It’s official — Gen Z has entered the workforce

There is always a range of emotions as the next generation grows up — excitement for what they will bring to the table mixed with fear of the changes they will demand because of their inherently different worldview. We barely blinked and now they’re the youngest in the workforce.Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with technology at their fingertips. We have yet to see the long term implications of continuous technology use in childhood, but what has already been proven is a slew of positive and negative effects for our youth including problem solving skills, relational intelligence, and focus challenges.

Despite the potential downsides, growing up in a technological age also makes them more collaborative and more likely to value diversity than any previous generation (but surprisingly still prefer in-person communication). They also value flexibility and autonomy, and aren’t afraid to speak their minds. A product of the last Baby Boomers, Gen Z are still viewed as grounded and hardworking. Now that we’ve seen them in the workforce for a few years (the oldest of the Gen Z being 25), here’s what you can expect from the next generation to hit the company floor.

They are bold.

Gen Z is one of the first generations to really challenge the hierarchy within a business. Some believe this is because they discovered everything they needed to know on their own through the internet. Starting from a young age they didn’t need dad to teach them how to change a tire because Youtube could. They didn’t need help with math homework because there were websites with tutorials and solutions. Fast forward to adulthood: anything a superior or coworker says can be challenged with facts, sources, and data that was never available before. Experience in a job no longer means exceptionality. But similarly, outright intelligence is not the same as wisdom.

Hopefully,a balance can be struck with young and old employees. The older generations can offer guidance, while the younger can bring a fresh perspective and new way of doing things. Gen Z has a strong desire for mentorship, although there have been fewer opportunities due to Covid, this is something to continue to pursue.

They are well-educated.

Actually, at this rate, they are projected to be the most-educated generation to date. They are also more likely to be living with a parent who is college-educated than any prior generation. This afforded them the opportunity to attend school into early adulthood without the pressure of providing for parents or family. However, this has left a large gap in our population of trade and skill workers. Each year we lose more and more of our older generation of trade workers. This, combined with the increasing demand, has set us up for a “massive shortage” in 2023.

They are more focused on mental health than making money.

Gen Z gets a bad rap for poor work ethic, but the true motivation is more profound. Gen Z is shifting that because they see work differently — they work around life, not make their life around work. Current culture doesn’t see the world like that, but younger people do. If a business doesn’t want to hire them because they have a career gap, that’s not a company they want to work for anyway. Gen Z isn’t afraid to quit. If there is something that their workplace is not bringing to the table, they are just fine leaving, even if they don’t have another job lined up. And it has proven to be successful. Out of young workers who jumped jobs, they saw on average a 30% raise. Focusing on mental health and keeping a good work-life balance will be a consistent theme in this generation.

For years we have been told that any gaps in our resume are bad and hurt our chances of being hired even though 62% of people have taken breaks from working during the course of their lives. Fueled mostly by an older generation, hiring managers still find it hard to get past a resume gap when there are other candidates who do not have a gap. However most people on a work break are building skills,learning new ones, or trying to pursue a passion — all things that, ultimately, make for a better employee. Even if some are caring for kids or a sick family member, why do we see that as a negative use of time instead of developing positive character traits like empathy, compassion, and persistence? This is where the older generation needs to adjust their perspective.

Gen Z is already bringing a lot to the workforce — new ways of thinking, new resources, and the gusto to get it done. With the help of their college-educated parents, they have more options post-college than any other generation. They are getting married and starting families later, too, giving the pursuit of a career less emphasis in their early-20s. Traveling, passion projects, and intentional workplace decisions are all more important than a paycheck. By 2025, 27% of the workforce will be Gen Z, so the time to start listening is now. We have been seeing this trend of better work-life balance for years now, but this generation is on its way to set it in stone.