GEN Y AND GEN Z EMPLOYEES: WHAT DO THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS WANT AT WORK?
GEN Y & GEN Z EMPLOYEES
What do the younger generations want at work? Are you stuck in your ways or willing to break away from old leadership styles? According to a paper, ‘New Generations at Work’, by McCrindle Research, here’s what you need to know about Gen Y (born 1980-1994) and Gen Z (born 1995-2010) employees and their mindsets. Gen Y generally has a strong relationship ethic. They are collaborative learners, enjoy working in teams, and thrive in a relaxed consensus-driven group. When it comes to work, Generation Z views their job as a means to an end. Gen Z understands work is performed for financial reasons. What does this mean for you and your trade business? Well, you’ve got to build a culture that’s appealing to Gen Y and Gen Z tradies. This is not about you and your old ways — it’s about them.
Do you provide work-life harmony? It’s a cop-out to chalk the younger generations up to being ‘lazy’ because they didn’t face the same hardships you did. There’s a good chance your grandfather thought the same of your post-war generation!
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The reality check is that Gen Y and Gen Z workers have different priorities in the workplace. They’re asking for a reasonable degree of balance between work and home life, where possible. You’ll recognise overworking your team will lead to stress and frustration, and poor productivity. McCrindle notes younger generations are likely to have over six career paths and 15 jobs— many have likened this trend to the generation being overworked and under supported. Recently, the co-founders of Mary’s Group, Jake Smythe and Kenny Graham, came under fire for calling millennials ‘lazy’ in their podcast, The Fat. In the episode, the duo vented that young people should take more responsibility for their work-life balance rather than making it the problem for their employer. If you’re nodding in agreement. Think again.
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