How do we motivate, inspire and retain our Gen Zs?

Gen Z is defined as people born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. How do we manage the expectations of this generation so that they feel valued, we get the best out of them, and we develop them in way that adds value to the organisation?

We need to understand what makes them tick!  I interviewed a couple of Gen Zs and found it enlightening.   

They made the point that they have been exposed to parents that have a much more flexible lifestyle than their grandparents. Many of them work from home, remotely from overseas and enjoy the benefit of flexible work hours. This has shown them they don’t have to be constrained by working in an office in order to get the job done. By managing them in this way you will not necessarily get the best out of them.  They can’t see the significance of sitting in traffic when they could be more productive remotely. This generation has had more flexibility at university, attending fewer lectures than would have been expected in the past and preferring to deep dive into their subjects online. More of the work content and lectures are easily accessible and the mere nature of this generation means they are smarter, better informed, and absorb information quicker due to their exposure to online data. I am not suggesting this is going to work for everyone; however it is something to explore. You won’t have to worry so much about social activities at work to keep them motivated, as this generation prefers to converse using social media like Snapchat, Secret, or Whisper.

They are tech savvy and will want to utilise a variety of tools to their advantage, not only to make their jobs easier but as a way of offering interesting ways of managing work-related matters. This generation wants to collaborate and to offer suggestions and ideas of how they believe certain issues or matters could be addressed. They need to know how their role feeds into the strategic goals of the company and what the expectations are for achieving the required results. This generation is looking for more consistent communication from their management and a real understanding of what’s in it for them. Treat your Gen Zs like adults and you will get a better result!