HIring in the Gen Z age

Look out workforce there's a new generation on the horizon. Employers are, hopefully, getting comfortable with the changing hiring landscape that Millennials have cultivated. But not too comfortable. For the first time since Millennials took over the top spot in the workforce, the next wave is coming of age. Gen Z, those born after 1996, are entering adulthood and will be submitting resumes.

The numbers

Millennials are persons born between 1981 and 1996. The Pew Research Center estimated that Millennials surpassed baby Boomers in 2016 and now are the "Old Salts" in the labor force. While Baby Boomer numbers are declining and Millennials are taking the mantel, Gen Z has been sneaking up. Bloomberg estimates that Gen Z will surpass Millennials in 2019 comprising 32% of the world's population. By 2020 they will be the majority in the workforce.

Millennials hit the workforce in such numbers and such differing personalities from Gen Xers and Baby Boomers that they changed the way business was done. Both in marketing and hiring. In order to court new hires from this generation employers had to change practices. The marketing world has gone to great lengths to shape campaigns to attract Millennial customers.  A generation literally changed the way business was done. Just as the business world had things were figured out it appears that changes will again have to be made. 

Who is Gen Z?

Millennials seemed to get a bad rap in the workforce but by sheer numbers were able to change how business is done. Every generation has its own idiosyncrasies. Technology advanced so quickly over the past thirty years children and grandchildren grew up much differently than their parents and even from each other. Gen Z is the first post 9/11 generation and the first generation in which smartphones are bodily attachments. According to Buzzfeed, here are a few things that Gen Z never heard of or are curious about: Payphones, Floppy discs, VHS and cassette tapes, The phrases-"Roll down the window" or "Hang up the phone", pound sign, pencil sharpener, film or film canisters, Gameboys or game system cartridges. At least some early Millennials may have come across these things or their remnants.

Generational differences

A Cultural trends report by Endeavor Global Marketing lists three major differences between Millennials and Gen Z. Gen Z is described as having non-binary beauty or gender fluid beauty concepts. They are a progressive foodie culture in which stories are part of the experience. The report says, "Expect to see a shift from photogenic, Instagrammable, food to the emergence of the stories of those behind the dishes". Gen Z will expect a more connected theater experience in which shows are releasing soundtracks early and streaming shows which generate more viral interest.

According to Inc.com, Gen Z prefers conversation to mass communication. Instead of being absorbed in social media they are more interested in quality, personal relationships. While Gen Z is less interested in their friend count, they are interested in getting their news via social media or the Internet. Compared to Millennials Gen Z is more interested in entrepreneurship.

Hiring Gen Z

What does all this mean to employers and hiring? Knowing what is coming next and how to adjust. Just as you know the qualities you are looking for in an employee you need to know what qualities the employee pool has to offer and is expecting. As you and your business age, the hiring pool is getting younger. Gen Z has aged in a different time from Millennials. Knowing about what will soon become the largest generational workforce is how employers will attract and retain employees.

Concordia University-St Paul released a study on what to expect from Gen Z in the workforce. Gen Z tends to be more like their grandparents when it comes to privacy and practicality. As mentioned, they have never known life without a digital connection at their fingertips. They are multitaskers, using on average of five screens. They believe that social media is a big part of their lives but crave more personal relationships and worry that social media erodes this. They are frugal shoppers and distrust big brands. 35% plan to start retirement savings in their 20's. 

The study continues with an assessment of Gen Z in the workplace. This generation is hard working. They are deeply driven by security and are motivated by salary and health benefits. They are willing to put in the extra hours if they are rewarded for it. They prefer to work independently and value skills and self-improvement. They feel that they are responsible for driving their own career. They view technology as a tool. They want to be coached and trained.

There you have it. Everything you need to know about hiring the perfect young candidate and providing them with a long and successful career. Well, not everything. But it's a good jump on knowing who will be sitting in your interview chair. The point is, there is so much more than just putting up the Help Wanted sign. Knowing your candidates will go a long way in making the proper hire and saving everyone a lot of headaches.  

