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A hiring manager shared something with me that explained the dilemma so many workplaces are facing today. He said, “Job interviews with young candidates have turned into a sparring contest where both parties attempt to clarify what they want out of the job experience.” This observation now has research behind it.
NYU professor Suzy Welch released the results of her study on Gen Z and businesses across America. Ms. Welch teaches M.B.A. students and attempts to prepare them for a life of purpose and leadership as they graduate. There’s just one problem. These students have a different set of values than most companies do.
Fasten your seatbelt. Welch’s analysis produced an outcome that startled her and her team. A mere 2% of Gen Z members hold the values that companies want most in new hires, which are: achievement, learning, and an unbridled desire to work. Gen Z respondents’ top three values were:
- The desire for self-care and personal pleasure or to be happy
- The desire to express authentic individuality or to have a voice
- The desire to help people or to make a difference in others’ lives
Of course, none of these top values are bad, but values are choices, and right now, Gen Zers have chosen to push back on the traditional “work ethic.” They prefer a more “look out for number one” mindset. I can’t always blame them, but for now, employers must figure out how to close the gap between what the organization wants and needs, and what that young potential team member does.
The motivators behind Gen Z values in the workplace
As I hosted 13 focus groups with members of Gen Z, I had two epiphanies. First, I began to realize they represent the future, and I would do well to listen rather than merely demand that they align with past ways of doing things. Second, as I listened, I heard many say they didn’t want to “hate their work” like so many do today, nor feel bound to it.
Further, some said they witnessed their mom or dad “worship their work” and become workaholics. They saw them stressed out and unhappy. No wonder their top priorities on the job surfaced differently in Welch’s study.
The secret to meeting in the middle
The key to my research emerged when they associated work with hobbies. The young people I met wished that work could somehow be treated as a hobby they participated in, rather than a job. In other words, they did it because they wanted to, not because they had to. Their motivation was devotion, not duty.
Herein lies the gap between old and young. I expect them to embrace my kind of work ethic, but I’ve found I see that kind of motivation when I profile their job differently. I began describing the tasks I needed them to perform as a hobby: places where they could connect their talents and their passions. I gave them more autonomy to accomplish tasks with strategies they came up with, rather than the steps I prescribed. Soon, they owned the task, rather than “renting it” from me.
Certainly, there are several tasks that need to be done at a specific time. They must meet a deadline because others depend on them. However, this criterion is agreeable since their motivation shifted from duty to devotion. I had their “heart” not just their “head” in the mix. I enjoyed engaged, not disengaged employees.
What compromise looks like
Consider your favorite hobby growing up. Did you play sports? Did you have a collection of coins or baseball cards? Did you play video games or paint pictures? I found that when I had a great hobby, I could hardly wait to get to it, and my best work might happen at 10:00 pm, not 10:00 am. I was inspired, not forced to do it. Isn’t this what leaders want from their staff?
I wonder if this could be what meeting in the middle looks like with Gen Z:
- Since we’re paying them, we do require punctuality and outcomes.
- Yet, we’re getting their inspired work, from fully engaged teammates.
- Our values and their values have found a place to overlap.
When it comes to the future, there is a lot of uncertainty. But one fact is that Gen Z will be there. It’s time to adapt and become better leaders. May their push back on traditional values nudge older generations to grow and enable them to achieve more than they felt they could. I have no doubt this will allow both leaders and teammates to get on the same page.
To get a copy of my new book, The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as They Disrupt the Workplace.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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Tim Elmore
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