By 2025, 27% of OECD countries’ workers will be Gen Z, according to the World Economic Forum, which adds that individuals in this demographic are “seen as those born from the late 90s to early 2010s”. Especially concerning (or not) for employers, Gen Zers are open to job switching, too.
In a survey of 2,000 employees born between 1997 and 2004, 79% said they had considered leaving their employer, as HR News reports. So, what should employers offer to members of Gen Z?
An attractive benefits package
21% of the survey respondents admitted that the prospect of a better benefits package had led them to consider a job move. Meanwhile, with a fifth of Gen Z workers have revealed that they aren’t allowed to pick their benefits, there’s the obvious potential for frustration.
So, as an employer, you shouldn’t be afraid to beef up the benefits package you offer – but what if you are lacking inspiration for what to add to it? Here are some pointers…
A strong focus on employee wellbeing
In the survey, 75% of Gen Zers said they wanted their employer to provide financial wellbeing support – and, in the case of 70% and 76%, there was an expressed preference for support with mental and physical health respectively.
So, you could throw in a few extra benefits that tackle these pain points. Money-off vouchers could help with financial wellbeing, while free gym memberships wouldn’t go amiss for the especially fitness-conscious personnel in your Gen Z workforce.
A sense of workplace community
With 93% of Gen Z employees reckoning that their employer could play a bigger part in strengthening relationships across the business, you could give yourself a valuable competitive advantage by creating more opportunities for social interaction to thrive.
Here, too, Gen Zers have already suggested specific strategies you could utilise, with 35% having called for more social events, whether held virtually or in person. Almost as large a percentage – 31% — said they would like to see better internal communication.
The option of flexible working
Even if it wouldn’t be practically possible for you to let any of your employees operate remotely for all of their work hours, you could still inject a degree of flexibility into the work model you impose.
If you inform your Gen Z staffers that they are free to work remotely whenever they don’t have to attend in-person meetings, this could suffice for keeping them on board.
As Gen Z workers will expect any work-from-home tech they use to be fast and accessible, it would also be worthwhile to give them access to a unified communications solution like Gamma’s Horizon Collaborate (https://www.gamma.co.uk/products/horizon-collaborate-unified-communications/).
Equality and inclusivity
In research highlighted by Business News Daily, a huge 88% of Gen Z participants placed a high value on recruiters or potential employers asking jobseekers about their preferred gender pronouns.
It can therefore be seen that this demographic segment is especially eager for a welcoming workplace where equality is at the forefront. You should heed this when managing Gen Z workers, too.