More blogs on generations and the workplace at https://mazzellainvestigations.blogspot.com/search/label/millennials

Millennials are changing everything

The year 2019 will see Millennials overtake baby boomers as the largest generation. They already make up the majority of the U.S. workforce and are considered the world’s most powerful consumers. They are also the most technologically engaged. If your business has been overlooking them as potential employees or customers, you may be making a big mistake.

Hiring

My July 2018 post, A generation changes hiring explains how business has had to adjust their hiring process to attract this pool of candidates. Millennials are not shy about talking to bosses or jumping jobs. They’ll move until they find the right fit and expect salary increases and better working environments. 

Declines or poor planning

As far as consumers, they are driving the marketplace and causing change. A variety of recent studies regarding business and products have claimed that Milliennials are to blame for their decreased sales. A few examples are fabric softener, bar soap, canned tuna, casual dining, and department stores.

Proctor & Gamble believes that Millennials are unaware of what is the intent of fabric softener. Market research company Mintel found that 18 to 24 years believe that bar soap is full of germs. The Wall Street Journal reported in December 2018 that canned tuna sales have declined due to this generation’s decision that the cans are too difficult to open. There was also a report that breakfast cereal sales are declining due to claims of the product being too messy. This may also explain the lack of interest in casual dining restaurants, which have claimed that Millennials are not interested in sitting down for longer periods of time to dine. They’d rather eat on the go. Department stores may have trouble blaming a generation more than a technology phenomenon. While it’s true that Millennials are less interested in brick and mortar stores, e-commerce is probably more to blame. Consumer goods companies that have not adjusted are filing Chapter 11.

All of these products or services have seen sales decline. They’ve had to resort to price reductions, closings, or even bankruptcy to adjust. Are they looking for something to blame for declines or excusing poor planning? Some of the reports and research were based on interviews while others were based on declining sales and attributed to Millennials. Of course, claims run rampant on the Internet further fueling Millennials as scapegoats.

Reviews

They read them and they give them.  Online reviews and apps like Yelp cannot be ignored. Millennials make informed decisions about large purchases and where they are going to eat. How many stars and positive reviews your business has can drive business as well as detract. If you’re noticing a decline of business from a certain demographic, check your reviews. 

Make sure your business has listings set up on Google, Yelp, and any other app that may service your industry. Encourage reviews and be interactive, for the good and the bad. If there are bad reviews try to respond in a way that shows empathy and what is being done to correct the problem.

Home delivery

Even fast food restaurants are getting into the home delivery game. Partnering with services like Grub Hub and Door Dash major franchises are providing home delivery. More than likely another way commerce is changing to accommodate a generation of buyers. To keep up or ahead, delivery or some sort of convenience offered to customers may be another consideration in your business model.

It is yet to be seen if the largest generation will become the next greatest generation, but, currently, they are a powerful economic force. Recognizing this and adapting could literally mean the future of your business. 

Visit the blog archives for more articles on how Millennials have affected the marketplace. http://mazzellainvestigations.blogspot.com/search/label/millennials

A generation changes hiring

What benefits are you willing to provide to attract today’s workforce? The U.S. Millennial generation is poised to outnumber Baby boomers by 2019. The Pew Research Center estimates that Millennials will number over 73 million while Boomers decline to 72 million. This population surge also translates to the workforce as Pew reported that Millennials did, in fact, surpass Baby Boomers in 2016.

So the chances of your hiring pool being populated by Millennials is very high. What you were offering in the way of incentives and hiring packages in the past may not be of interest today. Applicants may turn down your offering because of a better package elsewhere. And that doesn’t always mean money.

Companies know that the job marketplace is changing. In order to be competitive, incentives to hire are being reconsidered. Pension plans are being phased out as companies look to save money and retirement accounts have become portable. While one business may pay well another may have a more “millennial” conducive atmosphere. The younger workforce seeks independence and freedom to make choices. You don’t need brick and mortar to start a business and these potential employees know that. Today is easier than ever to follow the dream of being your own boss and launching a business that will change the world. Attracting and retaining talent is becoming difficult and competitive. Companies need to tap into the energy that is driving the marketplace. But how do they draw potential talent into the corporate world? By downplaying the corporate label and integrating freedom and flexibility into the workplace.

