Gen Z At Work: Retaining Gen Z (Part 3 of 3)
Both money and meaning are important parts of retaining Gen Z, however there are other aspects of the day-to-day work environment that have power to influence people to stay.
Culture
Culture is such a fuzzy term. Saying one has a culture that values diversity is about as specific as saying one has a dog that values integrity. How do you know? What does that look like? I like a more simple way of putting it: culture is the way we do things around here, and why.
I helped to write a culture handbook for a startup. It served as a way to focus the leadership team to get very clear on what the culture actually is. It’s not enough to say that we value integrity. We have to say that we are willing to do what is right over what is easy every time. We have to anticipate the times when integrity is difficult, and call that out. We have to commit to being in integrity anyway. This takes the concept of integrity and breaks it down into what that looks like day to day. Then, we have to do what we say we’re going to do.
In reality, culture springs forth from the leaders in an organization usually without their understanding of how that’s happening. It’s based on the “way we do things around here.” So stating that an organization has a culture of inclusion, for example, can be almost immediately recognized as true or false by employees based on the way things are currently being done. Warning! If you state that you have a certain kind of culture, and you really don’t, you ruin trust. And that’s pretty bad. It’s hard to recover from broken trust. Gen Z has radar-vision for integrity breeches. When your words match your actions you build trust. When they don’t, you break down trust. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a broad statement about company culture is going to make any difference at all. Making a commitment to a certain type of culture requires that those in control of how things are done actually do things according to that commitment. Keep that top of mind when reviewing the culture of the companies that have built strong employee engagement during the last few years.
In Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For 2022, the best companies made cultural shifts in response to both COVID and the new demands of the workforce. These companies have not suffered from the great resignation as most have. And that has real consequences for the bottom line. The data shows that companies that pay attention to marginalized employees outperform their peers. Their stock performance during these recession years increased 14.4% while the market dropped 35.5%. (Bush, 2022)
So what did they do? They doubled down on the things that matter to people. People want to feel heard and to be included. They want to have someone really care about them as people, not just employees, and to have a sense of purpose in the work they do. As Gen Z becomes a larger part of the workforce, these things become that much more important.
Caring about the Whole Person
There was a time, not long ago, when the company you worked for had nothing to do with your personal life. A hard line was drawn between personal and professional lives and no one expected it to be any different. Particularly since COVID those lines have blurred. It’s no longer unusual to hear a dog barking in the background of a business meeting. Since work had to move to home I guess it’s inevitable that some of home would blend into work.
The thing is that we have always been whole and complex people and the artificial divide between the whole person and the one who comes to work was never the best way to support people. People have lives that are messy. They have responsibilities to others, outside interests, health issues, home repairs, cars that break down, and a million other things going on besides work. Caring about the whole person means that the people we lead are more than just workers. It means caring about them as human beings. It means really listening and building relationships. It includes learning about them and what is important to them, what motivates them, and how they are feeling.
While we have long believed that there is no place for emotions in the workplace, the fact is that as human beings we are always experiencing an emotion. Events at work are received by the brain as social events whether we like that idea or not. And, after being with a company for years the connections there register to the emotional brain as family. The fact is that we are not family. We are more like a community. Given that, showing that you care about the whole person may feel a little elusive. A lot of companies provide perks like gym memberships, free food, massages at work, and full concierge services to pick up your dry cleaning and run those pesky errands. While these gestures do say “we care”, they may not be the most meaningful. The most meaningful ways of caring are much more basic.
There is a feeling that comes from knowing someone has your back. It’s a protected and safe feeling which allows you to grow and take chances that may have been too risky without support. That’s the feeling we’re going for here. It’s a feeling that if I make a mistake, I won’t be thrown out in the cold. If I try to innovate and it doesn’t work I will be allowed to try again. If I have lofty goals for myself people won’t laugh at me. If I need to take time to help my family, I’ll receive concern and offers of help, not criticism. They won’t let me down. That’s the feeling that creates loyalty.
