Work-shy, difficult to manage, unproductive, lazy. These are the words that many of us born before 1997 might us to describe Gen Z.
But how right are we to use those words if we cannot even understand today’s 11-26 year-olds? This is where 19-year-old CBRE apprentice Lucia Sanderson stepped in to save the day. To be a welcome translator between the “work-shy” youth and today’s “hard-working” adults.
Sanderson, who began her apprenticeship two years ago, believes there is value in understanding Gen Z and if businesses are not putting in the effort to understand this generation, then they are going to lose out.
Within the next two years Gen Z is going to make up 27% of the workforce in OECD countries. Failing to learn what makes them tick and how to get the best out of them will be at our peril, said Sanderson.
While Baby Boomers and Gen X may well have a recession or two under their belts, Gen Z has grown up in a period of permacrisis, with one bad event happening after the next.
While we may think they lack resilience, trauma is all that this generation has experienced. This is also a generation that has grown up in an age of rising social and environmental awareness. A generation that does not need to learn how to use technology – they just know.
This is a generation that could be – should be – a secret weapon for any corporate today. A superhero in the fight for greatness, perhaps.
“If you’ve attracted talent based on initiatives and agendas, ensure that you truly embody these because Gen Z are digitally fluent. We have the ability to uncover whether you really are what you say you are”
But, said Sanderson, if you want that superpower or secret weapon, you are going to have to work hard for it.
“Gen Z are becoming more and more familiar with what’s called ‘career hopping’,” Sanderson told the audience.
“So much so that our average length of time in any one job is two years and three months, which is six months less than Millennials. But I do want to remind you that many of Gen Z have not actually had a chance to be in a job for that amount of time yet.
“It is possible that this average could fall further. To retain the talent you have successfully attracted, invest time, invest guidance and mentor your workforce. As a young employee, feeling valued is critical to the way that you work.”
Watch Lucia Sanderson’s full speech on Gen Z – ready or not:
A key element of what makes EG Future Leaders so special is the ripple effect it has. Our Future Leaders inspire action in our audience.
This year was all about the power of turning small ideas into mighty actions and unleashing the creativity we know exists in real estate.
Head to my.walls.io/EGFutureLeaders to see some of the takeaways our audience members shared.
In partnership with:
To send feedback, e-mail newsdesk@eg.co.uk or tweet @EGPropertyNews
