Prepare yourself. By 2020, Generation Z will represent 20% of the workforce. And experts believe that this next generation’s dependence on technology will change the working world.
In fact, companies who are trying to recruit this generation for open jobs are already experiencing the first part of this change. Generation Z doesn’t use email and they don’t go on Facebook. They prefer Snapchat and Twitter. So if you want to attract them to your company, this is where you’ll have to go to find them. Oh, and you’ll also want to make sure that your company’s job application process is optimized for cell phones.
In fact, Generation Z will expect their managers to know their way around places like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. If you want to attract this new crop of employees to your company, you have to do more than just dip your toe in the water of social media.
And once they’re on the job, money and security will be their top motivators. Sure, like Millennials they’ll want to make a difference in the world, but surviving financially will be more important. In fact, their ideal work environment is one where they will be mentored and are given the opportunity to advance quickly. Oh, and you can forget annual assessments. This generation grew up on instant gratification, so they’ll expect feedback on their job performance to be a lot more frequent than once a year. Maybe even as frequent as every day.
This is the first generation that has grown up with technology, so they are very digitally and socially savvy. For them, their digital devices are more like an extension of their hand. That means their expectations related to technology and user experience in the workplace are also very high. They’ll expect their employer’s space to be equipped with all the appropriate technology and communication support tools —Wi-Fi, convenient access to power, video, fixed or mobile whiteboards, monitor arms, and tackable surfaces.
Gen Z will also place even more importance on working in a flexible environment. But unlike millennials, they won’t care as much about having the option to work from home. Instead, they’ll look for a workplace that offers them comfortablespaces for face-to-face collaboration as well as a place they can retreat to when they want to work quietly on their own.
This “retreat” could be nothing more than a small, enclosed area with sound masking, whiteboards, ergonomic seating and furnishings that support connectivity. This space would also be a good place to hold all those meetings they’ll expect from their managers for mentoring and job performance feedback. Plus, they’ll welcome the structure and having a secure place to conduct these interactions.
To learn more about Generation Z, here’s a very enlightening article:
Move over millennials — generation Z are ready to work.
In the meantime, if you want to get ahead of the curve and start preparing your office space to ensure it offers everything Gen Z will need, here are just a few solutions Kimball Office already has available:
Xsede— Give your employees the option to select the desk height they feel more comfortable with — even if they’re working right next to each other.
Pairings— Pairings merges simple sofa/lounge collections with the more informal space where people work, team up, and gather, creating adaptable work settings that host teams and technology in comfort.
Narrate— This panel system offers end panels that can be customized. Divider walls that are more interesting than obtrusive. And the structural versatility to seamlessly accommodate any work situation from impromptu meetings to variable height desks.
JOLT— A wireless resonant charging device, JOLT can be positioned underneath any surface and enable multiple devices to be charged from one unit and at longer distances from the transmitter.