This kind of culture isn’t created overnight. It comes about gradually when top executives model this kind of caring. Maryam Banikarim, Chief Marketing Officer of Hyatt says, “Caring is about giving people permission to be human. Policies and procedures allow you to be consistent, so that you deliver the same type of service experience across many regions. But if you're going for care, what people want is authenticity more than perfection. There isn't a manual for that. So we've moved to an idea where people can be unscripted, be human and respond in the moment.” She brings the concept of caring from the organization and policies to the individual. “Caring can't just be about guests or customers. Policies can't be more important than people. As an organization, you have to walk the walk. You can't just say things, you have to listen, really hear people and then take action. People take their cues from you. You have to live your purpose." (Fridman, 2016)
Reduce Work Related Stress
Having solid and supportive relationships at work goes a long way toward helping any employee who is feeling stressed. There are three relationships that make work a refuge rather than a stressor. Cementing these three relationships creates stickiness to the job that would be difficult for anyone to leave.
The first and perhaps most important relationship is between the employee and their direct manager. This can either be a bond that supports the employee or a major stress factor. Too often managers are promoted to their positions because of their expertise in the work done by the department. However, that’s only part of the skill set required. Managers should also be adept at forming and maintaining good relationships. This requires a different kind of training and/or coaching.
The second important relationship is a coach or mentor who can help in the moment, before a work situation leads to burn out and a trip to the therapist. As a coach I’ve helped many employees handle feelings of overwhelm and stress as well as getting clear on personal and professional goals. The coach is a safe person to go to when things are getting uncomfortable with workload, relationships, prioritizing, or communication. A coach can also help when an employee’s personal life is so challenging that it’s affecting their work.
The third relationship that supports and helps to retain an employee is having a best friend at work. Sometimes those relationships form on the job. Relationships are formed most naturally when people spend time together on a regular basis. Having an opportunity to spend time together outside of work really helps. A couple of ideas to create this opportunity are employer funded community volunteer projects and Employee Resource Groups (ERG), more about those later. Another way to create the best friend connection is to implement an employee referral program for hiring.
One of the most stress producing situations for myself and many I’ve worked with, is having to switch between tasks too quickly. Some kinds of work require sustained thought. If I have to divide a complex task into 30 minute chunks between meetings it’s likely to drive me crazy. I happen to have a lot of control over my daily schedule so I’m able to protect my mornings for those tasks that require undivided attention. I schedule meetings in the afternoon. This can be done across an office by declaring certain hours that are dedicated to individual work and holding other hours for cooperative work.
Support Mental Health
The stigma of mental health issues is vanishing. Fewer people within Gen Z self-report as having good or excellent mental health. A significant number of these mental health issues are seen as originating at work. Not only do we need to reduce work related stress. As an employer of this generation you should be prepared to speak openly about the availability of mental health support offered by the company’s health care plans.
Mental Health Awareness Month presents an opportunity to bring available services into focus and provides a stage upon which to demonstrate that the organization cares about their employees. Show that the organization recognizes the importance of mental health and that you are ready, willing and able to provide education, support and understanding.
Work/Life Balance
Work/life balance will drive a person away from one job and into another. This generation is driven by more than their job. Having some flexibility to attend to other priorities can make a huge difference in quality of life. I’ve always been able to recruit employees from other departments and other companies based solely on this idea. If someone was struggling with competing commitments such as an ailing parent or occasional childcare issues, or even a difficult commute at rush hour, I could offer flexible work hours and not only win them over but keep them long-term.
Not every job can be tailored this way, but most can include some degree of flexibility. Remote work has become much more common since COVID. We found ways to adjust so that work could go on during quarantine. After this experience three-quarters of Gen Z and at least that many of the Millennials would prefer to either stay remote or work in a hybrid model combining remote and in-office days. (Deloitte Global, 2022) Another option is flex time. I found that having core hours where everyone must be in the office allowed for all the in-person meetings needed and allowed people to start and end early or late. This makes it possible for parents to stagger their schedules for childcare drop off and pick up among other life priorities such as attending classes or running errands before getting home for dinner. It also has an unexpected benefit. People who are naturally more productive in the morning or in the evening can design a schedule that actually increases productivity. A condensed work schedule is another option for those jobs where people need to be on site. Four ten hour days includes the same number of work hours as five eight hour days, but has the bonus of a three day weekend every weekend.
Moving to a more flexible work schedule particularly for remote or hybrid models requires that work be measured and evaluated differently. We are so accustomed to knowing that our employees are working hard because we see them, on the job, during the hours they are supposed to be there. You can tell if someone is goofing off or if they are not showing up just by walking around. But what happens when they aren’t in the office? How do you know if you have a problem?
I had an employee who took too many breaks. I heard complaints from others in management and finally from HR that he had to be punished and made to sit in his chair except for his allotted break time. He was in a technical support role which made it easy for me to measure the quality and quantity of work he was doing. It turned out that he was actually the highest producer in the department and his customer satisfaction ratings were very high. In order to keep up the high standards and the quantity of calls he handled, he also needed more short breaks. It would have been insane to punish him or try to make him work like everyone else. If I lost that employee I would probably have to replace him with two people. So we worked out a flexible break option for him. I also had to ask him to leave his desk during his breaks so that others wouldn’t see him “goofing off”.
The point here is that judging the value of an employee by seeing them looking busy isn’t now, nor has it ever been, the best option. By measuring the amount of work completed and the quality of that work, you can more objectively assess an employee. This makes the day-to-day monitoring less important and may allow for flexible work models without giving up the ability to manage productivity. It also creates a culture where people are given a sense of autonomy.
Inclusion
In many organizations, inclusion is defined by the diversity within the executive group. This kind of inclusion assumes that a leadership group made up of members from the different races, ethnicities and genders of the workforce will be best suited to make decisions for the entire workforce. The idea has merit, but I contend that it doesn’t go far enough. It assumes that a person with the same skin color, gender and/or generation as mine can adequately represent me, my opinions, my values, my worldview, etc. It’s certainly not the same as if I have my own voice.
A much broader view of inclusion is creating a way for everyone to have a voice. That’s not to say that all organizational decisions are made by a democratic vote. Leaders still need to lead. However there are plenty of opportunities for employees not in leadership positions to have a say. That may look different depending on the size of an organization.
One idea that has worked for some of the best companies is Employee Resource Groups (ERG). These are groups formed by employees with the support of organizational leaders that represent a group of employees with some similar trait, situation or interest that they feel needs a voice and support within the organization. It may be single parents, people of a certain color, ethnicity, religion, gender, or special interests like the environment or innovation, etc. I like this idea, because when surrounded by a group of peers, people are likely to feel more comfortable to speak out than if they had to speak to the company leaders individually. I also like the concept for the leaders of the organization. Leaders can get actionable information on the needs and ideas of their employees before problems boil up and lead to resignations or lawsuits.
Smaller organizations can use something as simple as a suggestion box, provided those ideas and suggestions are acknowledged; although I wouldn’t call it that. The “suggestion box” already has a bad reputation. If it becomes a void where ideas go to die it doesn’t have the desired effect. Call it the brilliant idea box and make sure that it’s possible to submit something anonymously and create a system where the submissions are regularly reviewed and considered seriously by management.
You’ve heard of exit interviews. That’s when you find out what you could have done to keep an employee after they’ve already decided to leave. That idea can be tweaked to the “stay interview”. These interviews would allow the organization to identify any problems before they get to the point of losing employees. They can also be used to find out what’s going right and which of your many efforts have had a positive impact. Stay interviews will work best if you have created an environment where it’s safe to speak your mind.
And let’s not forget the relationships with managers being a communication channel to leadership. Let managers know that providing information up the channel is an important part of their responsibilities.
Diversity
Having a diverse workforce not only attracts more Gen Z applicants, it improves the organization’s performance overall and increases innovation and productivity.
When we take the possibility of discrimination out of hiring and promote based on performance, in theory we should end up with a diverse workforce. These things are much easier said than done.
Unconscious bias is a real and very human thing. We naturally prefer people who are like ourselves. The human brain is designed to summarize information for the sake of quick decision making. Unfortunately, this contributes to depending on stereotypes instead of judging a person based on who they are as an individual.
There are a few steps we can take initially to reduce the impact of the unconscious bias we all have. Applications can be reviewed by hiring managers with the names and any gender identification removed. Using assessments in the hiring process also helps to select candidates who are the best fit for the job.
Ultimately, if your organization is not as diverse as you would like, you will need to search out a good training program on unconscious bias to enable your staff to gain awareness of their own biases and design steps to reduce their impact.
Social Responsibility –Be the solution
Gen Z is deeply concerned with environmental and social responsibility. If your organization is already involved in practices or movements that support the environment or any kind of social responsibility, then include that in your job postings. In fact, you can include that in all of your messaging.
Organizations that have embraced environmental and social responsibility have what is called a triple bottom line: people, planet and profits. Sure, people and planet may not be as easy to measure as profits, but putting those things as a part of their bottom line stresses their importance.
Start by doing your research. If there is a cause that you would like to back that is consistent with your product, service or industry, it will be more likely that you can make a difference and it creates a more cohesive message. Donating to charitable organizations, donating employee time to social causes, reducing the carbon impact by selecting environmentally responsible sources for materials, reducing packaging, or providing education and support to both employees and customers on personal social responsibility are all ways to make a difference.
Culture Handbook
One way to pull all of this together is a culture handbook. This is very different from an employee handbook. A culture handbook captures the way we do things around here and why. It may cover such things as how we share information and support each other, how we conduct meetings, why we have our values and what it looks like to live those values. The culture handbook should make the company’s reason for being, the mission and vision, clear and relatable. It should help employees understand how their efforts are connected to the greater purpose of the organization.
Professional Development
This generation is driven to grow personally and professionally in order to make a difference in the world. As such, they are getting more education and demanding more opportunities for advancement at work. If they don’t feel that their current job is providing career advancement and the challenges they seek, they may be tempted to look elsewhere.
There are two parts to designing career paths. The first is upward mobility within the career path. That involves training, providing opportunities to take on new challenges and creating more granular levels so that promotions can happen more frequently. For example, if there are currently three levels for an analyst, Analyst I, II and III, the organization can break that into seven levels. Instead of being in line for a promotion every three or four years, an employee can be promoted every one to two years.
The second part of designing career paths is to allow some flexibility within positions. People all have some talents and abilities that are not being used at work. These are untapped opportunities for the organization. If put to use they are also a great way to allow a person to feel more appreciated and more engaged.
Larger organizations are somewhat bound by their existing organizational structure. As the world changes they are tied to the positions they have available and must restructure in order to adapt. One reason smaller organizations are more able to adapt to a changing environment is that a small group of people take on different roles as needed. They aren’t yet cemented into strict job descriptions.
The solution is to introduce the concept of roles. A role may be a part time or temporary need that isn’t currently a defined position within the organization. Perhaps there is a need to have someone take on the role of organizing an event. If there isn’t an event organizer job title, this may be an ad hoc committee, a role shared by two people, or even a part time role for someone currently fulfilling another type of position who has some room in their schedule and some untapped talent for event organization. In some cases, people in outdated positions who would have previously been “down-sized” can take on another, or perhaps several other roles.
The best way to find talent to fill these roles within the organization is to ask. A good foundation of open communication with people, getting to really know them as people, is supportive of both the individual and the organization. I once heard community defined as “the place where your gift is received.” If a person’s unique gifts and talents are recognized and made use of within their organization they feel appreciated like never before. This is a virtual lock on the employee’s desire to stick with the company. And bonus: this is true for most people of any generation.
Technology
While other generations have had to adopt technology, Gen Z’s have a natural affinity for it. They are the first generation to have grown up with technology. They approach it without fear and consider it an extension of self. Gen Z and most Millennials consider current technology a requirement in a workplace.
Technology can both unite and divide the generations. The way that a new technology is introduced and the variety of interface methods can be the difference between the two.
With the advent of the digital workplace almost every type of human interaction can be digitized. We can collaborate, meet, share information, manage projects and schedules, interview and hire new employees, share organizational announcements and much more in a totally virtual world. There are Enterprise Social Network (ESN) applications available to duplicate the more social interactions previously found only in the break room while keeping the entire network safe from the outside world. This opens up flexibility that was never possible before. Many jobs can be performed entirely from any location at any time.
These are all powerful ways of increasing collaboration and engagement, bringing the generations together. The risk is excluding older generations by forcing too much, too soon without the proper help. Older generations range from just as comfortable with technology as Gen Z to a very limited exposure and therefore a great amount of discomfort.
These differences can actually present an opportunity for organizations. Gen Z workers can help older workers with technology tasks and learning new applications. It’s kind of like having tech support on speed dial. (If you don’t understand the speed dial reference, you may be Gen Z.) At the same time, more experienced workers can help younger workers by sharing their knowledge of the organization and the industry. I call this two-way mentoring. Aside from serving a practical cross training function, this kind of partnership also provides a sense of personal connection that is so important to Gen Z in a work environment.
As we move to centralized information stores, a single source of truth as it has been called, technology can be adapted to work for multiple generations. An example in the Construction Industry is the way an application can provide online access to building plans for some people, and enable a printed copy of the plans for those more comfortable with plans in hand.
When selecting and implementing software for the digital workplace
· Where possible, select software that allows multiple methods of interface. Mobile enabled apps will work well for some, while others are much more comfortable with email and printed reports.
· Simplify access to the different tools so that there is less confusion about which tool to use for what
· Have one common place to find links to all the tools
· Reduce the number of user IDs and passwords or use a password manager
Employee Profiles
Technology can also help a new employee settle into the organization more quickly. One of the biggest challenges when learning a new company is finding out who’s who. When a person is needed to make a decision or get information that impacts the success of a project, getting to the right person is crucial. Knowing that the person who just dropped by your desk is actually the boss of a department you’re interfacing with, or that the guy who just pointed out a potential flaw in your proposal has been with the organization for over 20 years, makes a big difference. Creating employee profiles on ESN tools such as Yammer or Slack creates transparency into the depths of the organization immediately for new employees. Employee profiles can include name, a picture, position, who they report to, what kind of projects they work on, and how long they’ve been with the company. This ultimately saves a lot of time and frustration. According to a McKinsey Global Institute study, the average information worker spent approximately 20% of their time at work looking for information internally or tracking down colleagues who can help with specific tasks. (Michael Chui, 2012) There is an added benefit to employee profiles. If hobbies and special interests are added to the profiles it becomes much easier to find friends. And we know that having friends at work make the job much more appealing and harder to leave.
A Word of Warning about Social Media Adoption
In an effort to adopt social media in the workplace some organizations have gone too far. There’s a difference between creating a sense of belonging and being forced into sharing to fit in. A friend recently shared a story about this. She recently attended a mandatory training session at work. The employees were told that at the end of the session they must post something on the organization’s social media app about the training. Along with any post, the system they use automatically includes their birthday and their number of years with the company. She felt violated but was forced to comply.
The last thing you want to do is recreate the stress inducing atmosphere of social media. Sharing should be voluntary. Although one might expect that older workers would be less comfortable with social media and sharing what they may consider personal information, in many cases Gen Z have also been stressed by social media. Their parents were the first to adopt social media. Every accomplishment and many embarrassing moments in their childhood were shared without their permission.
The key to using social media at work is respect; respect for the individual, for privacy, and for choice.
Summary
A startling finding in my research is that the so called differences in Gen Z, in particular the things that are important in a job, are not unique. Their emphasis on certain requirements may lean more toward diversity, inclusion and meaning than past generations, but the bottom line is that they want to be treated with respect and valued for what they bring to the company. And don’t we all? We all want to have opportunities for advancement. We all want to feel a sense of purpose and belonging. We all want to be paid fairly.
Some of the changes highlighted here under the banner of requirements to attract and retain Gen Z are really changes that are needed to attract and retain Millennials, Gen X and even some Baby Boomers. In this current environment most of these employees have choice. Loyalty to an employer, “just because” is a thing of the past. Given the option, most people would choose a job where they know they are being paid fairly and treated with respect, where their needs as a whole person are being met, where they have a voice and the job provides a sense of meaning.
