How many people from Generation Z work at your company? You know; everyone born between 1997 and 2012 – the ones we call Gen Z. In recent years, more and more employees entering the labor market belong to Gen Z. And when they do so, they come with different expectations than the generations before them.
As a recruiter, you need to find ways to deal with what Gen Z finds important when it comes to their work – which differs from what you’re used to.
Different standards and values
People from Gen Z have a different view on working than previous generations do. They place great value in leisure, and therefore the 40-hour working week is not what they aspire to. Instead, they prefer to work part-time and partly from home. This doesn’t mean that they are not ambitious, though. And when it comes to their salary and growth expectations; they ask for a higher starting salary than most recruiters are used to, and they work hard for a promotion.
Gen Z standards and values also differ when it comes to their language. They use a lot of abbreviations and buzzwords, some of which aren’t considered very professional. Finally, they care a lot about the environment and diversity, and prefer to work at companies that do so as well.
Why Gen Z is so different from previous generations
There are several reasons why Gen Z holds such different standards and values than previous generations. Their life and possible expectations differ greatly from generations that have gone before. It’s almost impossible for them to buy a house and the costs of living are high. This makes their future a lot more insecure. They also started working during or after the Covid-19 pandemic and therefore grew up with working from home as a viable concept.
Gen Z is also the online generation. They grew up online, and social media plays a big role in their lives. They are more connected with the online community, and they care a lot about the planet and the people that live here.
Of course, Gen Z also knows about the tight labor market. They know that companies struggle to find enough people. Therefore, they know that they can ask for a higher salary.
How to embrace Gen Z
For companies, it’s important to realize that Gen Z is the future generation. We currently see that recruiters hire more people of 60 years and older. But this is just a temporary solution. Eventually, you’ll have to embrace people from Gen Z and find ways to become an attractive employer to them.
You could, for example, turn one full-time job into two part-time jobs of 20 hours per week each. You could add other job motivators in your job ads. Think of things like: flexibility, a diverse workplace, a healthy lunch, and a discount at the gym. Gen Z values leisure and a healthy lifestyle over their salary. So, these are important job motivators for them.
To attract Gen Z, you might also need to change the language in your job ads. Textmetrics can help you out here. You can use our Job Ad Generator to write a job vacancy that is free of bias, appeals to people of all ages, and includes just the right job motivators to have Gen Z apply.
Do you want to know more about our Job Ad Generator? Contact us to book a free demo. We’d love to show you how it works!