The workplace demands of Generation Z are about to pose a major headache for employers, who are still trying to integrate and accommodate Millennials into the office environment.
Generation Z is made up of those currently aged 19 and younger, who, a study has found, have very high workplace expectations and are likely to become quickly frustrated with older groups who do not have their appetite for cutting edge technology and informal flexibility.
When salary was removed from the equation, 48% of Generation Z-ers said that the main attractions to a company are a work-life balance, followed by working with great people (47%), then flexible working hours, good perks and job security (42%).
The survey, carried out by Ricoh Europe, also found that 34% of Generation Z were extremely idealistic and are attracted to a company that enables them to feel like they are making a difference to the world, a typically youthful ambition. This contrasts with 13% of Baby Boomers and 15% of Millennials, who have had a little more opportunity to become slightly jaded and adjusted to a less poetic reality.
The members of Generation Z surveyed warned they are more likely to become frustrated than older generations and 43% said they would be irritated by a lack of communication from colleagues, compared to 19% from previous generations. Generation Z, of course, is the first generation to have been used to speedy methods of communication from birth.
Robert joined the HRreview editorial team in October 2015. After graduating from the University of Salford in 2009 with a BA in Politics, Robert has spent several years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past he has been part of editorial teams at Flux Magazine, Mondo*Arc Magazine and The Marine Professional.
