Getting to Know Gen Z – New and Emerging Research

As I work with organizations across the country, the issue of understanding, leading, and working with employees from different generations continues to be one of the most common challenges leaders mention to me. As Baby Boomers retire and cycle out and Gen Z employees enter in, understanding the differences across generations in the workplace has become a huge focus for supervisors, managers, and HR professionals.

Members of Gen Z’s are generally considered to be 25 years old or younger and are just now starting to impact the workforce. While they are still developing their adult identities and workplace values, some characteristics have started taking shape.

Important: Sources of Information

Whenever discussing various generations and the values and characteristics which seem common among them, it is always important to consider the origin of the information – because each source has its own inherent biases. Here are some examples:

• The Generation of the Observer

A typical Boomer and a Millennial may likely look at the same behavior of a Gen Z employee (like preferring to work a flexible, seemingly irregular schedule) and describe the behavior differently: A Boomer might use the word “undisciplined” while a Millennial might say they “like a flexible workday.” The descriptors and the message sent are filtered by the observer’s personal framework.

• Self-report vs. Behavioral Observation

Research has demonstrated for decades that almost everyone tends to have a positive bias when judging our own behavior in comparison to what objective behavioral observers report.  We tend to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt or make external, circumstantial excuses for why we did what we chose to do.

• General Themes (or Conclusions) vs. Specific Behaviors

Similarly, regardless of who is giving the report, the more general the terms used (“a hard worker”), the more the results reported move to the middle of the scale (“sometimes” vs. “always”). While more specific behavioral descriptors (“stays on task consistently”) tend to be more consistent with actual independent observations.

• Single Source vs. Multiple Sources

Conclusions made by one person about one individual from another generation are obviously less likely to be true about an entire generation than multiple sources of observations of a larger number of individuals. But what we often hear in conversations I is based on a person commenting from their interactions with only one or two younger employees.

Conclusion: Check the source(s) for your information about generational differences before concluding they are an accurate description of the generation as a whole.

Some Initial Observations About Gen Z

To be honest, most of my interactions with Gen Z individuals are not work-based. Rather, they come in the context of family relationships and community-based interactions. So, my “N” (number of observations) is low, which will lead to incorrect conclusions on my part. As a result, I’m relying more heavily on individuals and institutions who have more access to Gen Z’s and who are using processes which filter out individual and generational biases.*

Here are some current themes (understand that some of these will change or become clearer over time as more Gen Z’s enter the workforce):

• Deeply value flexibility in their jobs. Being able to work around other priorities in their lives is important to Z’s. “Work-Life Balance” is a core value embedded in their approach to their career. 

• Desire to give their input and observations. Even though they acknowledge they have less experience, they believe their input is valuable. Therefore, they gravitate to flat organizations rather than hierarchical organizations where they can influence decision-makers.

• Not afraid of job hopping. They value a variety of experiences and are willing to pursue these, even in short-term gigs. “Loyalty” to an employer (especially an organization, versus a person) is not viewed as important.

• Key: seeing how their job (and employer) helps others. Helping others can be done directly (social services) or indirectly (developing and implementing sustainable technology).

• Informality is the norm. This applies their interaction style, language used, how they dress, and how they structure their lives.

• Desire regular feedback** (consistent with earlier generations). Informal regular feedback on how they are doing is expected, while a formal annual review feels very foreign.

The overall lesson to learn is individuals from different generations think differently and make alternative choices from other generations because what they value is not the same. While none of these themes seem to be especially radical by themselves, when viewed in combination, they may represent a challenge to certain existing workplace norms. Leaders at numerous levels are going to need to take time to consider what workplace values and behaviors are critical to the ongoing success of their organization, in contrast to which are just preferences and can be altered without affecting how well you serve your clients and customers.

*One excellent source to explore is Generations by Jean Twenge, and her associated ongoing research.

**(For additional information, see our research where we compared how various generations desire to be shown appreciation).

Categories 5 Languages of Appreciation, Managing By Appreciation, Workplace Culture

Published by Paul White

July 15, 2024 9:27 am