Each generation has its own unique quirks, strengths, and perspectives, which can make it challenging for you to utilize each team member to their utmost potential. Learning about what makes Gen Z tick, including their top strengths, can help you find where your team fits best. Here's a breakdown of this generation's common strengths and ideas of how to use your Gen Z team to help your company thrive.
Common Gen Z strengths
Gen Z brings many strengths to the table. Being brought up in a digital age, they've developed unique skills that set them apart from past generations and can have a lasting positive impact on your company. Here are some common Gen Z strengths to look out for when hiring and creating your teams:
Adaptability
Willing to pivot when needed, Gen Zers are highly adaptable and flexible when it comes to work dynamics. This is crucial in today's ever-changing professional landscape where adaptability can help your company stay on top of trends and customer demands. Because of their adaptability and flexibility, these individuals are also quite resilient regarding change. This means they can accept and overcome change quickly, which can help your company navigate economic and industry disruptions while remaining competitive in the market.
Technology proficiency
Many Gen Z employees are well versed in using technology in their daily lives. As digital natives, they grew up in a world with Wi-Fi, vast software solutions, and technology integrations, making them perfect candidates if your company wants to embrace technology in day-to-day operations.
Collaboration
As social media platforms gained popularity, people began to develop better communication and collaboration skills. As Gen Z has largely grown up with these booming platforms, they learned these communication skills earlier than most. These collaboration skills also promote knowledge sharing and can improve problem-solving efforts within your organization.
Data analysis
Gen Z thrives on data, preferring to receive feedback with cold, hard numbers and discovering business insights with data. This skill set helps other abilities blossom, such as critical thinking and decision making.
Social and environmental consciousness
Environmental and social causes became a major part of the culture in which Gen Z grew up, making these types of causes near and dear to their hearts. This also influences them to look at company sustainability initiatives, working and buying from those organizations that prioritize doing activities with minimal impact on the environment and giving back to the community. This can have a positive effect on your company, as employing Gen Z workers can help your organization better align with social responsibility initiatives, bolstering efforts to enhance brand reputation.
Entrepreneurial spirit
Many Gen Zers enjoy working for themselves and starting their own businesses. While this may not seem to benefit your company, the root of this desire often revolves around independence and the desire for innovation. Your company can capitalize on this aspect as they create something new. Once you ignite this passion in your Gen Z team, you might see more productive employees who also foster a positive work environment.
"As Gen Z becomes a larger part of the workforce, you can take advantage of this generation's unique skills to help your company thrive and navigate the ever-changing markets."
How to utilize these strengths effectively
Knowing this generation's strengths is one thing, but understanding where they can make the most impact within your company can help you utilize your teams effectively. Here are some ideas of where you can place Gen Z team members to capitalize on their strengths while also remaining aware of their common weaknesses:
Trainers for new technologies and software
With their more casual communication style and digital native skills, Gen Zers may be effective trainers within your organization for new technologies or software. This can help with adopting new technologies as Gen Z can often be a champion for change, helping team members understand the benefit of the new technology and how it can assist them in their daily tasks. This opportunity can also help develop additional proficiencies such as presentation skills, critical thinking, communication, and organization, which can be useful in other roles and support your team members as they continue working for your company.
Advocates for sustainable business practices
Having Gen Z in charge of your company's sustainable initiatives can help boost your organization's reputation and improve your customer base. With them at the helm, ensuring your company is compliant with all its sustainability initiatives, your business can capitalize on this generation's enjoyment of working alone while also benefitting from their passion for green initiatives and practices.
Analysts for complex big data modeling
As this generation are digital natives and proficient in data analysis, they can be an asset when it comes to complex data modeling. With the fresh perspectives and innovation that this generation is known for, they can find new ways to look at data that can help your company navigate the ups and downs of the industry.
You may find new solutions to issues that have plagued your company for years or discover processes that can be streamlined because of the new insights that Gen Z can bring to the table. Working with other big data modeling team members can also help them develop additional collaboration skills and understand more formal communication, abilities that are important for presenting data modeling findings and solutions.
Champions for change initiatives
Gen Z can be champions for change, often early adopters of new initiatives within a company. Since they can adjust to new processes quickly and remain flexible, their early adoption of change can encourage others to accept innovations and better align with where your company is going versus remaining stuck in how your organization has done things in the past.
Stakeholders for research and development
Research and development are often the bread and butter for companies wanting to remain relevant in competitive markets, such as technology and consumer products. Having Gen Z as important players in research and development, your company can use this generation's entrepreneurial spirit to help develop new ideas that solve previously unseen consumer desires. This can improve your company's standing in the market and stay ahead in innovation.
As Gen Z becomes a larger part of the workforce, you can take advantage of this generation's unique skills to help your company thrive and navigate the ever-changing markets. Finding ways to capitalize on their strengths, such as collaboration, resilience, and technical proficiency, you can utilize this generation to their max while also offering the meaningful opportunities that they crave.
More tips for hiring and managing Gen Z employees
Understanding what each generation wants in the workplace can help your company improve employee satisfaction, which can have a trickle-down effect on retention and loyalty.
Gen Z highly values work-life balance, and if your company prioritizes this aspect, you might find your recruiting efforts more conducive to converting candidates to full-time hires.
Aside from work-life balance, exploring how to attract this next generation of workers can help your company expand its candidate pool and secure top-tier talent for your organization.
