Award-winning recruitment consultants, Gi Group, are supporting customers through some of the most complex labour market scenarios in recent years, with a sure-fire set of strategies to attract and retain a crucial employee demographic, Generation Z.
Gen Z, a name created to refer to the demographic cohort which succeeds millennials, is used by researchers and media as the collective noun for those born in the mid to late 1990s until the early 2010s. They are now the backbone of many industries, ranging in age from around 17 to 28, and it’s fair to say they are a talented and agile generation of workers, with high expectations and bold career aspirations.
Mark Tuban, Marketing Director at Gi Group, said: “This is a really exciting time in the world of work, as we welcome and train the next generation of young professionals. Gen Z bring a new approach and outlook to employment, encouraging companies to refresh their recruiting process and workplace culture. The new cohort is shifting expectations within recruitment, focusing on career development, solid core values and company culture.
“Gone are the days of strict and inflexible working conditions, stagnant roles, and limited job perks. Gen Z are fighting for clear values, supportive seniors—and a clear, signposted career progression route plus specific detail around how their holistic wellbeing is being considered.”
Recruiters the world over are quickly learning what makes Gen Z tick – what appeals to them when searching for a job, what makes them want to leave a job, and what makes them stay put in a job.
Unfortunately, many businesses are not getting it right when it comes to understanding this emerging demographic. Between societal challenges from the precarious cost of living situation to the long-lasting effects of the pandemic, now is the time to address the issue. Just how should a business alter its approach if it wants to grab the attention of and create loyal employees from Generation Z?
Collecting data from across the extensive workforce of Gi Group, which is one of the UK’s leading HR solutions companies operating more than 26 branches and 60 sites, and employing 650 people nationally, has revealed 5 key takeaways that could help the next generation of working professionals to flourish as they enter the workforce.
- Career development is key. Gen Z wants to see a clear pathway for progression from the moment they step through the door.
- Values are top of the checklist when Gen Z is comparing you to your competitors. Have you got a clear set of company values displayed across your website, social media channels, internal and external communications materials and beyond? Better still, can these values be demonstrated in practice with recent, impactful examples?
- Make sure you stand for something. Have a strong vision statement for your company, with a clear set of goals and objectives which are reviewed and refreshed regularly. Ensure that your staff understand and fully take on these goals, in order to prove to Gen Z that your company has a strong ethos that shines throughout it.
- Highlight the impact of the role you are looking to fill and demonstrate how the successful applicant will make a difference to the business.
- Gen Z is not overly impressed with a big salary offering when it stands in isolation. They want to be invested in, through career development, mental health and zwellbeing initiatives and an opportunity to identify where their strengths lie, under the guidance of a committed mentor.
Though attracting Gen Z is the first hurdle, it isn’t the only one as Gi Group focus heavily on the retention of this cohort through its HR efforts. As the first ‘digital natives’, Gen Z want to be working efficiently online, rather than on paper and unsustainably. Diversity is not expected by these new professionals, it is all they have known. Whilst a salary isn’t the main focus for this group, clear progression and financial growth are key to maintaining Gen Z employees.
This new generation is considered less impressionable than their predecessors, with largely cemented politically progressive views. Not only does this demographic differ in mindset from their seniors, but they also place a greater emphasis on their core values and expectations for their employer – focusing on honesty, transparency and equality.
Mark added: “Though this new cohort is shaking up the recruitment sector, it is the perfect opportunity for companies to re-evaluate their company work style to ensure they are presenting their values and culture in a desirable way. Many companies once managed to get away with weak values, poor mental health support, and limited company incentives—but Gen Z is holding those organisations accountable and forcing an industry-wide shift.
“This new future-leader demographic is ambitious, moral, and shrewd, but not well understood by many employers. Retaining Gen Z is crucial for businesses to prosper in the challenging times that lie ahead. As ever, we’re here to support and advise our clients on the best path to take when looking to attract and retain their workforce—as well as how to make the recruitment process both swift and as effective so as not to lose out on the best talent.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
- Amelia Brand
- Amelia Brand
- Amelia Brand
- Amelia Brand
