Written by a Gen Zer, giving you way too many of our secret must-haves.
When will Gen Z enter the workforce? The answer…right now. Our generation is fresh out of college – and a pandemic – and looking for our right-culture-fit professional homes. When our generation is looked at in its entirety, we’re seen as tech-savvy, entrepreneurial, creative, driven, and socially minded. Even though we’re young, we’re ready to take the work world by storm, adding new ideas and innovating daily.
Us Gen Zers are entering the workforce with high expectations. Based on Gen Z workforce statistics, we’re commanding higher entry-level salaries than previous generations and placing a larger emphasis on workplace flexibility and corporate social responsibility. We’re not just going to work to collect a paycheck. We’re searching for meaning, a great team, and a job that makes us happy.
Here are 5 things you’ll definitely want to focus on if you want more Gen Zs on your team.
1. Focus on Mission
When you look at what is important to Gen Zs in the workplace, the mission keeps coming up. We are the generation creating social change and focusing on social justice, so it makes sense that we want our work to be about creating more good in the world. This is exactly what led me to Candor and the mission the team is striving to make a reality.
We want to see companies giving back with money, initiatives, and volunteer work. Whether it’s cleaning up our Earth, sending more women to school, or providing healthcare in rural areas—we want to help and make a difference. Make sure you’re being radically transparent with how you do good to attract more of us to your company.
2. Go Beyond the Salary
Let’s get one thing straight, we do care about salary. Stats show that Gen Zers, especially in tech, are demanding higher salaries right at the entry-level. But money isn’t everything. Many Gen Zers prioritize extensive benefits, work-life balance, and PTO. Things like mental health coverage and unlimited PTO go a long way for us Gen Zers.
We want to love our work and know that our workplace has our back when it comes to personal growth, health, and feeling happy on our teams. To attract the Gen Z workforce, be generous with the benefits. It could be the difference between you winning over an amazing, in-demand candidate—even if you can’t match the salary of a big tech company.
A few ideas on benefits that we like at Candor - a stipend for professional coaching, physical fitness, or a therapist or counselor.
3. Think Remotely
Us Gen Zers take tech-savvy to the next level. We like having the flexibility to work from anywhere. And after the pandemic, remote work is all we know in some cases. By creating a remote-first or hybrid model, you can attract us by letting us work from anywhere.
Another benefit of the remote-first model is you can attract a Gen Z workforce from all around the world. This lets you diversify your workforce and ensure you get the best talent, regardless of location. And if your company can’t support this remote lifestyle, focus on generous leave policies and PTO. This lets your Gen Z candidates know their work-life balance will be very good at your company.
4. Prioritize Culture
Us Gen Zers don’t just want to come to work and leave, we want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We want to feel like we really ‘fit’ with our teams, and can make friends at work. We want to be seen as individuals and know that our company’s qualities closely align with ours.
When you want to attract a Generation Z workforce, make culture and values a core of your workplace. Host fun company events, be radically transparent about what you stand for, create culture fit interviews, and put your workers in positions where they will really thrive. It goes a long way when you create teams that make everyone feel like they’re part of something awesome!
5. Make Diversity the Center of Your Initiatives
We are tired of seeing the same kinds of thinking and the same faces in the corporate world and want to feel more diversity on our teams, especially in leadership roles. This is because we value different perspectives in the workplace and inclusion in all of our spaces.
This goes beyond hiring a diverse workforce. Gen Zers love seeing an active effort to dismantle racism and discrimination. No team is perfect, but if you can consistently show that you’re doing your part to create an inclusive and safe environment for everyone, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation – you’ll attract more Gen Zers to your company.
Us Gen Zers are creative and tech-savvy innovators. When we find a company that we love working at, we’ll stop at nothing to give our best each day. By focusing on aspects of employment that make us say ‘yes, I want to work here’ – you’ll be able to attract a Gen Z workforce with ease.
Gen Z doesn't have to be a mystery
Focusing on your mission, benefits, flexibility, culture, and diversity is a good place to start. As a generation, Gen Z is asking for different things than generations before.
Candor can help you strengthen culture at your company and make it a place Gen Z is excited to work at and stay at. You can use Candor to make personal ReadMe's, give shoutouts, do check-ins, and share feedback with teammates.
For Gen Z, culture isn't an afterthought. If you want to attract and retain the next generation of talent, you shouldn't let it fall by the wayside either.
You can sign up for a free Candor profile and create a Team Space, invite teammates, and start strengthening your culture today.
