Gen Z @ Work 💼

Hi folks! 😊 

Mariam Mushtaq here from HR Brain Pickings, ready to roll out the latest scoop. 🔍️ 

This week, we're zooming in on the vibrant pulse of the workforce: Gen Z. 🌟

As they carve out their space in our offices and remote work setups, it's crucial for us as HR professionals to understand what drives and inspires this tech-savvy generation. 🤖 

Let’s unpack their unique perspectives and explore how they're poised to redefine our work culture. 🚀

Decoding Gen Z 💻️ 

Understanding the Gen Z workforce is essential for future-proofing your company culture. 🚀

Why is it important we understand this generation?

According to Glassdoor, this young cohort, will soon overtake Baby Boomers in full-time employment, and is redefining the workplace with their unique set of values and expectations. 🔄

• With 54% of Gen Z reporting disengagement at work—the highest rate among all generations—the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to employee engagement clearly falls short for this generation. 📉

• This disengagement not only affects their productivity and job satisfaction but can also lead to a higher turnover rate, with 34% of Gen Z expecting to move jobs within the next two years. 💼➡️

• Job satisfaction for Gen Z is also among the lowest, with an average rating of 5.2 out of 10 😕

These trends highlight the need to evolve our work strategies to better align with Gen Z's preferences and values. 🌟

Building a Gen Z-Friendly Workplace 🤝 

To attract and retain Gen Z employees, HRs need to understand what this generation prioritizes in the workplace. Let’s look at some numbers for insights.

1. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) 🏳️‍🌈 

For an overwhelming 83% of Gen Z job hunters, a firm's dedication to DEI principles is a crucial decision-making factor when choosing where to apply. This stark statistic is a call to companies everywhere: DEI matters, and it matters deeply. 🌈

Adding another layer to this narrative, 20% of individuals attribute their career paths to their personal battles with inequality (NSHSS), revealing how experiences outside the workplace bleed into professional ambitions and choices.

It's an indication that work environments are also perceived as spaces of healing and growth, not just places of employment. 🧘 

But what else draws the line between a good company and a great one in the eyes of Gen Z? A commitment to a diverse recruitment process, which attracts a stunning 69% of this generation, according to Tallo.

Gen Zs are not just looking for jobs; but rather for spaces where their identities are seen, valued, and respected. ✨ 

2. Workplace Flexibility 🏠️ 

Having flexibility at work has almost become a mandate for the ideal work environment today. Paid time off and flexible working hours emerge as non-negotiable benefits, with a staggering 91% and 89% of Gen Zers respectively identifying these as key factors in their job satisfaction. 🤑 

The idea of being tethered to a full-time office presence is overwhelmingly rejected, ❌ with 70% of Gen Z willing to rethink their job choice under such conditions .

Echoing this sentiment, McKinsey highlights workplace flexibility as a top attractor for Gen Z, cementing its importance in curating environments that resonate with the youngest members of the workforce.

3. Ethics and Social Awareness 🌍️ 

Gen Z is rewriting the rulebook on what matters at work, and guess what? Ethics and social awareness are slowly rising to the top. 🔼 

Nearly 40% of them are saying "no thanks" to jobs that don't line up with their values. ❌ That's a huge deal! They're not just in it for a paycheck; if a job doesn't meet their ethical standards, they're ready to walk. 🚶‍♀️ 

Plus, for many in Gen Z, their job isn't their whole world – less than half see work as defining who they are. Basically, work's got to be about more than just clocking in and out. 😌 

4. Prioritizing Mental Health 🧘 

Gen Z is seriously setting the bar when it comes to prioritizing work-life balance and mental health. Did you know 1 in 5 Gen Zers attend therapy and invest an average of $149 a month in therapy? 😮 

Echoing this sentiment, research shows that wellness reimbursements (32%) and mental health workshops (47%) follow close on the heels of insurance coverage (53%) to round out Gen Z’s top three list of mental health resources—placing a spotlight on this youngest cohort’s proactive approach to mental well-being. 💛 

📣 New Report Alert | The Power of Rewards and Recognition 2024

Hi everyone! We've been busy putting together our latest report on rewards and recognition at work. It's full of insightful findings that show you why recognition is a key part of making a great workplace. 👏 

Our report reveals 🔍️ 

• 90% feel valued when efforts are recognized 🙌 

• 85% say a culture of recognition increases loyalty 📈 

• Yet, only 22% receive daily recognition vs 33% receive it on a monthly basis. 🤔 

Discover: The latest trends, key findings, and insights that make a business case for implementing a rewards and recognition program at your workplace.

Streamline Your IT Support with Albus 💡

Resolve internal IT tickets for $15 - $20 each. How? 🤔 

With 80% of help desk tickets being repetitive, our knowledge bot is the solution. Pulling insights from Zendesk, ServiceNow, and Salesforce, it slashes resolution time and costs. 💰️ 

Ready to learn more? Schedule a chat with the Albus team!

Free Template: Work From Anywhere Policy 🚞 

Based on the results of the employee benefits poll from the last issue, it's clear that the most popular choice among respondents was the inclusion of "remote work" options for employees. 💻️ 

To assist you in implementing this, we've provided a template by Springworks that you can use as a guide to develop a remote or work-from-anywhere policy. 🏔️ 

Why Become A TSOW Member? 😎 

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🤝 Connect with over 10,000 super-smart HR Leaders & People Ops professionals in real-time for invaluable support and insights.

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Join the TSOW community today and level up your HR journey! ✨

Today’s Reads 📖 

• Handling difficult conversations is a common challenge for HR professionals. Giving negative feedback to employees can be particularly daunting. Check out this insightful SHRM article for valuable tips on navigating these situations with empathy. 💬

• “Employees don’t all experience psychological safety in the workplace in the same way, so employers need to consider the unique lived experiences of a variety of demographics, according to a March 14 report by McLean & Co.” Read this full article on the 3 key elements of psychological safety. 🛡️

• .We explored employee benefits in 2024 in the last issue and Mental Health and Wellness has been a priority for quite a few years now. Read 5 ways to make sure your wellness benefits hits the mark. 🧘‍♂️

Missed the last newsletter? Catch up here.