Empathizing to Best Attract and Retain Our MZ Generation Employees
Written by HRCap, Inc.
December 1, 2023
Introduction
The MZ Generation (the MZ Gen, the MZers) is a term coined in South Korea that groups both the Millennial Generation (born in 1981-1995) and the Generation Z (born in 1996-2012).
This budding generation currently makes up about 38% of the global workforce and will rise close to 58% of the total workforce by 2030.
However, as of May 2023, 32% of employees experienced workplace conflicts due to generational gaps. 31% believed that Gen Z individuals were highly likely to be involved in such conflicts, while 25% expressed a similar perception regarding Millennials. In fact, 63% overall believed that generational differences played a significant role in creating workplace conflicts.
Generational conflict is inevitable given varying experiences across generations, rising advancement of technologies, and even individual preferences. Each of the five generations in the global workforce holds unique characteristics, values, and drivers shaped by formative events and market trends. We must learn to approach the differences stemming from generational differences, while also acknowledging that members from even the same generation may also have more differences than commonalities and shared experiences.
The MZ Gen has called us all to take a pause to truly listen, empathize, and take action. With the onset of the pandemic, they have disrupted and helped mobilize our workforce. We must begin to accept such disruptions, changes, and conflicts as growth opportunities in disguise.
How to Read this Report
HRCap communicates with more than 1,000 candidates on a daily basis regarding recruiting and career changes. Through these daily interactions, we have been able to carefully assess and understand varying drivers and key career priorities that heavily shape and influence the MZ Generation in their professional journeys and personal development.
41,743 MZ Generation candidates (now registered in our proprietary ERP database) have been contacted for career discussions. When asked if they were open to a new career opportunity, they all responded and shared various reasons for wanting or delaying career changes.
We analyzed LinkedIn Inmail responses, candidate survey data, career preference polls, applicant screening conversations, job interview answers, and even offer negotiation feedback to identify the unique drivers that intrinsically motivate the MZ Generation as a whole.
We then classified the findings into six unique career categories in hopes that the MZ Gen can identify with their respective categories and build greater self-awareness to manage their career development.
Organizations must acknowledge that not all MZ Gen employees are wired and motivated the same way. By understanding the unique drivers, leaders can empathize and relate better with the MZ Gen.
For each career category, we close with an action-based HRCap Prescription that is carefully designed to help organizations build the necessary tools, widen existing perspectives, and consider modern programs that may better attract and retain the MZ Gen employees.
This White Paper is intended for organizations of any size, market, industry, geography, and maturity. We encourage all HR leaders, hiring managers, and executives making critical business decisions to carefully read our 6 HRCap MZ Generation Career Categories White Paper and apply our HRCap Prescriptions to co-design and co-lead the future workforce.
Source: HRCap
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