How to motivate Generation Z

Sommaire:

1. Introduction 

2. Entreprise 
2.1. Managerial approach
2.2. CSR approach
2.3. Digitalization
2.4. Skills development

3. 3. Quality of life
3.1. Flexible working hours
3.2. Workplace
3.3. Attracted by change
3.4. Open approach to discussion

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I'm extreme in everything I am and do. This, I believe, will break down walls and invite inclusion for all," a 14-year-old boy tells us. 

As we can see from this young boy's sentence, Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, has a common desire to include and abandon the concept of exclusion, still very much present today.

With these different behaviors, such as the attraction of not having a superior, therefore follow important changes in working methods. Indeed, this can be seen in the fact that 53% of them would rather go into entrepreneurship than become an employee in a large company.

It is crucial that companies learn to adapt to the needs of this new generation, which will represent over 50% of the working world by 2025. This is all the more complicated given that Generation Z has grown up in a very different environment. To work successfully with Generation Z, companies must learn to develop an agile structure, while changing some aspects of their operations. In addition, a very important part to work on is the human and social side that today's young people are looking for.

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2. Entreprise 

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2.1. Managerial approach

First of all, it's inevitable that an employer's approach to one of his employees needs to change with the new Generation Z entering the job market. Indeed, over a quarter of these young people want to be equal to the entire hierarchy. They are more attracted and fulfilled by the idea of cross-functional management, in which different structures can be blended together. This type of management has many advantages, such as making internal mobility more fluid, in order to optimize employees' time and skills.

2.2. CSR approach

We have recently seen the extent to which young people are committed to the environmental cause. Indeed, whether through events or even practices that help reduce CO2 emissions, taking responsibility for human causes is important. For this reason, you need to be sure that your company has a CSR approach. Values such as respect for all are rooted in the new generation, and we need to be sure that they are also anchored in the corporate framework.

2.3. Digitization

"Young people spend too much time on their phones," say the majority of Generation Z parents.

In the corporate world, it's not up to us to ask young people to change their practices, it's up to us to adapt to them. We have to bear in mind that these young people have grown up with the Internet and have spent two years taking distance learning courses. So we have to make sure that technology is a fundamental vector of communication within the company. Practices such as signing a document or receiving pay, for example, must absolutely be digitized, so as not to create a clash of practice and habit.

2.4. Skills development

Today's young people want to touch many things at once, for the simple reason that they're developing a very open mind. This is partly due to their curiosity, and partly because they love to learn. In a world where talents are evolving ever faster, these young people know that they need to dabble in everything in order to develop intellectually and multiply their professional experience. For this reason, companies need to be able to offer career paths that allow them to change position or even career - and all with the help of training.

3. Quality of life

3.1. Flexible working hours

Generation Z is inclined to work only if it's fun to do so. Indeed, working out of obligation is something this generation is less inclined to embrace. For this reason, it's imperative not to impose fixed working hours, but simply to let them work freely. Indeed, he or she could start work at 9pm, or 7am, as long as the feeling of freedom is there. By giving them control over how they want to organize their day, a sense of confidence and calm is created.

3.2. Workplace

Spending part of their education at home, it's clear that this is an option that needs to remain available. The ability to work remotely has become so important that some companies have adapted a way of working called "Workation", during which a certain individual is not asked to work a certain number of hours, but to hand in individual tasks per day, ensuring the quality of the deliverable, of course. The principle is that an employee can go on vacation with his or her family, but must still remain connected and be ready to switch to 'work' mode if he or she is asked to do so.

3.3. Attracted by change

In the same spirit of freedom, Generation Z young people claim a need to 'make their own way'. They may therefore allow themselves moments of relaxation, in order to concentrate on other things. This is due to their rapid boredom and insatiable desire to constantly change activities. To adapt to this, we need to take a step back from their more lax behavior, and propose tasks and projects of shorter duration.

3.4. Open discussion

Finally, it's vitally important to leave time for criticism. Indeed, preferring a 'flat' structure, in which hierarchy is less important, talking one-on-one with one's employer is ideal. Not only does it show the young people of Generation Z that they have a place in the company, but also that they are being listened to. This type of exchange allows for dialogue, and therefore for constructive criticism on both sides!

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