Born between 1997 and 2012, and now in their 20s, Generation Z are determining the present and future of the workplace. Learn how to attract and retain Gen Z employees with this complete guide to what makes this tech-savvy generation tick.
Imagine the scenario - a Millennial manager video calls her Gen Z employee for a work meeting, only to find said employee at the hair salon, mid-wash no less. Luckily, the manager saw the humorous side, realising that the Gen Zer was still fully committed to addressing the work at hand, despite WFH (that’s Working From the Hairdressers, for the uninitiated).
This real life scenario was the subject of a viral TikTok video that perfectly demonstrates the unique, fun, and sometimes challenging dynamics at hand when employing and working alongside Generation Z. If you’re hiring Gen Z employees, you’ll need to brush up on what this young generation expects from working life to ensure retention of staff and avoid a toxic workplace culture. The difference between the generations can and should be narrowed if you want to take your business into the future and beyond.
In this article, we’ll look at 5 techniques for attracting and retaining Gen Z employees, backed up by enlightening Gen Z statistics and tapping into future workplace trends, such as hybrid working, conscious companies and diversity values at work. To promote Gen Z at work and boost Generation Z communication, business owners will need to:
Ready to welcome Gen Z into your business? Read on to explore each of these Gen Z trends in detail, finding actionable insights to take into your workplace now and in the future.
01 - Rethink the traditional corporate ladder for Gen Z
While many Gen Z workers are highly motivated by money (after all, this is the generation that has encountered the highest levels of student debt, economic insecurity and the steepest housing costs in history), a high salary is not enough to keep this generation tied to a job they find boring. In a survey conducted by EduBirdie, 37% of Gen Z employees would put job satisfaction ahead of security or salary, opting for a lower-paid role that offers better stimulation and perks than a high-paid corporate desk job.
For businesses, this offers a challenging disruption to the long-established rewards system of promotions and salary increases. For recruiters the fact that Gen Z career trends are edging towards satisfaction over salary is also something to note when attracting Gen Z candidates.
What motivates Gen Z in the workplace? High salaries are attractive, but aren’t enough to retain Gen Z employees. This highly-connected generation talks—albeit largely through the medium of social media — which means different career options are constantly being floated before them, along with the perks, alternative working arrangements (see below) and skill-building opportunities that come with them.
Gen Z wants to work in a multi-faceted, experiential way, rather than to simply pick up a pay cheque. With this in mind, Gen Z employers will need to radically rethink the traditional corporate ladder, and offer fresh incentives for choosing to work with them specifically. Whether it’s dedicated mentorship schemes, fast career progression or opportunities to boost salary or skills, the answer to how to prepare for Gen Z is to provide more diverse interest and stimulation at work, rather than focus on salary alone.
02 - Prove your diversity and conscious credentials
Generation Z are the most socially and environmentally conscious generation to enter the workplace, and their principles are not left at the office door in the morning. Rather, Gen Z workers purposefully seek out roles with companies that practice ethical or sustainable principles, and they also look for diversity values in action in the workplace. In other words, if your office is a little behind on its conscious credentials, you’ll need to brush up, fast, and communicate openly with your Gen Z employees about your efforts.
62% of Gen Zers prefer to purchase from sustainable brands, according to a Forbes survey, but this conscientious trend extends to the workplace as well. Gen Z is highly motivated by ‘policing’ companies which they feel to be sliding on the ethics scale. TikTok insider videos and Gen Z-led exposés, such as the BBC’s scathing takedown of clothing retailer Boohoo’s unethical practices, should act as a reminder to companies of the willingness of this generation to dress down corporates for questionable morals.
Of course, for most ethical companies, this shouldn’t be worrying. Rather, it is inspiring and uplifting news that this younger generation of workers should feel empowered to question the working practices of corporates often much larger and more powerful than themselves. Go Gen Z!
03 - Counteract a lack of motivation with skill-building and mentorship
A common (but according to the University of Cambridge, misconstrued) critique of Gen Z is that they are the lazy generation in the workplace, preferring the anti-hustle life to Girl Boss graft.
You’ll find just as many opinion articles about the perceived laziness of Gen Z as their lack of motivation being put down to economic disillusionment. While earlier generations grafted in the hope of monetary reward and lifelong security, it’s arguable that Gen Z simply just don’t see the point in working so hard when others before them already have the biggest slice of pie.
So what does this mean for employers and Gen Z motivation at work? The difference between Millennials and Gen Z in the workplace is probably never more stark than in the divide between the ‘lean in’ philosophy of grafting Millennials and the more easy-going nature of Generation Z.
