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By now, we have talked about the context and characteristics of Gen Z. Ok, but what do we do with them? Well...
HR, workforce and succession planning have never been more important. You have a demographic on the move, and you cannot stop them. What you can impact is them leaving the company. Open up the channels for internal transfers. It will help to pump some fresh blood into your stagnant workforce.
Plan your workforce according to your workers' characteristics. Identify jobs that don't need Gen Z's stamina, creativity or energy and fill those with older workers. Hire people for dead-end jobs who are not focused on career development but are happy to have a job because their priorities are outside of work.
Rethink and change all your KPIs and practices. Retention KPI has lost its meaning. It only means loss because we don't use the talent we have. The cost of hiring can be easily offset by the value people bring with them if we are able to use it. If not, keep focusing on hiring costs.
Leverage Gen Z's talent by assigning them creative projects. Put them in problem-solving groups and give them issues the company struggles to solve.
Ensure they know their goals. Remember, they love efficiency, and it is all about knowing what performance you expect of them. Make sure they are busy. I always hear from Gen Z that they are bored, whilst older generations are burnt out. Clearly, something has gone wrong, and I know what. We don't trust these guys AND, we are scared of losing our jobs. We don't have to do any of this.
As an older generation, your role has transformed, and it is now about nurturing and coaching the next generation. It is about designing workplaces with them, for them. Use their energy, willingness, and creativity to move the organisation forward. They have the energy, and you have the wisdom. Combining the two can yield fantastic results. Gen Z can only zoom in on a problem because they lack experience. This is where the older generation comes in, who can zoom out due to their experience and coach Gen Z in developing the organisation and the business. Trust me, they need a mother, father or an older sibling figure at work. Once you gain their trust, they will allow you to coach them on many things.
Use Gen Z's confusion about what they want to be to your advantage. They are quickly bored, so move them around the organisation. Rotate them every six months, ensure cross-training, and then offer them further opportunities. These guys are happy to move around, so allow them.
Lastly, ask yourself the question, "Why do we hire Gen Z? What do we want from them?" You know what? Use this question for every person you hire and gain clarity. We don't just hire people to get the monotonous job done. Surely we want more of what individuals can offer.
Gen Z is different, and I love them for it. Don't try to teach them a lesson because you will be the only person to learn something. You will learn that Gen Z has learned to set boundaries and I am happy for them.
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