Gen Z Employees
If staff wages weren’t such a huge cost to the business, in fact often the highest cost to the business, then the attitude towards staff would doubtless be very different. As it stands, a common grievance I hear from owners is that their current team isn’t their best version - citing a list of reasons such as the lack of international talent post-pandemic, that staff only give bare minimum effort and that it’s almost impossible to find people passionate about the industry anymore. Interesting too is how ubiquitous the comments about the Gen Z contingent are; how they’re high maintenance, interested more in themselves than anything else, transient and hypersensitive.
There are often 3 generations of workers in the one business these days, with Gen X-ers usually still in the management roles and Gen Z-ers comprising an increasing number of the team. Creating a workplace culture that manages these very different sets of values and experiences well can be very challenging. And most managers (although some have similar aged children) haven’t been given any additional workplace assistance on how to negotiate their way through this new territory.
These Happy Hour blogposts are too brief to tackle this topic with much substance, but we were talking about this yesterday in the office and there were some great parts of the conversation which I thought I’d share. If anyone is going through this in their own work situation, I hope this can help.
Managing Gen Z in Hospitality
Having one job and staying with it for years and years isn’t valued by Gen Z as a desirable roadmap like it was for previous generations. They are often more inclined to have multiple jobs to broaden their skill sets, or keep a job for financial security while they work on a side hustle or other pursuits they consider equally or more important. Having the flexibility to acknowledge this might require some creative rostering and employing, but ironically it might create more stability.
A lot of Gen Z were just becoming adults and going into the workplace during the years of COVID-19 and repeated lockdowns. Seeing what that did to the hospitality industry wouldn’t fill them with confidence that it’s a stable and thriving industry to forge a career in. Finding ways to create a sense of stability and career growth potential in your business isn’t easy, but understanding that it might really resonate with the younger team might be useful.
A company’s ESG commitment and company values can be a make-or-break consideration for Gen Z applicants. Having your business mission statement, brand pillars, ESG and employment policies documented, or at the very least as a clear and compelling articulation, is a big step forwards. Having a visible network or a portal where they can see reviews of what it’s like to work with you can also be a valuable point of difference. Creating this is easy; however whether or not there are people (current and ex-staff) ready to populate it with positive reviews might be an interesting comment on the company culture. Any odour of toxicity, workplace bullying, non-workplace compliance or similar will be an instant red flag for newcomers.
Even more than Millenials, Gen Z have grown up permanently connected to smart phones, tablets and TV’s. A huge amount of their ‘education’ and social experience comes vicariously through these devices. Creating an environment where they are forbidden from using them is akin to a parental punishment and creates and us/them division immediately. Finding ways to not only allow them to be on their phones occasionally, but to even become ambassadors for the business by creating daily digital content requires a real shift for us Gen X-ers, but is probably a better option.
SOME THINGS OLDER MANAGERS AND OWNERS MIGHT THINK TO EVOLVE
The interviewing and on-barding procedure
Embracing more technology in the workplace
Being able to clearly articulate/share your company values and mission statement
Changing the expectation of hours in attendance
Employing Gen Z
Lastly, consider re-evaluating your employment procedure. Gen Z are often less comfortable and underperform in face-to-ace environments where they feel pressured. Creating something on a more familiar technology or platform for them could work in your favour. For instance you could create a downloadable presentation of your brand and a set of questions that they can film themselves answering (and repeat if they mess it up) and submit to you via a link. Very straightforward to set up, makes your business look much more progressive and might open the doors to candidates who don’t conform easily to what is often an unnecessarily autocratic process.
See you in the next one!
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