I am Gen Z

Cynical with an addiction to technology and a habit of multi-tasking…welcome to Generation Z.

For most companies, the idea of having to adapt their managing styles and environment to prepare for the ever-growing influx of Generation Z employees is a daunting idea considering most have just gotten used to the Millennials.

The generation before brought more relaxed company structures, an ambition to quickly progress in their career, a sense of idealism, and a willingness to move on from an organisation if it isn’t working for them. Through this, innovative companies such as Google were formed which completely broke out of the norm of a company environment increasing the satisfaction of employees and productivity considerably.

So the question on everyone’s mind is…What will the next generation bring?

Generation Z is anyone from the age of seven to twenty-one, meaning that the older half of this generation (myself included) are just starting to enter the business world. Currently, in the United States, just over 25% of the workforce is made up of people from this generation and that’s estimated to reach a third in just three years time (2020). Research has found a number of qualities prevalent in the majority of Generation Z from things like their ‘addictions’ to technology to their increased importance being placed on privacy.

Notes

The stereotype of this generation constantly being on some sort of technological device is closer to the truth than most would like to admit with many teens placing it in the same category as air and water importance-wise.

At first, this seems ridiculous however this could be turned into a huge economical advantage for businesses across the world. In 2015, the CMO Survey asked marketers how they show the impact of social media on their business; only 15% cited they have been able to prove the impact quantitatively proving that most companies are missing the mark when it comes to technology.

Surely managers should be using the wave of the Gen Zs?

I am suggesting that instead of criticising the amount of time this generation spends on their devices surely we should be directing it in a more productive manner.

Business is not the only place in which technology, in particular social media, is becoming increasingly important. Look at political events such as the American presidential election; love him or hate him Donald Trump’s tweets were the talk of the majority of news outlets throughout the election. Not only that but we saw people from across the world engaging in debates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Snapchat. If this doesn’t convince you of the power of social media surely the fact that 11,000 votes were cast for effectively a viral meme, Harambe (RIP), in the actual election.

Multi-tasking is another key area that companies are not taking enough advantage in this generation. The famous saying that multi-tasking is actually multi-failing is definitely a thing of the past, the ability to complete different tasks effectively is something that could massively increase the productivity of businesses and public sector organisations.

Given the current productivity levels in the US and UK and the negative impact on GDP it’s worth considering.

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