Meet iGen: The new generation of workers that knows it is going to have to work hard to make it.
Just as leaders got used to managing their Millennial workforce, there’s a new generation knocking on the doors of employers and training centers: iGen. By / Jean M. Twenge Born between 1995 and 2012, the first of iGen graduated from post-secondary education last spring. (iGen is sometimes called “GenZ,” but with Millennials no longer called “GenY,” “GenZ” is unlikely to stick.) Industry leaders need to take note: The techniques that worked to recruit, retain, and manage Millennials won’t always work for iGen. First, the good news: In analyses for my new book*, I found that iGen is more focused on work than Millennials were at the same age. In a large national survey conducted every year, 55% of high school seniors in 2016 said they were willing to work overtime to do a good job—up from 44% of Millennial teens in 2004. iGen’ers are also more likely to say that they would work even if they had plenty of money and to expect work to be a central part of their lives. Perhaps because they experienced the Great Recession as children and have witnessed growing income inequality, iGen realizes they are going to have to work hard to make it. iGen’ers grew up more slowly as teens, taking longer to work, drive, and date than previous generations. Although 8 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
there are many positives to those trends, more young people now arrive in the workplace with less experience making independent decisions. Give them careful instructions for tasks, and expect they will need more guidance. Leaders who learned to be cheerleaders for Millennials will find they are more like therapists, life coaches, or parents for iGen’ers. Another big difference: iGen is not as brash and confident as their Millennial predecessors. In the large national surveys, iGen feels less optimistic about their career prospects and are lower in self-confidence than Millennials were at the same age. Thus, they might be less likely than Millennials were to expect to be CEO of the company within five years and less likely to express feelings of entitlement. As iGen begins to dominate the pool of entry-level talent, expect to see more young craftspersons who are eager to do a good job but are scared of making mistakes. Whereas Millennials demanded praise, iGen’ers want reassurance. iGen is also very concerned with safety. They are safer drivers and are less likely to binge drink than teens just a few
