The world’s youngest workers are entering the workforce with gusto.
Conflicting with their more cynical (and downtrodden) Millennials counterparts, Gen Z has taken the reins in deciding where, when and how they want to work. And employers that don’t provide them with these choices are in for a reckoning.
For instance, 23-year-old Ginsey Stephenson moved to San Francisco earlier this year where she met her colleagues at a public relations company for the first time.
The company, which operates on a hybrid schedule, has allowed Stephenson to make deeper connections with coworkers and to feel like an actual adult. However, she questions how people abided by a strict 9 to 5 schedule in the years prior to the pandemic.
“I actually love going into the office — it feels more organic,” said Stephenson. “But I don’t know how anyone went into the office every day. I don’t know if we were cut out to work in a pre-covid world.”
With companies desperate to retain their workers, employees have obtained more power than ever in the last few years. However, the shift to a more distributed workforce has come with a new set of challenges for these young professionals.
Creating and maintaining relationships has increasingly become a priority in the workplace for Gen Zers. So much so, that research has shown that Gen Z workers are more willing to job hop in order to find a workplace that suits their needs.
For this generation, money comes second behind flexibility, company culture and wellbeing programs.
“We’re seeing this young cohort of workers demand that employers care about them as whole people,” said Linda Jingfang Cai, vice president of talent development at LinkedIn. “And the ability to understand their career path is worth more than a paycheck.”
