Managing Gen Z (CONT’D FROM PAGE 1)
Little wonder that Gen Zers are a little more cautious than previous generations and view with skepticism the promises of prospective employers. “Driven by anxiety, Gen Z mostly seeks a stable 9-to-5 job that pays the bills,” said Griffith. “This point was recently corroborated by sur- vey data from Handshake, an employment site for Gener- ation Z, which asked 1,800 new graduates what they want- ed most from their future employers. The overwhelming majority—85 percent—answered ‘stability.’ Pay and bene- fits also ranked high, but both of them in my estimation are proxies for the same thing. The desire for ‘a fast-growing company,’ on the other hand, garnered only 29 percent of the vote.” It makes sense, then, for prospective employers to ac- centuate the longevity of their firms, and the dedication to career support that can go hand in hand with long term employment. And this is all the more the case due to the unsettling tendency of the young generation to job hop. “Gen Zers are likely to switch jobs faster than previous generations who would typically stick things out a lot lon- ger before deciding to move on,” said Ginder. “This has a lot of financial implications, since the cost of turnover can exceed 20 percent of a position’s annual costs.” At first blush, a tendency to job hop may seem to con- tradict a desire for stability. But the fact is that an aggres- sive series of career moves can provide more security than blind faith in the loyalty of a single organization. “Gen
are likely to support brands that offer support to women, Blacks and people with disabilities. Wise employers will create a sense of larger purpose for business activities, then emphasize how employee actions contribute to that initiative. “Management needs to regularly reinforce how each individual's work fits into the greater good of the or- ganization,” said Ginder. “How do the business operations have a positive social impact? That speaks to purpose, to inclusion and to social justice.” Meeting The Challenge While understanding the younger generation can be difficult in any era, Gen Zers represent a particularly tough challenge. “I have to say that I speak with a lot of man- agers who are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to connect effectively with post-millennial folks,” said Ginder. One common error is to expect favorable results from communication styles that worked well in the past. “We're talking about a totally different group of people who grew up with different influences and cultural values and norms.” A good starting point, said Ginder, is to understand the anxiety felt by people in their twenties, due largely to their experiences with the Great Recession and the Covid 19 pandemic. “In their early impressionable years, Gen Zers saw their parents get laid off, get upside down in their mortgages, and maybe even lose their homes.”
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The Raven
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Designed to fit in existing finishing machines’ bay
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May 22, 2023
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