Most companies and their human resources teams are still focused on millennials entering the fold and how their organization can adapt to this generation's wants and needs. However, businesses need to be thinking even further ahead to the next wave of employees who will soon be available for hire. Generation Z – those born between 1995 and 2010 – will have an effect on the workforce. There are some steps organizations can take to prepare for Gen Z employees:
Understand their desires
Similar to millennial workers, those employees of Gen Z have their own personal goals and ideas about what they want from their employer. A survey from Adecco Staffing found people of this generation hope to find their dream job within ten years, want opportunities for career growth and fulfilling work overall. Gen Z employees value flexible schedule and friendly work environments much less compared to millennials. Since their career tracks seem to be the most important element to the newest generation, companies will have to show how their organizations can help Gen Z workers reach their goals, according to Fortune.
Keep them engaged
Generation Z is entering the labor pool with millennials as their most recent career example. Since 91 percent of these Gen Yers expect to stay in a job for less than three years, the next group of employees will take that idea and run with it, according to a Future Workplace study. To improve business retention, HR teams need to find ways to keep Gen Z workers engaged on the job. A collaborative environment will help, as will new and improved technology and consistent challenges, Information Age suggested.
Prepare millennial managers
As more Gen Z workers join the fray, millennial employees will reach positions of power and leadership. Gen Yers will be tasked with managing the younger crowd and will need to understand the generation to properly govern, according to The Business Journals. Millennials need to familiarize themselves with the similarities and differences between the two to employ better overall authority.
The year 2020 will be here before companies know it, bringing a new group of employees with it. Businesses and their HR teams need to begin preparing their organizations for the influx of Generation Z workers, complete with their own unique personalities and individual goals.