to survive.

To put it another way, it is not that they cannot «put on the shirt» of a company, but that they are entering a work environment that requires wear several t-shirts at the same time, including that of their own passions. The best way to keep them and take advantage of their skills in a work team is to listen to their suggestions and encourage their participation in decision-making. That, or watch them leave a company to found their competition.

5. They are their top priority

This may seem selfish, but given the state of the economy, Generation Z sees work as a stepping stone to their development, not as a goal In herself. That is why members of this generation will not be willing to stay on a sinking ship out of «loyalty» to the company. The economy has left them in debt and worried about the future. They are not going to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the progress of others.

One way to counteract this, from the employer’s perspective, is to create a work culture that allows them to have personal reasons to stay in their current job. according to the latest surveystoday’s workers change jobs approximately ten times between the ages of 18 and 34. Moral: to keep them, help them progress.

6. They take their passions with them wherever they go.

Be independent and work as freelancing is the first choice for Generation Z, not only because full-time jobs and benefits are disappearing globally, but because it also allows them to have flexibility and control about your time and income.

It is important to understand that for more recent generations, work does not define who they are. The idea of ​​reinventing themselves through their passions makes many of them seek to make their passions or hobbies a full time career. They are also a generation that is willing to change your place of residence more easily and frequently, which can be an extra motivation to stay in the same job for longer.

7. They seek balance between personal and work life

For better or worse, the digital ecosystem makes it difficult to pinpoint the end of the workday. Being connected all the time seems synonymous with «being available» all the time for work. However, this translates into syndrome of burnoutwhere the worker stops being productive because he is physically and mentally exhausted.

According to a Gallup poll, 28% of generation employees millennial have reported feeling the syndrome burnout, increasing by 63% the probability that they will miss work (or quit) due to illness or exhaustion. The way to counteract this is to ensure that the workload is not excessive. Burn down or wearing out an employee in the short term will prevent them from realizing their full potential in the long term. The motivation is also important.

8. Human contact is essential

Although their grandparents see them as a little robot, the truth is that members of Generation Z appreciate contact and feedback in the work environment. This applies especially in the case of workers freelancing: Email can be practical, but impersonal. The rise of physical sites of coworking in different cities is evidence that the freelancing they need to interact with other people and feel part of the projects they work on. Or at least, it is a way to fight against ostracism and isolation.

They and their employers should be aware of the benefits of flexible work hours, but the home office can be exhausting and lead to cases of extreme loneliness (Not for nothing are cases of depression and anxiety increasing among this population).

9. They have the shortest attention span ever.

Some studies suggest that Generation Z is able to concentrate only for periods of approximately 8 seconds. If you got to this point in postthink of all the things that have distracted you while reading: notifications from your social networks, calls, the rhythm of life… For this generation it is the same, or maybe a little worse.

Another way to understand the way Gen Z members use their attention is that they are not going to spend it on anything that is not really attractive and relevant. When they concentrate, they are able to filter out a lot of unnecessary information in a very short period of time. They know how to get to the point if they feel the task deserves the titanic effort to maintain attention.

10. They are also the most stressed generation

A study points out that workers between the ages of 18 and 34 report stress levels of 5.4 on a scale of 10, while the national average (in the United States) is 4.9. According to this study, an acceptable level of stress is 3.6. This translates into that the millennials and Generation Z are the most stressed generations currently, and the causes are 1) work, 2) money and 3) job stability.

Stress It is not only a subjective state of tension, but a growing cause of work absenteeism, missed delivery dates, work accidents and high health costs. Stress has a cost 300,000 million dollars a year only in the United States. This can be remedied with reduced working hours (taking better advantage of employees’ working hours will also increase production), more vacation days and interspersed breaks during the day.

Are you part of Generation Z or have you integrated it into your workforce? We would love to read your experiences in the comments.

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