First off, let me say that I’m sorry for using the term ‘Gen Z’ in this title. Personally, I don’t think Generation Z exists. Somewhere along the line we decided that we were inventing a new type of people every 15 years or so, and I just don’t agree. However, that’s the language we use, and so I need to say ‘Gen Z’ or else you wouldn’t read this.
However, I can promise that this advice will be extremely easy to follow. Because instead of outlining a whole laundry list of characteristics that are supposedly unique to this newest generation, I’m going to argue that there’s only two things you need to know about them – they are young, and they’ve never known a world without the Internet. From there, everything else falls neatly into place.
So, how can you seamlessly incorporate Generation Z into your workplace? Here are a few simple suggestions:
Expect Them To Act Like Young Workers Always Do
They are going to look for ways to shortcut their path to the top. They are going to think they know more than they do. They are going to offer a lot of new ideas because they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing so. There are a host of things here, but it’s important to remember that all young workers behave like this. So did Baby Boomers when they were in their 20s. As long as you remember that they are young, not different, you’ll be able to resist the notion that you’re being forced to deal with something you’ve never dealt with before.
Explain Why You Do What You Do
Older workers sometimes view this as a chore, but it shouldn’t be. Young workers asking to understand the rationale for your current processes is a normal part of learning how a company operates, and the ones that don’t ask are likely to become mindless drones who will never impress you with their productivity or initiative. A good company should always be asking itself why it does what it does so that it can stay nimble and adapt when necessary. Far from being a frustrating obligation, you should view this as an opportunity to stay fresh. In this respect, Generation Z will be doing you a favor.
Expect Them To Communicate A Little Differently Than You Do
It’s a sad truth that while every Gen Zer owns a smartphone, they don’t really know what the ‘phone’ part of it is for. Most of them will figure it out, but they’ll still be most comfortable with the communication tools they’ve grown up using. That’s not such a terrible thing – after all, you like the ones you’re comfortable with, too. So ask them how they like to communicate, and then see how much of their needs you can accommodate. As long as this is a two-way compromise, you shouldn’t feel like you’re being asked to shoulder an unfair burden.
Expect Some of Them To Never Figure it Out
Again, this is part of the process. There are still some hold-out hippies who live in a van and never got on board the corporate train, and there will be some Gen Zers who never understand that they will have to work hard, be patient, and make concessions to others’ way of doing things. Those people will weed themselves out soon enough, and you should not be shy about firing them. But you also shouldn’t see those relative few as indicative of a generation-wide problem. It isn’t.
Ultimately, Generation Z is exactly like the Millennial generation that came before them, and you’ve probably heard a billion strategies about how to work with them. The same strategies will work here, too, and they will also work for Generation AA or Z+ or whatever thing they call the next one.
Bravo on your contrarian approach. You’re right. People don’t fit into neat categories. Much of attitudes grow from what has surrounded them.
When I work with companies and organizations on multi-generational projects, I use Covey’s : “First seek to understand” approach to break the ice.
The discussion centers around values than details.
Thanks for your insights.
MC
Thank for the comment Michelle! Great idea on how to break the ice.
I work in a 911 dispatch center and the last 5 Gen- Z trainees I have tried to train were complete disasters. I even asked them individually how do you learn. They have no real life experience but still know the answer to the question before you ask. They would try to finish my sentences even though they had no clue. They expect to be heard but don’t seem to care to listen. I actually had one say they want to tell their side of the story when I would try to correct them. In training they have no side yet. They are argumentative, apologetic and just so emotional. How do deal with them in a job that is so emergent
Hey Susan! Thanks for the comment. You are hardly alone in your experience. And I don’t plan on defending any of the behaviors of the people you’re describing. I will, however, say that this generation isn’t actually unique in its approach to the working world. Back in the 1960s, adults everywhere thought that the up-and-coming Baby Boomers were lazy, entitled, pot-smoking hippies with no real work ethic. Some of them never grew out of that, but most did. And most of today’s Gen Z’ers who act like your most recent trainees will eventually figure out everything you’re trying to tell them. That tends to be what our 20s are for, no matter what decade we were born in, and it will always annoy those of us who have already successfully graduated from that stage of life.
So I have a few pieces of advice. The first is to try not to get overly irritated with them. They aren’t actually unique; they’re in their 20s, and they’re acting like people in their 20s have always acted. That might help reduce your frustration. The second piece of advice is to focus on the fact that ignorance (however you choose to define that word) can be taught. Some of them are genuinely ignorant of how things are supposed to work, because they’re new at it. If they show an inclination to listen and learn, then they have a lot of potential, and of course as their leader it’s your job to teach them. It’s the ones that are ignorant AND uninterested in correcting that ignorance who will pose the most intractable problems.
So when you find someone who has no idea how things are supposed to work, or who does things in ways that make no sense to you, just take a breath and try to educate them. If they show any interest in learning, then I think you’ll eventually get them where you want them to be. And if they don’t, then get rid of them as fast as you can. Those are the ones who are not likely to get with the program, which has always been true of some percentage of 20-somethings through all of modern history, and you will be better served to spend your time focusing on the ones eager to meet you halfway than on the ones who insist on marching to their own drummer.
I hope that helps!