Catalysts of Change: Gen Z's Revolution

I often hear employers referring to the latest generational cohort to hit the workforce, Gen Z, as lazy and unmotivated. They say Gen Z lacks a strong work ethic, they aren't as productive as previous generations, and they're failing to measure up to the expectations of employers.  But, it seems more likely that those employers are only getting what they pay for — and they’re not used to it. Gen Z is motivated differently, and their career expectations are different – they’re a uniquely, interesting and talented group, and like it, or not —they're the future, so get to know them. The employers that demonstrate an unwillingness to adapt, or try to accommodate the changing workforce, will eventually age out of business. Humanity — across the globe — will continue growing, evolving, and changing. There’s no way to stop it, and fighting against it will only succeed in falling behind.

Gen Z is the first (entire) generation to grow up with unfettered access to technology with online capabilities. The firsts to grow up with YouTube, iPads, Wi-Fi, social media, and smart phones. They've always had the ability to cue up movies, TV shows, or music, in seconds, using streaming services.  They're confident, and self-sufficient in finding information online, because they know the only thing between them and infinite knowledge is their own abilities to conduct an online search. 

The fact that Gen Z isn't eager to adopt a 'grindset' mentality at work could be because their childhoods were spent watching their parents toiling away, stressed because bills were barely paid each month, and no matter how hard they worked they still couldn’t get ahead. They were grinding for pennies, while the C-suite reaped the hearty rewards of their labor. Gen Z grew up watching their parents struggle — my daughter certainly did. I stayed in the same income bracket for her entire childhood, despite consistent efforts to break free. My daughter saw my stress. She heard the phrase, 'maybe next time'  so many times that her childhood ran out of days before I could do most of what I'd promised.  There were so many things I wanted to provide for her, but couldn't - dance classes, concerts, vacations, etc.  Why would she want to follow my peripatetic career path?  Why would I let her?  For employers that struggle to hire – this is a problem of your own making. Gen Z is starting their employment at the same wage their Gen X, or Millennial, parents started at. Gen Z isn’t lazy — they just have a deeper understanding of greed, and a better sense of their value, than their parents did.   It’s time for change – if employees are expected to work hard, it's no longer free.  Think of salaries as a paywall - small, inconsequential salaries might get you to level one productivity, but to advance to a higher level, a larger financial commitment will be required.

The oldest Zs in the cohort were just graduating college and starting to trickle into the workforce when the world shut down for the global pandemic. The rest of the cohort were either students in high school, or college. They were in their teens and early twenties, and they were just learning how to be adults in the world, when everything shut down. One of the outcomes of the pandemic, particularly for them, was the introduction of a vastly different, but more agreeable, way of working.  When so many businesses have allowed wages to stagnate - some employees had to get clever to make ends meet.  Lazy-girl jobs, quiet-quitting, bare-minimum mondays...these are all terms for doing the least amount of work possible while getting paid. Employees could stack two, or more, low-paying jobs.  If you only give each employer what they pay for, then it ,sort of, balances out to one decent job.  Employers that are forcing people to come back to the office, may want to first determine whether they'll be the career that's kept.

Instead of dubbing an entire generation as unmotivated to work — hire a talented HR professional that understands the shifting priorities of today’s workers. It’s the employer's responsibility to adapt to a changing workforce, not vice versa. Business growth and success are hinged on the motivation and productivity of its employees. Think of the impact each individual has on overall productivity—If the CEO were to quit;  business would continue as normal — most people wouldn't even notice. If management were to quit; there would be chaos and confusion, but, I believe employees could adapt and resume productivity fairly quickly. If the employees were to quit — even if only half of them quit — productivity would come to a halt. Looking at the pay rates, you'd probably believe the opposite to be true. The salary of a CEO gets adjusted each year to reflect inflation, economy, business growth, etc. Those spoils rarely trickle down though – employees are still expected to work at max productivity, but their wages have stagnated. Gen Z wants more options from their employment – they can grind if they want to — if the reward aligns with the efforts - but they also want the freedom to take time off to start a family, travel the world, or enjoy life. Work life balance is increasingly important because the scales have been disproportionally skewed for far too long. The pandemic, and the ongoing mental health crisis, are poignant reminders that life is short and it’s meant to be lived, and enjoyed. Grinding for pennies, to make someone else rich isn’t anyone’s American dream.    Gen Z seems to be setting the example — employers should get what they pay for, no more, no less.

Equity in the workforce. Imagine the impact your business could have if your whole team was equally motivated to meet business goals?

We’re witnessing the emergence of a new minority.