How to Manage and Lead Gen Z at Work
"There is more to life than increasing its speed."
- Mahatma Gandhi
I launched my speaking career a decade ago not by focusing on inclusion work, but on a smaller subset of it - navigating a multigenerational workplace. I gave speeches and wrote articles on Millennials and Gen Xers and Boomers and Traditionalists and I would often end with this.
"The next generation is coming to our workplaces and they'll be bringing their social activism, their focus on identites, and their belief in a better world than the one we have given them."
That generation has arrived. Generation Z. And many of you are leading them. So here are my three tips for leading Gen Z at work:
1. Share Feedback They'll Listen To. It is hard to share feedback with anyone but it can be especially hard to share it with a generation that doesn't love extended conversations, prolonged back and forth dialogue, and who get a lot of their social interaction through text messages, video comments, and social media posts. My advice? Make feedback a more frequent process. Don't wait to write it down on an annual evaluation, or even a one hour meeting every quarter. Have more frequent five-, ten-minute check-ins. Start out these conversations by highlighting positives and finding out more about who they are, what they enjoy, and what they want to achieve at this job. Gain trust because that will make it easier for them to listen to - and not push back on - your suggestions for improvement when you share them.
2. Not Everything is Generational. Some of it is, very simply, being brand new to the workplace. Everyone has to learn office norms, how we address each other, what we share at work, how we express joy or regret, how we apologize, how we sign off our emails, how we get mentors - it's all part of learning a new workplace culture. Don't assume they don't get it because they're Gen Z. Assume they don't get it because they're new. Remember when you were a new employee? What did you have to learn? Who taught you? And how did you listen to them?
3. Please Support Their Mental Health. In 2004, the year I graduated college, a Gallup study asked 18-26 year-olds to describe their mental health. 55% of them rated it as excellent. In 2013, 52% of them rated their mental health as "excellent". In 2022? Only 15% of them did. 15%. As you manage the next generation at work, think about how you can offer improved work-life balance, pursuit of passion projects, help increasing their expertise and autonomy - all of which can directly result in increased well-being and their desire to stay in your workplace and thrive.
Navigating the multi-generational workplace can be a challenge, but it's essential to understand the different perspectives and values that each generation brings to the table in order for us all to thrive in an inclusive workplace.
Do the work
This week, I commit to embracing and celebrating differences in age, being open and repectful in inter-generational communications, and be willing to adapt to the needs of colleagues from different age groups.
Spread the word
If you want to keep going
Welcome to My Generation: How to Thrive
in a Multi-Generational Workplace
Welcome to my generation! Join me to learn how we can all successfully navigate generational differences at work. In this highly interactive and engaging program, I use news clips, commercials, music, and cultural touchpoints to navigate attendees through a world of inter-generational communication and changing dialogue. We learn the history of the five generations in the workplace, how each generation puts its own unique stamp on their organization, and how best to recognize, engage with, and grow from the challenges presented by these differences. The goal, as always, is to build a workplace centered on inclusion and belonging for all of us.
