Senior Olivia Xiao poses wearing professional clothing in office. Employers are now beginning to question the merits of hiring Generation Z workers. "We're gonna be depending on [Gen Z] to utilize a lot of things that are revolutionary right now in mass communications, social networks and even artificial intelligence,” employer Woody Woodard said. Photo by Zoie Carlile
By Libby Howell
More than half of Generation Z are now legal adults, and are slowly integrating into the workforce.
Although older generations may question the dedication and maturity of Gen Z employees, younger team members bring a plethora of important workplace skill sets to the table. Their most well known trait is their proficiency with all kinds of technology.
“I think just the experience with technology is probably the biggest leg up we have,” Gen Z product manager Josh Buckner said.
Along with being tech savvy, Gen Z employees are also known for their ability to advocate for themselves. Vice president of corporate communications Denise Landry says her Gen Z employees have actually inspired her to put up more boundaries regarding the workplace.
“Gen Z is an eye opener for a lot of other generations,” Landry said. “Maybe [older generations] should be drawing better boundaries and taking better care of ourselves.”
Although some members of older generations view this trait as defiance, Buckner notes that Gen Z is also very vocal about racial and gender discrimination in the workplace. Gen Z employees are clear with their intentions, and advocate for both themselves and their coworkers.
“Gen Z is an eye opener for a lot of other generations. Maybe [older generations] should be drawing better boundaries and taking better care of ourselves.”
“I think Gen Z definitely does a great job of putting biases and prejudices aside,” Buckner said. “They don’t hesitate to voice their opinion, and the more Gen Z takes over the workplace, the better it’ll be for everyone.”
However, some believe that these younger employees’ are too stubborn regarding their boundaries and workplace expectations. This has been brought to the public’s attention through several viral videos on social media platforms. These videos showcase a younger employee resisting their bosses demands, and their comment sections are filled with angry words from Gen X and millennial viewers. The older generations believe that Gen Z should not be granted too much flexibility.
“If there are those rare occasions where [the team has] to start at 8 a.m., then you should make an exception as the employee,” Landry said.
While these faults can be blamed on Gen Z workers, employer Woody Woodard raises the idea that Gen Z’s guardians actually play a larger role in the generation’s workplace attitudes.
“[The parents] are very active in making sure that their sons and daughters don't encounter any problems,” Woodard said. “It's really creating a bigger problem for them because they don't know how to handle adversity.”
Woodard also believes that some of these parenting approaches have caused a bit of selfishness in Gen Z employees. Landry agrees that in extreme cases, the coddling can impede success among younger staff members.
This helicopter parenting style may have many negative effects on whether or not an employee will be able to succeed in the workplace.
“I think we've had such helicopter parenting, that we have in some ways crippled some of these kids. I think it could have a negative impact on their ability to be adaptable.”
“I think we've had such helicopter parenting, that we have in some ways crippled some of these kids,” Landry said. “I think it could have a negative impact on their ability to be adaptable.”
Woodard thinks that to make up for more sheltered younger years, Gen Z employees need to take a step back from their helicopter parents in order to thrive in the workplace.
“[They should] want some independence and want to be able to handle this and take care of this on their own,” Woodard said. “Whenever the Gen Z group gets to that point, it is liberation and that's important.”
There are multiple things Gen Z employees can do in order to gain more independence in the workforce. Landry believes by doing these things, they can catch up to other generations.
“One of the things that I see from a development standpoint is a lot of them really do need presentation development,” Landry said. “They need confidence in speaking to themselves and speaking to others verbally.”
It isn't just Gen Z that needs to adapt in the workplace. Woodard emphasizes that older generations must also make some adjustments to change with the times.
“The Gen X hiring managers that are working with Gen Z need to know the animal that they're dealing with and their backgrounds in order to be able to communicate with them effectively,” Woodard said.
Although Woodard believes younger generations have to make essential changes to thrive in the workplace, he stresses that overall, the employment of Gen Z is actually vital to the success of companies looking to advance in the workforce.
“We're gonna be depending on [Gen Z] to utilize a lot of things that are revolutionary right now in mass communications, social networks and even artificial intelligence,” Woodard said.