While the threat of a recession has reduced resignation rates, a third of workers are still considering leaving. More often than not, the wave of resignations and firings prompts remaining colleagues to consider leaving as well. Leaders therefore have no right to be complacent.
This potential domino effect is particularly pronounced among younger generations, with Gen Z employees 2.5 times more likely to follow suit and resign than overall.
In 2022, Gen Z will change jobs 134% faster than before the pandemic, while Baby Boomers will change jobs 4% slower than in 2019. This fits with data showing that Gen Z is more burnt out than older generations. The above data also highlights the need to effectively bridge the generation gap between leaders and new hires in the workplace.
While the demands of Gen Z employees are clear, even the most experienced leaders can find themselves incapable of combating perpetuated stereotypes and creating genuine connections with their teams, especially now as they grapple with the future More uncertainty.
As an industry-leading executive coaching firm, we understand the unique challenges executives face today. In 2023, leaders should focus on making themselves accessible to the company’s youngest employees.
While the pre-pandemic work environment may have required leadership to remain largely low-visibility, based on what we know of what younger workers want from leadership at their companies, uncertain times call for some definitive changes that allow companies to Being visible, accessible, and connected to new hires is key to successfully navigating the unknown.
By 2030, Gen Z employees will make up a third of the global workforce, and they want more than just visible leaders. Younger employees want a personal connection with senior management and access to their thinking and decision-making process. Like millennials, Gen Z also want to see their values reflected in leaders.
We know that employee satisfaction is driven by a sense of belonging to the organization and leadership. However, COVID-19’s reliance on remote and hybrid working models has disrupted human connection. Some 73% of Gen Z employees still report feeling lonely at work, and 90% say they don’t tell their supervisors about their work challenges, further underscoring the need to address the lack of connection.
It’s often easy for leaders to see this generation’s ambition as a desire for privilege and an unwillingness to work hard. But if we stop and think about why Gen Z is challenging convention, the answer becomes clear. They are eager to be invited into existing structures — and improve upon them.
This generation of newcomers started their careers in a fragmented working environment. The only workplace structure they understand is hybrid office or pure remote office. They are not only eager for human interaction, but also full of curiosity and desire for learning.
In addition to their desire to improve, they want to understand what it means to be a good employee at its most basic level. About 67% of Gen Z employees hope to learn skills that are conducive to career development in the company. Two-thirds also believe that understanding the company’s office culture is essential, but due to the impact of the new crown epidemic on office culture, 55% of Gen Z employees feel that they have been deprived of an important part of growing up, and they are alone the dilemma. It’s no surprise, then, that they want guidance on a personal level far more than previous generations needed or ever thought possible.
In summary, some simple actions, such as drinking coffee informally with team members, participating in new employee training, attending team meetings, or paying attention to participating in some casual social activities, can help Gen Z employees integrate into the company and integrate into the company. The wider world of work goes a long way. By finding some less stressful scenarios in which to interact with new employees, leaders can create the most direct, authentic connections today’s employees crave.
While old traditions are ingrained, leaders are also able to reflect and validate the values of Gen Z employees through their day-to-day encounters with employees, without coming across as artificial or insincere. Since the outbreak of the new crown, top CEOs have felt a special pressure to appear more human in the workplace, but they often do not know how to achieve this in a way that is meaningful enough, Enough to resonate with younger employees.
Something as small as publicly marking time on your personal calendar for a private walk or meditation, or acknowledging a common interest you share, or even being honest about your personal experiences with work-life balance or protecting your mental health, can make you feel better. Knowing that your employees have something in common can really create a “we are in one boat” mentality.
Leaders need to consciously find time in their busy schedules to engage with their youngest employees. By elevating their own visibility and giving Gen Z employees direct access to what’s on their minds, leadership can inspire them to stay the course no matter what’s ahead. (Fortune Chinese website)
Gaëlle de la Fosse is the president of LHH. Nick Goldberg is the CEO and founder of EZRA.
Opinions expressed in opinion articles published on Fortune.com are solely those of the author and do not represent the views and positions of Fortune magazine.