As a first step, employers will need to create clearer benchmarks for assessing productivity in the workplace. As the data about a 4-day working week is consistently demonstrating, it’s clear that longer hours don’t equate to increased productivity, and indeed can have a detrimental impact on company revenue and employee motivation. Assigning a dedicated mentor, which can be a member of senior staff or an outside mentor, to new Gen Z employees is an effective strategy for both counteracting lack of motivation and assessing employee productivity, while providing sometimes distracted Gen Z workers with coaching and direction.
Secondly, employers should look at offering Generation Z training opportunities that surpass the traditional annual team day. Gen Z are looking for more diversity and stimulation at work, as well as ways of broadening their skillset beyond their original job description. Employers can lend a sense of autonomy to its younger employees by offering coaching, training and work experience that goes above and beyond the usual 9 to 5. There’s really no downside to this for everyone involved. Gen Z employees will be more stimulated and motivated, and employers can benefit from a diversely skilled workforce (see Renaissance Power, below).
04 - Consider alternative, even radical, ways of working
Before the COVID pandemic, words like flexitime and hybrid working were a rarity, but now that Gen Z employees have had a taste of alternative ways of working, it’s difficult for employers to backtrack without risking losing Gen Z staff.
What do Generation Z want in a job? One of the main things Gen Z recruits look for is flexible working, and to feel like their employer will be receptive to requests for alternative working arrangements, such as hybrid home-office working, remote working or a 4-day working week.
Employers should be reassured that studies surrounding flexible working have had mixed, but generally positive, results. While some studies highlight the value of in-office working for improving team communication and morale, the general consensus surrounding a 4-day working week is positive on all points, helping to boost company profits and worker morale.
While some companies like Amazon have recently decided to bring workers back into the office 5 days a week, more businesses in the UK and internationally are actually opting for flexible working arrangements, and these companies will no doubt be more attractive to flexi-loving Generation Z in the future.
05 - Tap into the ‘Renaissance Power’ of Gen Z
How specialised is your job? Past working trends have pointed towards increasing specialisation as a person moves through their career, but for the Gen Z workforce in 2025 and beyond, this is unlikely to be the case. Generation Z traits at work are more likely to be highly varied and less specialised than the working skills of earlier generations, but this is far from being a disadvantage for savvy employers.
Gen Z is the first ‘digital native’ generation, growing up with the internet and developing into the first chronically online group of workers. Hiring Generation Z candidates can present difficulties for employers looking for specialisation, as this generation have been presented with such a huge diversity of technology effectively from childhood. Coding? No problem. A bit of graphic design? Sure, why not. Content creation? Yup, got that down. If employers are open-minded about Gen Z’s ‘Renaissance Power’, in which they are able and eager to dabble in varied fields and skills at work, they can benefit from an incredibly capable and adaptable workforce.
For those looking to hire Gen Z employees, you can suss out the adaptability of a person’s skills by screening them using a tool like YOONO. A preliminary background check that assesses the individual’s online presence, skillset and background, employers can get a really strong sense of someone’s obvious (or hidden) talents before they even take them to interview stage. So when it comes to hiring Gen Z employees, perhaps it’s time to forget specialisation (so old-hat) and focus on bringing skill diversity into your workforce instead.
Why not try YOONO today and see how it could fit into your Gen Z recruitment process? Benefit from 5 free reports credited directly to your new account when you sign up. No credit card required.
Gen Z: What They Want in Work…and Beyond
While Gen Z’s sometimes unconventional approach to working arrangements can baffle Gen X and Millennial managers, and be dismissed in the media as laziness, this is a view that only touches the surface and leaves both employers and employees locked at generational loggerheads.
To unlock the real potential of Gen Z in the workplace, the core message for those hiring Gen Z employees or have issues with retaining Gen Z employees is that this generation treats work as part of a whole, not as a separate entity to life outside of the office. With the right incentives, principles and mentorship, Gen Z can offer businesses huge value with a diverse skillset, conscientious outlook and tech-native natural ability.
The nature of work is changing, and Gen Z are shaping it for themselves and for tomorrow, but this doesn’t mean the generational gap at work has to grow further. With these 5 helpful tips in mind, you should be able to offer a working experience for Generation Z that brings out the best of this young working generation.
Why not try YOONO today and see how it could fit into your Gen Z recruitment process? Benefit from 5 free reports credited directly to your new account when you sign up. No credit card required.
If you’ve experienced a Gen Z employees nightmare, or are simply unsure where to begin with hiring Gen Z employees, you can make a strong start by using YOONO to screen your Gen Z candidates.
Simply search for someone’s name, upload a CV if you have one, and you’ll have a wealth of actionable information at your fingertips, from what the person shares online to whether their skills and credentials stack-up with what you have on file. Give it a try without any initial cost, and see if you can find your next amazing Gen Z recruit.
