You don’t have to go down an internet rabbit hole to find an abundance of content that analyzes, dramatizes, and even pokes fun at generational gaps in the workplace.
The values, beliefs, behaviors and lifestyle choices that define each generation have become even more apparent in recent years as Generation Z has entered – and made its mark on – the workforce, bringing its own collection of quirks and habits.
As of the second quarter of 2024, Gen Z workers (ages 13-28) made up 18% of the labor force, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor, surpassing baby boomers (61-79) at 15%. Millennials (29-44) and Gen X (45-60) represent the largest shares of the labor force, at 36% and 31%, respectively.
“Every single generation has thought the one after it is going to destroy the world as we know it,” said Jim Morgan, vice president of business development and work strategies at Waukesha-based employer association MRA.
But there may be more common ground among the four actively working generations – Gen Z, millennials, Gen X and baby boomers – than what meets the eye.
Among the many identifying traits of Gen Z workers, an affinity for in-office work ranks high in its most identifying. Gen Z employees looking to work in the office desire camaraderie, on-the-job training and mentorship from their peers and superiors, said Julia Howe, vice president of tenant representation at commercial real estate firm JLL.
“Gen Z, or people who just recently graduated college, are looking for mentorship more than anything,” she added.
Although many companies have maintained their hybrid work policies post-COVID, it remains imperative to have people in the office at some point during the work week to serve as mentors to newly hired or entry-level colleagues. The challenge arises in finding mentors who are equally interested in being in the office.
Greater numbers of millennial and Gen X workers are adhering to a hybrid work schedule post-COVID, leaving Gen Z and their C-suite baby boomer superiors left to their own devices. Adopting a hybrid work schedule and enforcing it among mid-level employees is a lesson some companies are learning too late, said Morgan.
“If we’re trying to build culture here and we want people to understand the way we do business, we need people to come in,” he said.
A shift in work-life balance
A cultural shift in the balance between work and home life is erupting across the professional workforce.
When today’s management-level and C-suite employees entered the workforce, a “live-to-work” mantra was in effect. Members of the baby boomer and Gen X generations conformed to the live-to-work mindset and have carried it through their careers. Many who serve in management positions now lead with the same principles.
“It used to be work 60 hours a week and keep grinding until you got noticed for all of your hard work and time,” said John Hagenow, CEO and managing partner at Waterford-based Fusion Recruiters. “The next generation has taught us that we can still be very productive, but now we work so we can live.”
Gen X and millennials have helped introduce and maintain the hybrid work set up post-COVID, spending some days working from home rather than in the office five days a week. A hybrid work environment has proven to be the most productive working environment, above fully in-office and fully remote, Hagenow said referring to a Harvard Business Review study.
As a result of the culture shift, the indicator of success has changed. Gone are the days of equating time to success. Younger employees are now focusing more on their holistic well-being and their families versus what more they can give to make their organization successful.
In addition to a new working setup, some employees in the younger generations are working non-traditional hours under the same deadlines. Working remotely and being adept at work-from-home technologies has allowed some mid-level employees to create their own schedules, working from 6 a.m. to noon, taking a mid-day break, and continuing from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., for example, said Morgan.
Defying misconceptions
As with many generational divides, members from each generation believe certain stereotypes about their counterparts: baby boomers struggle with technology, Gen X feels forgotten, millennials are entitled, Gen Z has trouble making appropriate eye contact, and the list goes on. While stereotypes are not all-encompassing truths, experts advise leaders to welcome their differences and use each generation’s unique skill sets to their advantage.
Reverse mentoring has become popular in the relationship between younger and older generations as entry-level workers bring a new tech-focused skill set to the table.
“I’ll say to some 60-year-olds, ‘You’ve got to listen to these folks because they know stuff that we don’t know,’” said Morgan. “They have skills that we never had access to.”
Regarding hiring, Morgan advises C-suite executives to look for skills that have been developed not by the length of time a candidate spends at a company, but rather by accumulation. Be open also to more non-traditional interviews. Some Gen Z candidates respond better to navigating hypothetical situations rather than explaining lived scenarios and their respective responses.
Regarding getting hired, Howe advises Gen Z entering the workforce to mimic the behavior of their mentoring superiors in the office.
“I’ve heard a lot about how eye contact and maintaining conversation is something that the older generations notice about fresh college grads,” she said. “You should be trying to impress your boss, so try to follow what they do.”
