Managing Gen Z Successfully In The Workplace

I’ll be honest, I love working with Gen Z. However, I can see why so many others find them a bit of a minefield. I speak to leaders who find them a bit of mystery, or find them high maintenance, or can’t really figure out what to do with them.

Why am I even qualified to give you tips? Well, I have been swimming in the Gen Z Sea for the last 14 years trying to lead them and educate them. At times, you may feel like you need subtitles. At other times, you may be left scratching your head trying to figure out what went wrong.  So, stay with me while I share a few tips. (I’ll even include a glossary down below.)

*Let me spill the tea.

Who are Gen Z?

Those born in 1997 to 2012 fall into this generation. The youngest of this generation are currently 12 and the eldest are 27.

Why should I care?

Well by 2025, 30% of the workforce will be made up of Gen Z.

Why does that matter to me?

Gen Z employees are going to expect very different things from a workplace than previous generations. They are mental health literate. They are work, life balance driven. And as a bonus, they spot inauthenticity from a mile away. They will sniff out your BS before you’ve even realised you spun it. They love the online world, but they crave authentic human connection. They are also well versed around issues to do with harassment, racism, sexism, and any type of discrimination. They have a social conscious and care about the environment. So, if you’re the type of leader who doesn’t know or care about these things, you may find yourself butting heads with these new workforce entrants. *No cap.

A few tips:

Praise

Learn to give praise as a natural part of your leadership style. Give if often and give it at the time. If this is difficult for you, work on it. Trust me. The whole system has geared these young people up to receive instant positive feedback from teachers, parents and heart emojis on their social media posts. Starting at school when they were praised for sitting well on the mat during mat time or submitting an assignment on time, they have been praised for everything. Why? Because some research from somewhere showed that positive reinforcement-built confidence and self-esteem in kids, so it was woven through the entire school system. And honestly, it was taken a little too far.

The other day I was talking to a manager who told me this was the part she struggles with the most. She is Gen X, and if you are from that generation, you’ll remember that praise was rarely given out unless you do something super exceptional. She says she remembers doing her job as a young person and barely expecting a thank you. Try that with Gen Z and it will be a *big, fat L.

Show that you care

Even though Gen Z seem somewhat obsessed by their phones and social media, they really crave human interaction and leaders who show a genuine interest in them. I spoke to a manager who told me his Gen Z staff were angry because he hadn’t held a Performance Development Meeting with them.

“You don’t care about us,” they complained. He was baffled. No Performance Development Meeting surely means you’re doing fine right? Wrong! Gen Z sees that as being ignored. You don’t even care enough to engage. *Its like being left on read. He quickly scheduled the meetings and told them all he cared a lot about them. He never skipped Performance Development Meetings again.

Learn about Mental Health

If you aren’t mental health literate, you need to become literate. Gen Z has grown up knowing about mental health issues. There are a few reasons for this. One of them is that the fast-paced world, more demands and constant stream of information via social media has made them one of the most anxious generations we have seen.

One of the other reasons, is that according to the Child Maltreatment Study 2024, roughly 30% have complex trauma and 43.% will be diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point in their lives. 39% of 16–24-year-olds have had a diagnosis in the past year. Mental Health knowledge is no longer a nice to have trait as a manager, it is essential if you want to lead Gen Z and communicate effectively with them. If you don’t work on upskilling yourself here, *you’re going to minus major aura points.

Work Life Balance

This shocks so many leaders I speak to. They cannot believe that this frontier of new workers has the gall to be demanding work life balance so early in their careers. I mean, who do they think they are? The rest of us suffered for years at the bottom before we ever thought to use that term!

Yeah, Gen Z learnt from our mistakes. They are smart enough to know that company loyalty died a long time ago and no matter how hard you work, and how many things you give up for your job, you could be let go in the next round of firings. They’ve taken a good look at what past generations have put up with and thought, thanks but no thanks.

Tell me the good stuff!!!

Gen Z are much more willing to embrace diversity and inclusivity than generations before them. They are passionate about fairness and equality, and they care about things that are affecting the world on a larger scale. They may seem like high maintenance, but they are also fiercely innovative and technologically savvier than generations before them. They will also see through the BS, so you can expect more authentic relationships and communication with them in the workplace.

If you focus on these good points, you will find it hard not to like working with them too.

*Keep Slaying!

* GEN Z GLOSSARY

Spill the Tea: Tell you the gossip or information
No cap: Telling the truth, not lying
Big, Fat ‘L’: A loss
Being left on read: Seeing that your message has been read by the receiver, but there has been no response.
Minus major Aura Points: This makes you look awkward as a person and people will wonder about your morals.
Keep Slaying: Keep up the great work/You’re killing it