According to McCrindle, Gen Z currently occupies about 27 percent of the workforce, with Gen Z projected to be the largest percentage of the workforce at 31 percent by 2035. Now, as the HR manager for your organization, you might be thinking, “Hm, does Gen Z currently make up 27 percent of the workforce here at my company? And if they don’t, how would I even go about recruiting them?”
This is the million-dollar question. At Payday HCM, we’ve seen numerous companies grapple with this exact issue: how do you actually attract this new generation that’s taking up so much of the workforce? It’s a tough question, seeing as the things that may have attracted candidates from other generations in the past may not be as appealing to this new generation.
In this article, we’ll discuss what Gen Z is looking for in a potential employer. We’ll look at four key areas of recruitment and what you can do to influence these areas so that your company can attract as much Gen Z talent as possible. These areas include:
- Benefits That Gen Z Value Most
- Gen Z and Their Prioritization Of Company Values
- Digital Natives In The Workplace
- Showing Your Support For Gen Z In The Workplace
#1: Benefits That Gen Z Value Most
The first thing to look at when finding ways to improve your recruitment of Gen Z talent is your benefits package. Gen Z isn’t attracted to the same traditional health insurance plan and paid vacation time that other generations were.
Flexible Work Options
Probably the most important benefit to Gen Z for a potential employer is the ability to work from home. According to Gallup, about 65 percent of remote-capable Gen Z workers preferred a hybrid work environment—a higher percentage than Millenials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers (60, 58, and 56 percent, respectively).
Ensuring your organization offers employees the option to work from home is crucial for recruiting Gen Z talent. Without it, you may find yourself being overlooked by talented candidates.
A Flexible (And Unlimited) PTO Policy
While a good PTO policy is likely to attract employees from all generations, Gen Z is unique as they value autonomy and prioritize work-life balance. This means that a PTO policy that isn’t as flexible as they are while also helping them feel like their personal life isn’t dictated by their work life is a must.
An unlimited PTO policy is something that Gen Z is really looking for. According to Fortune, around 74 percent of Gen Z respondents in a poll of 2000 workers said that they wanted unlimited time off.
#2: Gen Z And Their Prioritization Of Company Values
Now more than ever, what your company stands for can greatly impact whether or not a Gen Z candidate chooses to apply.
Shared Values: Gen Z And Their Employer
Gen Z is inheriting a complex set of problems. From climate change to racial justice, Gen Z wants to feel like the organization they work for is doing what it can to contribute solutions to these issues. According to the Pew Research Center, 67 percent of Gen Zers believe the climate should be a priority.
Certainly, not every company can directly impact issues like climate change or racial justice, but it’s still important that the importance of these causes be reflected in the company’s values. Gen Z needs to know that their employers acknowledge these issues and that they care about them.
Honesty And Authenticity
Gen Z also greatly values a company that is straightforward in what it believes. They don’t want to work for a company that seems like it’s hiding something. This can manifest in many ways, from how leaders and managers speak to employees to how willing you are to discuss pay in an interview.
Ultimately, demonstrating that you’re willing to talk about difficult subjects openly and honestly will go a long way in recruiting Gen Z candidates. According to the Washington Post, Gen Z can be described as both realistic and idealistic: they know what they want, and they’re not afraid to ask for it.
#3: Digital Natives In The Workplace
Gen Z is the first digital-native generation to enter the workforce, which means that their work style is slightly different from that of previous generations.
Technology At Their Fingertips
Say goodbye to those fax machines. Growing up with computers, smartphones, search engines, and the internet all at the touch of a button, Gen Z is accustomed to a certain style of interaction when it comes to technology. They mainly want things to work fast and without issue. According to the World Economic Forum, 60 percent of Gen Z won’t use an app or website that is slow to load.
Ensuring your organization is at the forefront of office technology is crucial to securing Gen Z talent. Quick access to things like Slack, Microsoft Office, and the Adobe Creative Suite out of the gate is essential. It also helps to give them access to a computer that’s not as old as them (preferably a laptop).
Misconceptions About Gen Z And Technology
Now, it would be easy to assume that Gen Z would simply prefer to work entirely from home and interact with all of their coworkers through a screen. This isn’t necessarily true: while Gen Z values hybrid work options and the digital accommodations of the modern office, things like teamwork and human interaction are still vital.
According to Johns Hopkins University, 51 percent of Gen Z prefer speaking to their coworkers face-to-face. This means there needs to be a balance between working from home and communicating digitally, as well as being together in the office and working face-to-face as a team.
#4: Showing Your Support For Gen Z In The Workplace
Showing you care for your employees goes a long way for Gen Z. On top of a company’s values aligning with their own, there are other things Gen Z looks for in an employer to know they’ll be supported.
Mental Health Support Options
Mental health is a crucial point of discussion for Gen Z and a priority in their job search. Lurking in the background of things like hybrid work options or work-life balance is the prioritization of their mental health.
According to Securian Financial, 73 percent of Gen Z have utilized the mental health benefits offered by their employers. In addition, 65 percent of Gen Z believe it is important their employer offers mental health benefits.
Offering mental health support coverage through your group health insurance plan or an employee assistance program through your benefits package are great ways to support your employees.
Playing An Active Role In Employee Growth And Development
On top of showing your support for their mental health, Gen Z also wants to feel like their job is helping them grow. They need to feel like their role at your organization is helping them to expand their skill set or make them more adept at their field of expertise.
According to the Harvard Business Review, this can take the form of open dialogues about what people uniquely contribute to a team or asking individual team members what might help them grow and develop. Gen Z doesn’t want to feel stagnant—they want to know what they are doing serves some sort of purpose.
Give Your Organization The Rizz To Slay Gen Z Hiring
Gen Z already makes up a large chunk of the workforce, which will only grow in the following years. If you already feel like you’re organization is behind the curve when it comes to attracting Gen Z talent, you’ll want to do some reevaluating on your team’s hiring process to figure out what it is you can do better to get this generation to join your team. Luckily, if you follow the tips outlined in this article, you’ll be one step closer to fully realizing your potential for Gen Z talent.
Things like unlimited PTO and employee assistance programs are just a few of the options that you have at your fingertips when it comes to enhancing your benefits package to acquire top talent. Learn more about how you can support recent college graduates with your benefits package.
Topics: