A Workplace Guide to Gen Z
Written by a Zoomer
The content in this article reflects my own research and experience. It does not reflect the opinions of my employer.
The problem with generational discourse is that most people are speaking from anecdotes.
It’s easy to call Gen Z deranged when you only see the TikTok videos. It’s just as easy to call Gen Z the smartest generation ever when you’re at a prestigious college’s career fair. And it’s super easy to “discredit” any generational trend by pointing at a Gen Z youth who happens to be an outlier.
The truth will come from population studies and empathy.
And that truth is important, because Gen Z—anyone born between 1995-ish and 2012-ish—is entering the workforce. If you’re a manager, this is your entry-level staff now. You had better know who you’re working with.
What to Expect
I'm on a sugar crash, I ain't got no f***in' cash
Maybe I should take a bath, cut my f***in' brain in half
I'm not lonely, just a bit tired of this f***ing s**t
Nothing that I write can make me feel good“SugarCrash!” by Ely0tto (b. 2004)—listen to this song if you want to know how your parents felt about the Sex Pistols or Nirvana
If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’re:
A Gen-X (born 1965-ish to 1979-ish) senior-level manager adjusting workplace policies as your Baby Boomer higher-ups and coworkers retire and Gen Z staffers join the organization.
A Millennial (born 1980-ish to 1994-ish) middle manager trying to understand your entry-level reports and coworkers.
I’ll start with some targeted details backed up by research from Dr. Jean Twenge. Her latest book Generations pulls from long-term, nationally representative survey data to track broad trends that I trust more than zeitgeisty thinkpieces.
Then, I’ll pull together a broader narrative tying that survey data to broader context (and personal narrative) to better illuminate what Gen Z staff might be thinking.
It Starts with the Phones
If you want to understand Gen Z (Zoomers, internally) as a population, remember that we grew up in the smartphone era.
I was in 9th grade when smartphones become a normal part of life. I spent my entire adolescence with an iOS device in my pocket. The Motorola RAZR is before my time. Dial-up internet is before my time. I never “went online”—I was always online. And even if I delete my social accounts and get a “dumb phone,” my peers are still neck-deep in social media.
Imagine what Instagram would do to your teenage self, and the trends among your youngest coworkers and employees will make more sense.
The Trends Behind Gen Z
Before I parrot Dr. Twenge’s research, remember that individuals do not perfectly reflect broad trends. Most people are outliers in some way, although the broad strokes still have predictive value.
Zoomers Are Typically Pessimistic
Social media is built to amplify negative content—it’s more profitable, you see. So Zoomers grew up with negative messaging about our bodies, our future, our country, and the people around us. This, naturally, lead to a generational spike in depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and general pessimism. Zoomers are not like Millennials.
In the workplace, this will look like distrust and conflict-avoidance. This is where “quiet quitting” comes from—Zoomers are not uniquely lazy, but we typically don’t expect hard work to pay off or feedback to go over well.
If you want to motivate your youngest employees, give hard proof that their effort matters. Pre-empt discussion on compensation, set clear expectations for promotion, put those expectations in writing, and call out good work when you see it.
Zoomers May Need Extra Direction on Workplace Etiquette
First year that I gotta pay my taxes
When I heard the number, thought 'bout killing myself
Tried to buy wine, but they didn't have it
Mom and Dad, know I miss you like hell“all i do is try my best” by glaive (b. 2005)
Zoomers are less likely than ever to have had a job as a teenager, and we typically spend less time than prior generations socializing in-person. That was already the case before COVID, and then we spent two very formative years inside, behind a screen, wearing sweatpants.
If you’re hiring a Zoomer out of school, you may be their first job. Do not expect them to know how to dress for an office, banter with coworkers, or take constructive criticism. Set expectations early and gently.
(Incidentally, expect a plurality of Zoomers to dress weirdly even after they read the dress code. Niche styles and gender nonconformity are increasingly the norm, and the dyed hair and piercings are not coming off for work.)
Zoomers Increasingly Bring Their Values to Work
Try not to abuse your power
I know we didn't choose to change
You might not wanna lose your power
But having it's so strange“Your Power” by Billie Eilish (b. 2001)
Not only are Zoomers more politically engaged than prior generations, but we are also more likely to value work that has societal value. This can be a good thing! If your organization has a public-benefit angle, flaunt it! If you have DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) or ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) policies, give them some substance. Gen Z applicants are more likely to ask about these social policies, and if your DEI or ESG strategies are remotely tangible, it might move the needle on recruiting and retention. On the negative side, your entry-level staff might ask your organization to make political statements, even when it’s not your business—you’ll have to pick your battles there.
Don’t get too scared by the social justice acronyms. In practice, DEI comes down to finding staff from unconventional channels and making sure they stick around. Reaching out to candidates that are slightly under-qualified and training them up will advance diversity goals better than affirmative action, and it will win you loyalty from those employees. (Remember, you need to prove that effort will pay off.) Besides, Gen Z is a small generation compared to Millennials—the days of finding 3-5 years of experience for an entry-level position are over.
Notably, not all Gen Z are left-leaning, but the Zoomers who go to college typically are. Right-leaning Zoomers still care about values, but they likely distrust DEI as a concept—Zoomer doubt is bipartisan. However, the same strategy of training new employees into the jobs you need should still work, provided you take out the “woke” language. Don’t ask for a Commercial Driver’s License—pay for the training.
As for ESG, set up composting in the office and see if your electricity provider has a “renewable/green choice” program. That will be more tangible than hiring a consultant to calculate your carbon footprint.
Zoomers are Increasingly Threat-Sensitive
It’s not you—Gen Z is more sensitive, from both the left and the right. Zoomers are increasingly likely to believe that discrimination is rampant, that our problems are someone else’s fault, and that things have never been worse. That’s demonstrably untrue—if I was born 100 years earlier, I would have been drafted into World War I. But one can consume an infinite well of posts describing the most evil bosses in the world. Follow the right hashtags, and you can convince yourself that every manager is secretly a seething racist, or that every conversation with HR is woke censorship. Either way, the posts claim, the correct responses are to quit immediately or fight fire with fire.
This is what “cancel culture” actually is. It’s not politics, it’s temperament. And it’s harmless if you keep a level head.
Zoomers Increasingly Prioritize Flexibility & Mental Wellness Perks
Don't wanna get up now
It's still the same, every day
Lose myself and just f*** around
It's an escape, yeah, it's a shame
I don't wanna get up now
Don't wanna get up now“Falling Endlessly” by WILLOW (b. 2000)—as in Smith
Between COVID and a digital adolescence, Zoomers will likely ask for a different set of office perks than Millennials. Whereas the last set of entry-level staff (apparently) asked for ping-pong tables and cold-brew coffee, the new cohort is likely to ask for flexibility and mental wellness benefits.
Notably, flexibility means different things to different people. Not all Zoomers will ask for fully-remote work (there’s a loneliness epidemic among young people), but many will ask for partially-remote work or unconventional hours. Don’t be surprised if an employee asks for hours like 11 AM to 7 PM or for a midday block for naps. Use your discretion, and require VPNs for remote work.
Gen Z is also more likely to use mental health language in the workplace. Some of this reflects a real increase in depression, anxiety, and ADHD; and some of this is young people medicalizing and politicizing normal human anguish. It’s tempting to tell a young coworker to get over it, but only do that if you’ve established a mentoring relationship—remember, Zoomers are increasingly likely to be distrustful and threat-sensitive. You will get more traction by rolling with the mental health stuff. Let employees take sick time for mental health reasons, make sure your health insurance plans cover mental health services, and consider meditation app subscriptions or service dog visits as office perks.
Just Roll With the LGBT Stuff
It’s true—more Zoomers are LGBT compared to prior generations. This isn’t because of a “trans lobby”—the words came from a website called Tumblr. Here’s what you need to know:
“LGBT” is good enough. The extra letters would take hours to explain.
If this gender stuff is new to you, “cisgender (cis)” refers to you.
You might hear the words “nonbinary (enby)” and “gender non-conforming (GNC)”. You don’t need to know what they mean.
The pronouns you need to know are “he/him,” “she/her,” and “they/them.” Some Zoomers use two of these sets; pick one. There are other “neopronouns,” but you don’t need to know them.
Let employees put pronouns in their email signatures and business cards; it’s fine.
It’s not a big deal if you say “foreman,” “chairman,” “maternity leave,” or “you guys.”
Yes, this is confusing. Keeping up with Social Justice Words is a losing game. Focus on customer and employee retention.
Some Narratives About Gen Z
Of course, facts are only facts. The myths about Gen Z stick around because they’re evocative narratives, and narratives are easier to remember. So let’s look at some narratives that are…more correct than the default.
A Generation Under Pressure
Gen Z is defined by an adolescence under pressure from all sides. Pressure to have a face only AI filters can provide. Pressure to keep up with bodybuilders, billionaires, models, and Stepford wives. Pressure to belong in eggshell-floored online communities, to retain agency within engagement-hungry social media platforms, to reckon with crisis after crisis in a digital environment that amplifies every morsel of catastrophe and criticism. That pressure affects people in different ways. Some crumple. Some explode. And some turn to diamonds.
This is why Gen Z encompasses emotionally numb burnouts, high-strung workaholics, hair-trigger political firebrands, video game gambling addicts, oddly-mature pragmatists, and other bizarre archetypes. This is also why our jokes make no sense.
Betting on a New Era
Despite what countercultures say, the world has been in a golden age since 1945, when the United States fostered globalization in an attempt to contain the Soviets. Poverty plummeted, lifespans increased, and life got better. Despite global inequities, middle-income people in the year 2000 lived better than their nation’s nobility of a century prior.
But that golden age is over. You can put its end-date at 2001, 2008, 2016, or 2020, but no matter the date, the golden age ended before I could participate in it.
Gen Z as a cohort has limited trust and stake in financial markets, political systems, civic institutions, mainstream media, and even the technologies that we’re apparently savvy with—remember, the Facebook News Feed launched when I was nine.
If the Great Recession happened again but worse, or if everyone in Congress got fired at once, or if every major news network went bankrupt, Zoomers would largely stand to gain from the chaos.
If you’re not a fan of collapse, this is bad news. If your industry has been permanently disrupted by the past 3-4 years (which it has), then good news! Your entry-level staff may have the fresh perspective and itch for change that you need.
This is an Opportunity
I recognize that I’ve framed Gen Z as challenging to work with, but young people are always challenging—it’s just a different challenge each generation. The hope is that Gen Z can convert discontent into change.
Zoomers, even more than Millennials, are writing our own myths about ourselves, and the most inspiring myth is that we will catalyze real change at the end of an era. The depth of despair is unfounded, but I think the diagnosis is correct. The past fifteen years have demonstrated across-the-board institutional failures in the Bretton Woods world order, from income inequality to climate change to political sclerosis to loneliness and distrust. It truly is time for change, and there’s value in entrusting that change to people with no nostalgia for the way things were.
I’ve gone to college career fairs for recruiting—I was typically the youngest person receiving resumes—and I told students that now is the best time to be young and hungry. The old guard is retiring, and each crisis is an opportunity. Ask, and you will receive.
If your youngest employees suggest changes in your business, you’re on the right track.