Generation Z Will Change How You Run Your Business

Generation Z. They are the Zoomers. Born between 1997 and 2012, this collective group of young people is poised to change nearly everything you know about employee acquisition and retention.

While Zoomers are a collective of dynamic individuals each with their own strengths and weaknesses, many in the generation share some common traits.

Zoomers vs Millennials in the Workplace

First and foremost, Zoomers are arguably the most educated generation in the history of the world and are even more technically savvy than their Millennial counterparts. Millennials may have been the first generation to grow up with so-called modern technology, but Gen Z was cracking passwords on their mom’s iPad when they were toddlers. So it is a mistake to assume that Zoomers are simply Gen Y 2.0. The histories, behaviors, and motivators of these two groups are vastly different.

Twenty years ago, Millennials took the workplace by storm with some very specific, norm-changing demands regarding how and when they were willing to work, as well as the types of companies they were willing to work for. They quite literally turned the labor force on its ear with their almost aggressive demands for work-life balance. Employers acquiesced to these demands mostly due to their need for the Millennials’ formidable technology skills. It is interesting to note that we can probably thank the Millennials for the ease in which industry was able to pivot to a Work From Home employment model during the pandemic, as the group had been changing workplace dynamics for a solid two decades preceding COVID.

Now back to Gen Z.

Zoomers are a much more adaptable and flexible group than their Millennial counterparts. They likely did better in school too, because the group as a whole is grade-driven and shockingly competitive. Gen Z also has a very strong work ethic. In the labor market, all these attributes translate to a group of very smart, very independent employees who work incredibly hard. They are perhaps less demanding than those older generations, but they do expect recognition and upward mobility for their job well done.

Generation Z Believes in Diversity

Thanks in great part to their almost constant interactions with technology, Zoomers appreciate and expect diversity in their friendships, schools, and workplaces. Popular online platforms, like TikTok, have drastically widened Zoomers’ exposure and opportunities to interact with peers of different races, cultures, and nationalities. Diversity is the norm for Gen Z and one which they wholeheartedly embrace and expect in their workplaces.

Zoomers Are Opinionated

Again, mostly thanks to social media and perhaps the abundance of AP courses they took in high school, Generation Z is very opinionated as a whole. They enjoy engaging in conversations surrounding ethics, world events, and other important topics, and expect their voices to be valued and their ideas considered. While this might come off as entitled, conceited, or maybe even naïve to some, don’t forget that while they might not have as much real-world experience as many of their coworkers, Zoomers are an exceptionally bright bunch. So don’t dismiss those ideas just yet.

Multitasking Is Easy for Zoomers

Another attribute that makes Generation Z a very attractive talent pool is their ability to multitask. Throughout their entire lives, many Zoomers balanced heavy schedules that often-included things like AP courses, music lessons, after-school and club athletics, not to mention any outside hobbies. Gen Z did their homework in the dark in the backseat of their parent’s car driving back from ballet. They read their history book at the dinner table. They huddled in a circle at their track meet for a makeshift study group. Multitasking comes naturally to them; it is really all they have ever known.

Their adroitness for multitasking, along with their innate adaptability, again elevate Zoomers’ potential as top job candidates.

Zees Moving Forward

As Generation Z continues to grow up, graduate school, and enter the workforce, their unique talents and styles will become increasingly apparent to employers. While the youngest Zoomers are still in grade school, the oldest have already graduated college or trade school and have already been stirring up the labor market for a couple of years.

In a lot of ways, Generation Z reflects the best qualities of those who came before them. They are tenacious workers like the Boomers, they value education like Gen X, and they are technically savvy like Millennials.

But Generation Z is something more. They are a segue to the future of your business.

Contact me today to learn how The Alternative Board members are dealing with Gen Z, Gen X and other employee issues.