When you hire someone today, it’s ever more likely that you’ll be hiring someone who is a member of Generation Z – people born between the mid-1900s and mid-2000s. After all, they represent about a third of the workforce.
To improve your chances of making a good hire and then cultivating a healthy, productive long-term relationship, it’s helpful to know a bit more about what they are looking for – even expecting – from their employers.
Media-strategy firm MNI Targeted Media conducted a survey of college students that focused on their buying trends and preferences – but whose results carry over into what they look for in their careers and from their employers.
The firm concluded that firms who hire Gen Zers “will be managing individuals for whom meaning matters as much as, or more than, money.” For them, purpose, fulfillment, meaning and the opportunity to deliver great results all matter very much.
To find and keep such employees, the firm suggests that employers focus on five areas:
1. Define a purpose-focused business mission – Gen Z members care deeply about making a bigger difference in the world.
2. Establish an empowering, passion-linked work culture – Gen Z members want to be empowered to contribute. Micromanagers and top-down driven cultures don’t cut it with them.
3. Invest in development, mentoring and meaningful work -- Gen Z members want to feel that they have growth potential and opportunities for promotion. Couple training and stretch assignments with a robust mentoring program.
4. Balance autonomy with appropriate support -- Offering roles with depth and autonomy is key to keeping this generation engaged, but they should be coupled with measured leadership support. They thrive when they experience genuine interest in their well-being and success.
5. Make diversity and inclusion a priority -- Gen Z members are the most diverse cohort in America’s history, and they want to see their employers supporting equality.
READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE