In Defense Of Gen Z

Why mental health support is crucial to retain Gen Z workers

By Laura Neuffer, CoreHealth Technologies

While the naysayers deride them, Gen Z brings idealistic yet refreshing expectations to the workplace. But managers must understand the evolving needs and expectations of Gen Z. Here’s why their voices matter.

In a sobering anecdote, 25-year-old managing editor Stephanie Bai shares what it was like growing up with an immigrant father, whose life advice included simply, “work hard.” She watched as he lived out this motto, nose to the grindstone, throughout her childhood. He personified the hustle culture, wherein workers wear themselves out, physically and mentally, to get ahead and stay ahead. Inspired by this example, Ms. Bai pattered her young life after his, and, as she states, “I had my first anxiety attack in middle school.”

This comes as no surprise since 70% of teens report that anxiety and depression are “major problems.” In fact, in 2016 nearly two-thirds of teens reported feeling “overwhelming anxiety,” a statistic which has certainly been exacerbated by the global turmoil of the past few years; anxiety and depression spiked during the pandemic.

Generation Z, the youngest generation of employees now entering the workforce, was finishing up their higher education or first entering the job market when the pandemic shut down much of the world. Now, an economic downturn adds yet another hurdle to their professional journey. Given the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression they’ve seen or experienced since childhood, is it any wonder that they value mental health support and other wellnessrelated benefits at work?

Gen Z is the Future

To many, the term “Gen Z” conjures images of lazy, entitled, overly idealistic young adults who want everything, yet maintain a 'work soft’ mentality. They’re on their phones too much and at the grindstone too little - or so they say. Upon closer inspection, this generation, born between 1997 and 2012, may bring more to the table than first meets the eye, including fresh perspectives and a realistic, healthier approach to work-life balance.

By 2025, Gen Z will make up 27% of the workforce. As the newest generation of employees enters the workplace, leaders are finding they must adapt to meet their expectations and effectively hire, retain, and collaborate with them. These young adults seemingly want it all: higher salaries, healthier work-life balance, company values that align with their own, and permission to work remotely. Gen Z has values and preferences that contrast with older generations, to be sure, and they aren’t afraid to go after what they want. Perhaps they’re naïve. Or maybe they’re right.

Diverse, Stressed, and Educated

According to the American Psychological Association, Gen Z is the most stressed generation in history. They’re also the most racially diverse generation, and are on track to become the best educated generation yet. With so many superlatives, it’s no surprise that these workers come with a unique set of expectations and needs.

While they aren’t the first generation to grow up in distressing times, Gen Zers have grown up in a turbulent world full of global unrest, political turmoil, social upheaval and economic instability. They’re digital natives that have had to navigate social media and the 24-7 news cycle from a young age, while Millennials didn’t experience the stressful effects of constant digital updates until near adulthood.

It follows that Gen Z values mental health resources and emotional support in the workplace, including a corporate culture that supports mental well-being. Further, Gen Z fully rejects the hustle culture that defines Millennials. Another valued form of support is diversity, equality, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) practices, which often represent a safer, more equitable work environment.

Employee retention with Gen Z is proving to be tricky. If these workers don’t find the support, compensation, and benefits they’re looking for, they will likely quit. In fact, Gen Z could change jobs up to 10 times between ages 18 and 34. Job loyalty simply isn’t important to Gen Z. To maintain employees and reduce turnover, leaders will need to implement strategic benefits and support programs. Below, we investigate the top employee benefits and workplace programs that Gen Zers are looking for.

Mental Health Matters

Mental and emotional support in the workplace is paramount for Gen Z workers. For leaders looking to hire and retain the top talent from this generation, offering mental health and well-being benefits, creating a company culture of mental health (as opposed to the always-on hustle culture), is crucial. Organizations need to make sure Gen Z staffers feel safe and valued and that their mental well-being is prioritized.

Workplace wellness platform providers like Carebook, which offer comprehensive virtual wellness programming for organizations, closely follow the trend of increased mental health awareness. Where worksite wellness once focused on weight loss and tobacco cessation, it now features mindfulness, stress management, burnout prevention and self-care.

Regular check-ins with leaders and co-workers can add to a culture of mental health and support. Encouraging the use of employee benefits like mental health therapy and paid time off (PTO) is also helpful. Additionally, creating policies like an email curfew at, say, 8:00 every night, can help employees unplug and truly recharge. Simple changes, like encouraging the use of the schedule-send function on many email servers, can reduce work- stress and increase an organizational culture of health and happiness.

An emphasis on healthy work-life balance, stemming in part from a desire to maintain better mental health and to fight the alwaysavailable mentality, has led Gen Zers to be less obsessed with climbing the corporate ladder. Rather than fighting for the next promotion and working late nights and weekends to get ahead, the youngest workers are prioritizing their mental health by resting and relaxing on nights and weekends; something of a rebellious act in a culture that glorifies constant work and getting ahead.

An Inclusive Workplace that Embraces DEIB

Research by Great Place to Work reports that 47% of Gen Z workers identify as black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). By comparison, 39% of Millennial workers, 34% of Gen X, and only 25% of boomers identified as people of color (PoC). It follows that Gen Zers want to work for companies that value and reflect that diversity. Not only will this kind of inclusion make companies more attractive to hire and retain Gen Z talent, but the inclusion of DEIB has other benefits as well

A study found that organizations that make DEIB part of their worksite culture and benefits offerings have improved revenue, greater innovation, better ability to hire diverse talent, and lower turnover.

Leaders who are looking to loop DEIB into their wellness offerings and organizational culture can start by making sure their organization hires, includes, and values employees of different ages, genders, races, and nationalities. But it's also vital to walk the talk by embracing the perspectives, voices, and values of these groups, too.

On a more practical note, to fully integrate DEIB into corporate culture, leaders need a wellness platform that integrates with third-party solutions that specialize in DEIB programming. This way management can easily plug in content and programming that fits seamlessly into their existing health wellness benefits, accessed by a single login. Creating a separate platform with yet another password creates a barrier to participation and recognition of efforts to improve DEIB in the workplace.

Company Values that Reflect Their Own

One of the key differences between Gen Z and previous generations is that they are not as loyal to their employers. Instead, they want to know that the organization they work for has values that align with their own. Once again, walking the talk is key. For example, if a company is committed to reducing its carbon footprint, it must create policies that make it easy for employees to participate in achieving this goal. These could include installing bike racks at the office, offering free or reduced-fare bus passes, a recycling program, use of sustainable fuel, or a no-paper policy.

Additionally, fundraising initiatives can be an engaging way to build morale and exercise the values it supports. One way to accomplish this is through walking challenges that pit teams of employees against each other to see who can win – with the winning team choosing a charity to donate to. Or, for less competitive populations, the total of all steps logged during a steps challenge can be tallied up and converted to a contribution toward a charity related to the company’s core values.

Walking challenges that involve charitable giving add a fun, philanthropic element to team building and health and wellness programming. These types of challenges have existed in wellness programs for years and can be easy to organize. Wellness programs that support what employees value have a higher likelihood of engagement and completion.

Another approach to value integration is a mentorship program. Mentorship can ensure that the voices of younger staffers are being heard, and their values are being incorporated into corporate policy. By facilitating mentor-mentee relationships, organizations can help strengthen working relationships and help less seasoned employees feel more confident and cared for.

Competitive Pay

On average, Gen Zers carry student loan debt of over $20,000 (that’s 13% more than Millennials.) Gen Zers are also some of the main supporters of increased minimum wage, so low pay won’t go well. Competitive pay, or a salary equaling the rate an employee several years older might earn, is what Gen Zers are after. Additional finance-related benefits, like debt repayment assistance programs or financial wellness resources, are also attractive for hiring and retaining top talent. Not only does it help lift these young employees out of debt, but it also communicates to employees that they’re valued.

Investing in a productive and qualified workforce is a major endeavor, but worth the effort. Labor costs take up a significant portion of an organization’s resources, and finding, interviewing, and training new employees is costly and time-consuming.

Managers and HR teams often fail to spend time nurturing employees and integrating them into the organization, missing an opportunity to help them feel valued and included. This is especially true for remote employees who don’t have the luxury of walking to the office next door to ask for help. Addressing these issues through employee benefits, employee assistance programs, and wellness program participation can help make an organization better able to recruit and retain top talent.

Adapting for Gen Z is Adapting for All

After observing the hustle mentality of Millennials, and having experienced stress and burnout throughout their lives, Gen Z is looking for a more sustainable, happier way of working and living. They expect increased support from employers and aren't settling for less compared to previous generations. The newest generation of talent knows what they want: mental and emotional health support, DEIB awareness, values reflected in organizational culture and activity, and competitive pay with financial wellness perks.

Many employees, particularly the high performers, are making work-life balance a priority equal to compensation. Perhaps they’re naïve, or maybe just hopeful. Gen Z wants it all, and their voices are worth listening to. Adapting to meet the expectations of Gen Z could bring positive change to the workplace for all of us.

Laura Neuffer, M.S., has more than 10 years of experience in corporate wellness and is currently employed as a Wellness Content Development Coordinator at CoreHealth Technologies. She strives to help create technology and programming that is used in worksite wellness programs around the world. Laura is also a registered yoga instructor and a former university adjunct professor of communications.

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