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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAs the 60-plus million members of Generation Z enter the workplace, adapting training programs to connect with them is mission-critical.<\/p>\n
Gen Zers—born in the mid-1990s and raised in the 2000s—will account for more than 20 percent of working adults by the end of 2020, according to a report from software-based learning management system provider Docebo. Their preferences are more in line with Gen Xers than the Millennials, despite their technology fluency. They’re the first generation raised entirely in the Digital Age but—surprisingly—prefer face-to-face communication with their peers.<\/p>\n
Here’s a look at how L&D departments can zoom in on this rising generation’s intuitive worldview and desires in a constantly changing and COVID-19-challenged world.<\/p>\n
Change Makes a Generation<\/strong><\/p>\n “Generations are created from change—the new things out there that change the way we live, think, and our intuitive understanding of how the world should work,” says Marcie Merriman, Americas Cultural Insights & Customer Strategy leader at Ernst & Young (EY), a big four consultancy with more than 270,000 employees in 150 countries.<\/p>\n These changes—including social, political, economic, and cultural shifts—shape a common set of attitudes and expectations for those who spent their formative years in their midst. The result is a new generation, and EY’s Gen Z Segmentation Study<\/em> shows we’re in the midst of the emergence of a new post-Millennial generation: Generation Z.<\/p>\n Generation Z Is Self-Aware Instead of Self-Centered<\/strong><\/p>\n Merriman says she first recognized a new post-Millennial generation emerging while studying environmental attitudes. Her research found this new generation has a “self-aware” attitude toward outside issues such as the environment, though she says Gen Z’s political views are across the spectrum.<\/p>\n “Millennials—the children of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s—grew up in a safety zone. With only the Internet, often on a family computer, parents were able to shelter their kids from the world’s evils, including 24\/7 coverage of kidnappings, the Columbine massacre, and more. Parents and society became focused on protecting them from it all.”<\/p>\n One of the things that makes this new Generation Z different is they’ve never been in a safety zone, Merriman says. The oldest ones were five on 9\/11 and were around 11 when the first iPhone came out. This awareness meant they were taught how to protect and take care of themselves, so Merriman describes one of their differentiating traits as “self-awareness,” vs. what some term Millennials’ “self-centeredness.”<\/p>\n Gen Zers in the Manager’s Seat<\/strong><\/p>\n Millennials and Gen Zers aren’t just the future leaders of industry—they’re already running the show as managers. A survey of 519 respondents conducted by The Harris Poll and Zapier revealed that 62 percent of Millennials and 49 percent of Gen Zers are managing direct reports. <\/p>\n Gen Z managers are twice as likely as Millennial managers to say they moved into a management role because someone else left and there was no one else to fill the role (27 percent vs. 13 percent).<\/p>\n Female Gen Z employees are much more likely than male Gen Z employees to think communication skills (81 percent vs. 54 percent) and conflict resolution skills (60 percent vs. 43 percent) are among the most important skills for being a people manager.<\/p>\n The survey also showed the downside for these digital native, always-on generations:<\/p>\n The majority are burnt out.<\/strong> Some 73 percent of Millennial managers and 66 percent of Gen Z managers have experienced periods of decreased productivity at work due to job burnout.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n …But they expect teammates to respond to them outside of work hours. <\/strong>That’s the case for 66 percent of Gen Zers and 57 percent of Millennials. Male Gen Z employees are more likely than female Gen Z employees to feel this way (74 percent vs. 56 percent).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n They struggle with delegating work.<\/strong> Some 42 percent of Gen Z managers and 32 percent of Millennial managers say they struggle with delegating work.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n They are likely to ghost an employer (quit without giving notice).<\/strong> Gen Z managers were almost twice as likely as Gen Z non-managers to say they would not feel guilty doing so (48 percent vs. 26 percent).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n For more results, visit: <\/span>https:\/\/zapier.com\/blog\/millennial-managers-report\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Access to Information Means Gen Z Expects Transparency<\/strong><\/p>\n Gen Zers have never been in a safety zone regarding access to information, and they learned to be skeptical about corporations from their Gen X parents, so they want companies to be more transparent. “They’re not accepting information at face value, so they’re expecting companies to be more transparent with the facts, things such as salaries, for example,” says Merriman.<\/p>\n How a company treats and trains employees is not only an internal issue—now it’s part of the external brand, too. Clients will know when a workplace is a negative environment, or one that presents new growth and opportunities.<\/p>\n Gen Z Has as Much to Share as They Have to Learn<\/strong><\/p>\n Gen Z has grown up with the world at their fingertips: They have a greater awareness and can find solutions to problems we weren’t trying to solve. A recent EY intern shared at the end of the summer that they had created a bot to help submit their expenses. “They see the opportunities in situations the rest of us may have come to accept as the norm,” Merriman says.<\/p>\n Gen Z Prepares for Future Jobs We Can’t Imagine<\/strong> Training departments need to be prepared to give them the tools to learn at a rate that works for them, so they can push themselves. “It’s important to give them resources and challenges so they don’t feel held back,” says Merriman. “Gamification, mobile learning, whatever helps them get up to speed.”<\/p>\n It’s also important to train them continuously on-the-job to allow for quicker onboarding, since tenure at a company is not likely to grow longer. This works both to the company and the worker’s advantage, Merriman says, since they will feel like they are progressing faster, and the value they bring to the company will be realized quicker.<\/p>\n How a Coach Approach to Leadership Can Help Gen Z Employees Thrive<\/strong><\/p>\n By Magdalena Nowicka Mook, CEO, International Coaching Federation<\/em><\/p>\n Generation Z employees—often independent, ambitious, and values-driven—want transparent leaders and instant feedback. Both are now even more crucial for leading remote teams during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Managers using the outdated command-and-control style need to adopt a coach approach to leadership that’s more collaborative, inquisitive, and supportive of employee growth and development.<\/p>\n\n
\nGen Z has been told that jobs are going to be completely different when they get out of college. They expect to grow and adapt into the new positions being created. They’ve also developed the ability to learn at a rate other generations cannot even imagine.<\/p>\n