Underestimating Gen Z at Work
Return-to-office mandates and the quiet retention risk
Funnily enough, before a certain Reform figure opened his mouth in the news about remote working, I’d planned on writing about just this topic for this month’s Career-ish – so I’m going to ignore his nonsense and continue as I mean to go on.
I have the privilege of having made many friendships at work and, through my work as a Career Advisor, speaking with people from all generations. Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers… you get the picture.
One thing I’ve noted is that whilst many refer to Gen Z as not being resilient enough, I’ve found them to be quite a lot savvier than they are given credit for. Don’t be fooled – the young ones know their employment law and they’re not afraid to use it. Trust me, I’ve seen it in action.
In fact, when they’re looking at job ads, you best believe that they are zeroing in on the benefits that come with it… and if it’s not up to scratch, then they will go elsewhere. There is less of a willingness to ‘settle’, even if it’s only for a short period of time, when compared to their older counterparts.
Why do I bring this up? Because it’s actually quite pertinent to the way working environments will continue to shift and change in the next few years.
We all remember the global pandemic. COVID-19 did a number on working life, with remote and hybrid working becoming the standard for many sectors and industries. People discovered the joy of work-life balance and it’s led to some really positive changes. Not everyone is a fan, this is true, but most companies that offer flexible working are open to negotiation for those who want to be in-person more often.
Having said all that, there’s been an increasing spotlight being shone on this narrative that companies want their full-time in-person work environment back—and quite a few have made the move to do so. I mean, the UK government itself is giving councils a talking to about trialling a four-day work week. There are opinion pieces all over LinkedIn talking about employers having had enough, with many a commenter sharing that they don’t believe people are that productive when they’re work-from-home (a certain Reform man seems to agree with you there).
But is it true? And if it is then… aren’t companies being a bit arrogant?
Arrogant? Why arrogant, I hear you ask.
Well. One of the first things I saw as an Employer Engagement Advisor as a result of COVID was the immediate struggle companies had dealing with a huge drop in employee retention. It was a huge deal!
In fact, many employers were keen to work with universities to offer placements (different from internships – placements are longer term, usually 9 – 12 months long and usually full-time, internships tend to be shorter in length and in work hours), as they were seeing the link between students in placement staying or returning to the company once they’d completed their studies. There’s a direct link there to job retention but mostly this is because these companies have made a great impression on those students and so, the students return/stay.
With me? It’s all relevant.
What we’ve also seen is the shift in candidates. Millennials and Gen Z in particular are focusing on those precious benefits e.g. annual leave entitlement, flexible working arrangements, training, access to wellbeing services etc. – and all of the above will mean nothing if they’re just not enjoying their work or the environment they’re in.
Perhaps there’s a misconception that in a rough job market, people won’t leave before securing another role.
Gen Z? They don’t really seem to fear that. They will quit.
So, if we put those two things together:
1. Employers pushing for a full-time return to in-person working
2. Gen Z (and millennials, though to a lesser extent) not willing to settle – and being a huge part of our current workforce, and more importantly, being our future workforce – and deeply valuing work-life balance
…it doesn’t seem like insisting on full-time in-person will lead to anything but an endless cycle of recruitment due to job dissatisfaction. And one thing about recruiting is: It. Costs. Money.
Besides all that, there is growing evidence that working from home is beneficial in many ways, not just to the employee but to the employer too.
Of course, not everything in the hybrid/remote space is perfect. There is a lot that is still being learned and fine tuned (shared offices and hot desking anyone?) but on the whole, with proper structure and a commitment to learning and refining, I feel like hybrid and remote working could continue to make a huge positive impact to our daily lives.
My advice? Listen to what your current and future workforce are telling you. You’ll buy loyalty faster that way.
Employees will often go the extra mile for employers who look out for them…
I'm a UK-based career advisor, writing coach and published author, specialising in helping creatives and career changers navigate work that doesn’t always follow a straight path. I offer career advice 1:1’s tailored to the UK job market and creative writing coaching via Zoom. You can find all my services here: patricia-marques.com