How to Engage Gen Z & Younger Employees
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How do you engage Gen Z and younger employees in the workplace?
Three ways to engage younger employees meaningfully while leveraging their voices and skills.
This is a big topic currently. Here’s some insight into what I think can help bridge some generational divides at play and engage younger folks in a meaningful way.
Let’s start simple:
1. Ask how they want to be engaged
This might seem obvious, but it’s truly the first step in understanding what makes anyone tick. Ask them what motivates them, what they value for rewards, what they are searching for in their role, etc. The best way to gain more insight and understanding is to hear it from the horses mouth.
Don’t assume. If you’re not sure, ask. Send surveys, and have one-on-ones and direct dialogue with them. Some great questions to ask are:
What motivates you in general, and to do a great job at work?
How do you want to grow in your career, what skills do you want to learn?
How can we engage you here?
Do you feel engaged, and that your strengths are being utilized?
What type of rewards and recognition do you value?
Is there something we might be missing that could involve more of your talents and unique perspective?
Find out what younger people want by asking them. Pretty easy. ALSO… this goes for any employee at any age.
2. Be extremely intentional with onboarding
A lot of folks are baffled at how quickly Gen Z will move through or leave jobs. Helping to prevent this goes back to the onboarding process.
Onboarding is not and should not be as simple as showing a new employee their new desk and computer.
If you are keeping people for 2-3 months on average, what is happening with them from day one to day sixty? Interview and engage with new people in an ongoing way. Get dialed in to their experience at your company from day one. Assign a mentor that can check in with them — not just for two days, but for months.
Onboarding shouldn’t just be checking arbitrary boxes to “initiate” someone into the company over their first week. Think about onboarding as being something that lasts for six months. Create intentional elements and benchmarks along the way that allow you to continue to welcome and engage people, and continually check in on their experience.
If people are jumping ship, by the time you figure out someone isn’t satisfied with their job, it’s usually too late and they’re already one foot out of the door. Be intentional and stay connected when someone new joins the team or company.
A great onboarding process can be a major key in sustaining employee engagement. Again, not just for Gen Zers, but everyone of all ages.
3. Give them a seat at the table
Find a way to give younger people involvement that matters to them AND you. Tap into their expertise and skills while helping them build new ones. It’s true, Gen Zers are more likely to job hop than any other age cohort — a survey conducted by LinkedIn suggests that younger people are switching jobs at a 134% higher rate than in 2019, as opposed to Millenials changing jobs at a 24% rate and Boomers changing jobs at an even smaller 4% rate.
But this has a catch: Gen Zers will, on average, stay in their role if they are gaining skills in the process. The National Society of High School Scholars did an extensive study that sites that 67% of Gen Zers desire to work for organizations that help them in their careers by teaching them new skills.
Find a way to engage them and mentor them so that they are learning and growing.
Gen Z wants more out of their jobs.
They’re searching for engagement, growth, and compensation much more fiercely than the generations before them. Don’t hate them for it, leverage their skills and perspective to find a place for them, and then engage them. After all, they are here and that’s not going to change.
Are Younger Employees Entitled?
Are Younger Employees Entitled? Part II
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop