Managing Gen Z: A Primer For IT Managers
Having grown up amid crises and technologically accelerated change, the second-wave of Millennials -- or Gen Z -- that's entering the workforce has different expectations and needs than people who came before them. Here are some tips on how IT managers can support and direct this new generation of workers.
Generation Z is entering the workforce and, by many accounts, they're different from people who came before.
Bruce Tulgan, founder of management research, training, and consulting firm RainmakerThinking, argues that Gen Z workers require high-maintenance management. For IT managers dealing with these younger employees, that may mean some adjustment.
The definition of Gen Z varies. Tulgan considers the second-wave of Millennials, those born between 1990 and 2000, to be Gen Z. Others apply the label to those born between 1996 and 2010. But the specific boundaries don't matter as much as the social, political, cultural, and economic events that influenced those who came of age in recent years.
Sparks & Honey, a New York-based advertising agency, published a report last year on Gen Z. The report says that Gen Z workers have been shaped by instability, in the form of terrorism around the globe, the financial meltdown of 2008, and the effect those events had on their families. Such instability has shaped their career aspirations and paths, making them non-linear.
"[T]he second-wave Millennials (Gen Z) were children of the war and uncertainty of the first decade of the 2000s," Tulgan said in an email. "By now, all Millennials have been indelibly shaped by the 2000s and 2010s -- an era of profound change and perpetual anxiety."
The Sparks & Honey report notes that 60% of Gen Z workers expect to have multiple careers by age 30. Much has been made about the vanished conceit of cradle-to-grave employment among workers who grew up expecting companies to return their loyalty. Among Gen Z, whatever loyalty exists to a company exists alongside entrepreneurial proclivities and willingness to look elsewhere for advancement.
[See 5 Traits Effective IT Leaders Need.]
Tulgan says that while Gen Z is dealing with the same global trends as other workers -- technological disruption, a lack of job security, the accelerating pace of everything, globalization, and greater diversity in the workplace -- the group in some ways represents a new breed of worker.
"They are totally plugged in -- through social media, search engines, and instant messaging -- to each other, as well as anyone and everyone, and an infinite array of answers to any question at any time," said Tulgan. "As a result, most Gen Zers grew up way too fast. That's why they seem so precocious."
Managers, says Tulgan, often ask him why Gen Z workers seem so immature. The answer, he says, is helicopter parenting.
"Relationship boundaries have been blurred for Gen Zers, because they've grown accustomed to being treated almost as customers/users of services and products provided by institutions and authority figures," said Tulgan.
"Parents and their parenting-posses (relatives, friends, teachers, coaches, counselors, doctors, and vendors in every realm) are mobilized to supervise and support the every move of children, validate their differences, excuse (or medicate) their weaknesses, and set them up with every material advantage possible."
As a result, Tulgan says, those who make up Gen Z have high expectations for themselves and for their employers. "And yet, they are more likely to disagree openly with employers' missions, policies, and decisions and challenge employment conditions and established reward systems," he said. "They are less obedient to employers' rules and supervisors' instructions."
Tulgan says that that in China, where the country's one-child policy magnified the attention lavished on the young, the attitude of entitlement is sometimes referred to as "Little Emperor Syndrome." Generation Z, he said, can be seen as "a rising global generation of 'little emperors,' each seeking to build his/her own 'personal brand.'"
Read on to see how such workers can be supported and directed to help their companies.
Managers who hire Millennials may get more than they bargained for -- a worker who still depends on his or her parents in some capacity.
Of the emerging trend, Tulgan said, "We hear about it from both perspectives -- from the managers and from the new young workers. Parents brought along on job interviews, and even on the first day of work! Some companies are even experimenting with 'bring your parents to work' for Millennials. Parents are more often consulted by text/email/phone (or after work when Millennials live with their parents still or even if they don't) before meetings, after meetings, and even during meetings."
"'This is an outrage,' some managers say. 'I shouldn't have to deal with their parents at all,'" said Tulgan. "On the flip side, some managers simply accept that their young employees will be accompanied and assisted by their parents throughout the early stages of their working lives. I don't think you should accept that. You hired the employee, not the parents. But you do have to deal with it."
Millennials are often focused on short-term opportunities and rewards. Keep that in mind when negotiating with them. "If you want to speak to them in a way that separates your job offer from the others right now, you have to talk about right now," said Tulgan. "You have to talk about what you have to offer them today, tomorrow, next week, this month, the first six months, and the first year. If you want your recruiting message to attract them, then you need a recruiting message that speaks to their real concerns."
With workers still accustomed to parental deference, managers should try to assert their authority rather than giving free rein. "In my seminars, I tell managers that the way to deal with the overparenting problem is to take a strong hand as a manager, not a weak one," said Tulgan.
"Your Millennial employees need to know that you know who they are and care about their success. You need to make it a priority to spend time with them. Guide them through this very difficult and scary world. Break things down for them like a teacher. Provide regular, gentle course corrections to keep them on track. Be honest with them so you can help them improve. Keep close track of their successes, no matter how small. Reward the behavior you want and need to see, and even negotiate special rewards for above-and-beyond performance in very small increments along the way."
Gen Z workers aren't babies; don't treat them as if they are. Tulgan explains, "So many of the other so-called 'experts' on the Millennial Generation, now focused largely on the second-wave Millennials, Generation Z, are still giving managers such bad advice -- telling managers they should praise Millennials regardless of performance, reward them with trophies just for showing up, put handheld devices in their hands and then leave them alone to manage themselves, let them come to work whenever they feel like it (and bring their dogs), eliminate managers, and try to make work 'fun.' For 99% of managers, that advice is nonsense."
Clarity is better than charity when it comes to managing Millennials. "Yes, of course, Millennials want more money, more flexibility, more training, more interesting projects, and more exposure to decision-makers," said Tulgan. "Yes, they want more of everything! But they don't expect any of it on a silver platter. They just want to know, every step of the way, 'Exactly what do I need to do to earn that?'"
Managers may not want someone who rocks the boat, but that's often better than a stowaway. "Sometimes they want to hide out and collect a paycheck," said Tulgan. "I call this a safe harbor job. There are no upsides for the employer. Don't let anyone in the door who expects to hide out and collect a paycheck."
Tulgan says that the best situation for managers is one in which Millennial employees are looking to make an impact while improving themselves. "They hope to learn, grow, and collect proof of their ability to add value," he said. "I call this a self-building job. As long as you keep supporting their self-building, this will bring out their best for the most sustained period."
Millennials appreciate control over when and where they work. When managers can accommodate that, Tulgan says, they will have happier employees. Even when, say, working from home, isn't an option, providing employees with some say in their work space helps. "To the extent that working in a particular space in a particular building is required, they want to know that they will have some power to define their own space (arrange furniture, computers, art work, lighting) to their liking," said Tulgan.
Millennials appreciate control over when and where they work. When managers can accommodate that, Tulgan says, they will have happier employees. Even when, say, working from home, isn't an option, providing employees with some say in their work space helps. "To the extent that working in a particular space in a particular building is required, they want to know that they will have some power to define their own space (arrange furniture, computers, art work, lighting) to their liking," said Tulgan.
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