Gen Z in the workplace has a bad reputation for being lazy and disloyal to companies as they only care about salaries, but is that really the full picture?
While Gen Z may be known as the “job-hopping generation,” one report from ResumeLab suggests that there is more to consider. Regarding their motivations when pursuing work, 35% were prioritizing personal development, and 28% wanted to “prove themselves.” These preferences don’t line up with a lazy generation, especially when we review why Gen Z leaves their positions. ResumeLab reveals in their report that “72% would quit their job if it lacked development opportunities.”
For HR teams looking to keep their Gen Z workforce engaged with the company, it may be time to review how accessible professional development is for their employees.
Regular Feedback and Career Coaching
Part of the professional development process involves giving regular feedback. While traditional reviews are normally performed on an annual basis, Gen Z is looking for something more. With frequent check-ins on how they are progressing their skills, Gen Z can feel like they are receiving a deeper understanding of their strengths and also how they are improving.
Feedback doesn’t have to be just from managers either. It can also be shared between peers. This is especially helpful as peers can highlight successes that could be overlooked by leadership in annual reviews.
Of course, what is professional development if there is no end goal? Research from RippleMatch revealed that “70% of Gen Z still expect a promotion at work within 18 months on the job,” suggesting that this generation is actually very ambitious. While a promotion after 18 months may not be a reality for some fields, this does still highlight a desire for clear career progression. If HR teams can provide directions on how to achieve growth within the company and also allow for career coaching to support that, they may start to see an increase in retaining their Gen Z employees.
Personalized Career Development Plans
Creating a tailored plan for each employee’s career growth can be complicated and overwhelming. It may be an efficient starting point to develop leadership tracks for employees to examine to understand what skills and goals they will need to achieve before they can reach the next step in their careers. When an employee has chosen their track, it would be helpful to have their managers conduct regular one-on-one career check-ins to confirm the employees’ long-term aspirations.
Mobility within the company, whether it is upward or lateral, will require employees to develop skills for projects that they may not always have access to in their current position. To help with this, companies can develop mobility programs that allow employees to gain experience in multiple departments. This will not only allow employees to build new skills but will also give them a well-rounded perspective on company needs that they can take with them into future positions.
The Impact of Pay Transparency
While Gen Z does want to grow in their careers, they do value the compensation they can receive as well. From the ResumeLabs report, 70% of respondents declared a competitive salary as “important or very important” when deciding to remain with their current company.
To keep Gen Z employees engaged with the company and its mobility tracks, it would be helpful to provide them with salary ranges for each level of seniority while also monitoring the industry standards of pay to keep salaries competitive.
The stereotype of Gen Z as lazy and disloyal fails to capture the full picture of what drives this generation within the workplace. For HR teams looking to retain Gen Z talent, the key lies in accessible professional development and career advancement that will further encourage these employees to reach their goals and obtain long-term success.
