ServiceNow research shows what Gen Zs cares about at work and the need for success.
How Gen Z will reform staff: 80% want to work with advanced technology
When Gen Z enters service, five different generations will work together. This is what a multi-generational workforce will look like.
The future belongs to Gen Z, and a new study that met the expectations of 18-22 year-olds in the workplace believes that 69% believe that working life should be as simple as living at home when technology is used.
The study, “Gen Zs and the Future of Work” by ServiceNow of more than 400 employees and non-employees respondents, also finds that the top three criteria for what this demographic seeks in a job or internship are growth opportunities (37%); interesting work (29%); and competitive compensation (26%).
SEE: 10 ways to prevent developers from burning out (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
Gen Z wants to set the record straight for some of the biggest misconceptions about them: that they go up themselves (46%); entitled (41%); and do not like to participate personally (40%).
“Although each generation is labeled as such by other generations, we say that we are entrepreneurial, technologically native and still looking for personal interactions,” wrote ServiceNow employees Bryanna Fuller, Thomas Vickers and Adam Golab in a blog. “And just like the generations before us, we are approaching life with our own unique values.”
What other generations can learn from them
Gen Zs has enough things that they can teach other generations. This includes openness (58%); followed by creative problem solving (53%); and digital / social platforms (46%).
Forty-six percent of respondents also say they can teach others to have fun at work.
Burnout is real
Like the rest of the workforce, Gen Zs are subject to overload. The research shows that almost half of the respondents (49%) said they experienced a track burner in the past year. As a result, half of the respondents are considering changing industry.
The three main reasons for burning out jobs at GenZs: working in a chaotic / high-pressure environment (34%); overtime / outside of normal working hours (32%); and an inability to cope with stress and balance requirements of school and work (28%).
Respondents who have experienced burnout say that they feel burned out on average six working days per month.
The importance of communication and recognition
In contrast to the 82% of ServiceNow managers who think that Gen Zs want to communicate with managers via instant messaging, 83% say they prefer a personal dialogue, followed by 49% who want to communicate via e-mail.
There were different preferences in how Gen Z trainees want to communicate with managers versus employees. Forty-five percent of employees prefer text messaging compared to 25% of trainees, while 39% of employees prefer telephony instead of 23% of trainees.
Regardless of their position, gender, trainee / employee or company size, feedback is very important; 57% of Gen Z’s want to receive feedback several times a week and half of their managers give them feedback with that frequency.
Seven out of 10 Gen Zs say that “constructive feedback” is of the utmost importance. Forty-five percent say that recognition is also very important to them. It is not surprising that 59% say that a bonus has the highest preference for recognition; followed by recognition in a 1: 1 with their manager (51%); and verbal praise (45%).
According to 68% of respondents, the greatest benefits of manager feedback are to help Gen Zs identify areas they should work on; help them learn and grow professionally (67%); and to provide advice on managers’ expectations (63%).
What Gen Zs wants you to know
The blog authors of ServiceNow Gen Z, who all work in Silicon Valley, have a few messages they want to share. Although they are the first digital generation, with technology that is readily available, “we have a deeper understanding of the importance and value of human interaction,” Fuller said. “Our generation is eager to succeed, and we know that to do that, some communication is better without technology. “
Although some Gen Zs think that the fear of being disconnected can mean an addiction to technology, “mobile adds so much value to our lives that we can’t imagine a life without it,” Golab said. “Like Gen Zs, we see the promise in technology.”
Over the next five years, he said, this generation wants to use 5G, IoT, integrated devices and more portable technology.
“We are more than ready to see how technology can help drive the future of work, making the company as easy as our home life,” said Golab.
There is a lot of truth in the studies that show that Gen Z’s struggle to find a balance between work and private life, Vickers said. “Finding this balance is the most challenging aspect of my young career,” and “it has been exacerbated by social media.”
Because Gen Zs are so used to feedback on different platforms, it has become a constant in their lives, he explained. “It is not that I feel that after all I do I need a gold star or a thumbs down, but rather that I have become accustomed to consistent, real-time input from others and as a result have to make adjustments to my expectations ”
This has led Vickers to stay connected and “drop everything to do a task right away”, even if he receives an email from his manager at 10 p.m. This creates an endless cycle of constant work, he said. “I think many others, especially in my generation, experience this too.”
What helps him find balance “is asking for the feedback I am used to, especially when it comes to deadlines, my performance and how I can improve.”
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