Translated by Agatha
While the threat of a recession has softened quitting rates, 3 in 10 workers are still looking to leave their current jobs. Typically, quitting and firing sprees tend to trigger remaining colleagues to consider leaving their roles. Leaders cannot afford to be complacent.
This potential domino effect finds momentum among younger generations in particular, with Gen Z workers 2.5 times more likely to respond to the resignation of their peers by following suit themselves.
In 2022, Gen Z was also changing jobs at a rate 134% higher than before the pandemic, while Baby Boomers were switching 4% less than in 2019. This tracks with data that shows Gen Z is more burnt out at work than older generations and highlights the need to bridge generational gaps between leaders and the employees who are newly entering the workforce.
Though the demands of Gen Z workers have been made clear, even the most experienced leaders find themselves poorly equipped to battle longstanding stereotypes in order to authentically connect with their teams, especially as they look to more uncertainty ahead.
As the leading provider of executive coaching services, we understand the unique challenges executives are currently facing. In 2023, leaders should focus on making themselves more directly accessible to their youngest employees.
While pre-pandemic work environments may have once called for leadership to remain largely out of sight, our knowledge of what younger employees crave from leadership contends that uncertain times call for certain changes and that being visible, accessible, and connected to the newest members The workforce is the key to successfully bracing for future unknowns.
Gen Z workers, who will make up a third of the global workforce by 2030, don’t just want visible leaders. Young workers want personal relationships with senior managers and to be privy to their thinking and decision-making processes. Like their Millennial counterparts , Gen Zers want to see their own values reflected in their leaders.
We know employee satisfaction is driven by a sense of belonging to the organization and leadership. However, the pandemic-induced shift to remote and hybrid work has driven a wedge in human connection. Some 73% of Gen Z workers still report feeling lonely at work , and 90% of workers say they would not inform their supervisor of work-related challenges, further highlighting a gap in connectivity that needs to be addressed.
Leaders are often quick to view the ambitious nature of this generation as a symptom of entitlement and apathy toward hard work. But if we stop and consider why Gen Zers are challenging convention, it’s clear that they yearn to be invited into existing structures–and to improve them.
Having started their careers in fractured work environments with hybrid or fully remote offices being the only office structure they’ve ever known, freshman workers not only crave human interaction, but they’re also wildly curious and eager to learn.
Beyond a desire for upward mobility, they want to understand how to be an employee in the most basic sense. Some 67% of Gen Z workers want to work at companies where they can learn skills to advance their careers. Two-thirds also think an understanding of corporate office culture is essential–but with 55% of Gen Z workers feeling deprived of an important part of adulthood due to the pandemic’s effect on office culture, they’re left in limbo. It’s not surprising that they seek guidance at a personal level that far exceeds what previous generations required or ever thought to ask for.
With that in mind, simple gestures like setting up informal coffees with team members, participating in new staff orientations, sitting in on team meetings, or making it a point to drop in on casual social events, can go a long way to welcoming Gen Z staff into your company and the broader world of work. By identifying low-pressure situations to interact with entry-level staff, leaders can establish the direct, authentic connections today’s workforce craves.
Despite deep-seated traditions, leaders can also use their proximity to everyday staff to reflect and validate the values of their Gen Z employees without being performative or innocent. Since the pandemic, top CEOs have felt a unique pressure to appear more human in the workplace –but they often don’t know how to do so in a way that is meaningful enough to resonate with their youngest employees.
From something as small as making personal time for a walk or meditation visible on your calendar to going out of your way to acknowledge a shared interest, or even opening up about personal experiences navigating work-life balance or mental health, letting your employees know you share common ground creates a true “we’re in this together” mentality.
Leaders will need to be intentional about making room in their busy schedules to connect with their youngest employees. By making their presence and thoughts directly known, leaders can inspire and motivate Gen Z workers to stay the course no matter what lies ahead.
Gaëlle de la Fosse is the president of LHH. Nick Goldberg is the CEO and founder of EZRA.
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
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