Being aware of massive student loan debt facing today’s graduate, companies are offering better than average salary options as well as paying for postgraduate degrees and training. The cube farms of yesteryear still exist to some extent, not everyone can have a corner office. But the office decor is more upbeat and well lighted encouraging a more productive environment. Playing to the work-life balance many companies have embraced the idea of unlimited leave. Which may sound like a pathway to abuse but past studies have shown that employees with unlimited time off benefits actually took less leave. If a business doesn’t have a gym on the grounds they offer access to established gyms nearby. Team bonding events, both on and off-site. Nurseries. Pet sitting services. Meals and snacks. The list is ever growing and is only limited by the employer’s imagination and of course what they can afford.

Studies have shown that the Millennial generation is changing the marketplace. They are also changing the workplace. If not by their expectations of what employers should offer but how the company is managed. The entrance level employees ten years ago are upper-level management and CEO’s today.

You may offer a traditional employment package with a higher salary but if your competitors' benefits and culture are better, you’re losing talent. If not at the hiring phase but during retention. Changes to the hiring and benefits culture may be a slow drag for some employers into a new era but it should also affect the workplace in its entirety in a positive manner.

See the blog archive for other posts relating to the Millennials workforce.

Hiring in the Millennial age May 2017
Customer service in the Millennial age March 2017
Not like all the others September 2016

Hiring in the millennial age

People between ages 18 to 34 are in the millennial generation and were projected to number 75.3 million in 2015, surpassing the projected 74.9 million Boomers (ages 51 to 69). That generational group fills the job pool and is highly sought after. Generational differences mean you need to adjust your job screening process. Below is an excerpt from an article posted on Society for Human Resource Managers, written by Angela Preston, which explains some legal issues you should be aware of when screening Millennials.

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Hiring this growing generation of workers introduces a whole new set of legal challenges to the HR department, and the background screening process is one of those challenges. These five legal lessons should provide a good starting place for making your screening program more compliant and Millennial-friendly.

Social Media Searches

Millennials love their social networks. In fact, social media in many ways defines this generation. Many have grown up with Facebook accounts and can’t remember a world without the Internet or even without Twitter. They chronicle their lives on Instagram. Some say Millennials share too freely and fail to appreciate the impact that social media posts can have on their careers. The oversharing can be tempting for hiring managers who are eager to tap into the wealth of online information…. employers are more likely to stumble upon protected class information that could get them into hot water. Employers need to make sure that any social media screening is done by those who are familiar with the legal risks—particularly anti-discrimination and privacy laws.

Digital Natives and Age Discrimination

Millennials are not direct targets for age discrimination. But here’s the rub—the hiring criteria you are using to attract Millennials might be at the expense of those older 40-somethings who are protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and other similar state laws. Another example is the term “digital native.” It’s the new code for a recent graduate and it’s popping up in ads where companies are looking for a person who was born and raised in the digital age. In other words, Millennials. Legal experts agree that pre-screening for digital natives is a form of thinly veiled age discrimination.

Driving Records

Apparently Millennials don’t like to drive. According to AARP, Millennials drive around 25 percent less than their counterparts did just eight years ago. If a licensed driver with a clean driving record is your target, you might actually be eliminating a significant number of prospective Millennial applicants. That might not be a big deal, but like all parts of a pre-employment background check, you want to make sure that the information you are seeking is relevant to the job at hand. Before you run a motor vehicle report (MVR) on an applicant, you should be asking yourself why? Is a clean driving record a bona fide job requirement?

Credit

Millennials, more than any other generation, tend to rely less on traditional bank loans and credit cards. They are more likely to use cash, and as a group they actually spend less than Generation X or Baby Boomers. They tend to borrow less, which some experts think is related to their large amount of student loan debt. Credit is already a slippery slope, with many states prohibiting use of credit for pre-employment screening.

