Changing world of work: Are Gen Z not cut out for the workplace?

According to some newspapers, employers should avoid Generation Z like the plague.

Headlines suggest an entire generation is simply not cut out for the workplace.

I’m not sure that’s accurate, nor fair – and neither is Sam Spoors.

And Sam would know.

As founder of the award-winning Talentheads, Sam’s business is based around recruitment, learning and development.

That’s why she was the perfect guest for the latest episode of my Changing World of Work YouTube series.

 

We discussed how to engage Gen Z in the workplace – and for business leaders struggling to do just that, there isn’t a secret formula.

As Sam correctly states in the episode, to grow a business you need to know how to get the best from everyone on your team.

As she has discovered on her growth journey with Talentheads, you also need to embrace a varied workforce.

That may mean finding ways to connect with younger staff, who have an approach completely alien to your own.

Staff who prefer to interact online rather than in-person, and who have potentially never known the rigors of the traditional 9-5.

But variety is the spice of life – as is the way you lead.

They may be boomers, millennials, or Gen Z – but your entire workforce is unique. As a business coach one of my key messages is that the one-size-fits-all approach to leadership never works.

Your role as a leader is to pinpoint the things which motivate and inspire each individual to do their best work.

To do this, you need to listen, as well as talk, and build those relationships.

As myself and Sam discussed in the episode, you may have to teach your younger staff a few things – but you may also learn a thing or two along the way.