Key areas to consider when hiring younger workers

Hiring the best talent is a key element in running a successful small business. But with Gen Z workers now firmly entrenched in the workplace, it’s important to reconsider your management style and how you can accommodate the needs of these younger workers.

Gen X workers value autonomy in their roles. Gen Y (Millennials) require purpose in their career. But Gen Z (the cohort born between 1997 and 2012) has a different outlook, with company values and the impact of their work as important as their pay grade.

Let’s explore five ways to accommodate Gen Z workers in your organisation

1. Prioritise mental health and wellbeing in the workplace

Gen Z workers have a far greater awareness of their own mental health and will expect you to understand their wellbeing needs and provide mental health support as a standard benefit.

Unlike Gen X’s ‘leave it at the door’ approach, Gen Z workers want to work in a culture that openly talks about burnout, stress and emotional wellbeing, without there being any stigma.

2. Offer work tasks that have real purpose

Millennials bucked the trend when they entered the workplace by placing real value on the purpose of their role. Gen Z takes this expectation even further and will want to understand the underlying ‘why’ that explains the purpose behind their job.

Your company values are also a vital consideration. Gen Z workers are likely to turn down a role if your company’s values don’t align with their own ethics, so it’s vital to have transparent communication around the values and ethics of the business.

3. Shift from yearly reviews to real-time feedback

Gen X is often highly self-reliant in the workplace, and Millennials like the stability of structured milestones and a clear route-plan for their role and career.

Gen Z workers, however, want frequent, bite-sized feedback from their people managers and superiors. It’s better to have weekly check-ins and ad-hoc feedback, rather than annual reviews. This keeps younger workers engaged and feeling fully supported at all times.

4. Give your Gen Z workers a stable career path

Gen Z has come into the workplace during an extremely volatile period, with many workers having started work during the pandemic and the economic instability that followed.

Because of this, Gen Z workers value job security and want to see a career path open to them within the company. Offer learning and development paths early in the hiring process and include perks and benefits that will help you retain these valuable, younger employees.

5. Offer hybrid roles and flexible working

Unlike older generations who are used to working from a static office location, Gen Z prefers a hybrid working model, where they can work both from home and the office.

Gen Z employees value the flexibility to work remotely within their role. But they also prioritise in-person time, especially for building professional relationships and networks.