Job History and Verifications

Millennials job hop. According to Data Facts blog, “a whopping 91% of them don’t expect to stay at a job for longer than 3 years.” They are mobile, more likely to move to large urban areas and are less motivated by pay. Their priorities are different from those who came before them and will move on in order to find more meaningful work.

Five legal lessons for screening millennials Angela Preston

Also about millennials affect on the work force is our March 2017 post Customer service in the millennial age

Customer service in the millennial age

Several recent experiences with different companies chat service have proven to be helpful and satisfying interactions. It seems that the customer service experience through chats and emails has been getting better. Either training has improved or companies are finally responding to customer needs. Another possible solution for this phenomenon is that the work force is getting younger.

According to a U.S Census Bureau report from June 2015, millennials represent more than one quarter of the nation’s population at 83.1 million. In comparison, the next largest population are Baby Boomers at 75.4 million. With their defined birth years between 1982 and 2000, they are well into the workforce and setting policy and trends. The economic landscape is adjusting. Millennials have grown up always digitally connected through cell phones, computers, games, and tablets. They tend to have less money to spend and will use their digital resources to scour for deals. The biggest generation in U.S. history is changing our economic landscape and how companies do business.

Companies have had email and chat alternatives for customer service contact for some time. It is reasonable to say that as millennials enter the work force they will bring their values and habits with them. One of those is reluctance to speaking on the telephone. They’d much rather stay within the digital world. They, themselves, use resources such as chat and email to communicate with business. In turn they provide the same service they would like to receive, putting more effort into something in which they believe a valuable resource.

Just a theory.

See our blog archive for other posts relating to millennials:

#IQUIT February 2014

Not like all the others September 2016

Not like all the others

In 1999, there was technological uncertainty in the business world as the new millennia approached. Now there is uncertainty in the business world as Millennials take over the labor force.  A Pew Research Center 2015 study found that Millennials made up 34% of the American workforce, surpassing GenXers, while baby boomers are declining at 29%. Unlike the old days where the new generation works for the old, now it is quite possible that the youngest is hiring the oldest. As the older generation of workers declines the more likely scenario is Millennials hiring Millennials. So as the job market becomes tighter with applicants of the same generation, how does one stand out?

No matter who’s hiring whom, resumes start to look similar-same types of schools, training, skills, etc. A very high percentage of companies have an online application process. Resumes are almost certainly filtered for keywords relating to job functions and duties. Step one in the application process makes it difficult to distinguish oneself. An applicant has to have a strong resume that specifically meets the requirements of the individual job posting.  If an applicant is lucky enough to land an interview it may be advantageous to use their own generation’s weaknesses to differentiate themselves from the masses.

All generations have personality traits that can be viewed as weaknesses in the workplace. Baby boomers are viewed as self centered, result focused, driven workaholics, who fight change. GenXers are seen as cynical and impatient, dislike inflexible work schedules, and have portable resumes. Millennials don’t care for mentally unchallenging tasks, need supervision and structure, and have high expectations for themselves.

As Millennials flood the workplace experts are documenting what would be considered negative stereotypes. Specifically:

• Up talking-sounds indecisive/unconfident/immature
• Speaking in abbreviations
•  Focus issues caused by constantly changing electronic stimuli and lack of willingness, multitasking  Lack of social interaction skills, how to talk/deal with people; personal meetings
• Aversion to using the telephone
•  ‘Not caring’ persona
• Entitlement

If you are a Millennial that possesses more traditional work place qualities, highlight those skills as opposition to negative stereotypes. Just because you don’t fit the stereotypical mold for your generation shouldn’t be seen as weaknesses. Turn your abilities and personality traits into positives. Know how others view your generation negatively and present yourself as not like all the others. Generational weaknesses can be used as your strengths.

As Millennials take over the higher-level management jobs the negatives will become positives. A Millennial based company may want Millennial qualities in it’s employees. Of course, as in any presentation, you have to know your audience. Learn the values the company finds important for it’s employees. Learn the mean age of the company’s workforce and its leaders. An interviewee may have to adjust their presentation per interview.

See our blog archive for other posts relating to interviews:

A good interview April 2015

#IQUIT February 2014

Can an interview tell employers everything? January 2013