Table of contents
Retaining employees is essential for businesses of all types, whether it’s a restaurant, retail store, or construction company. Having to constantly hire and train new workers after the old ones have left is inefficient and costly, and it reduces productivity and team cohesion.
While all employees may job-hop, Gen Z workers, who were born between 1997 and 2012, are more comfortable doing it than past generations. They also stand apart in terms of their ethical expectations, tech-savviness, social awareness, and desire for transparency in the workplace.
As they continue to become a bigger part of the workforce, it’s important for your business to learn how to retain Gen Z workers and keep them content.
What Makes Deskless Gen Z Workers Quit Their Jobs?
To understand how to better retain these workers, you need to know why they leave jobs. For example, if a company offers a poor work-life balance and no flexibility, many young workers aren’t going to stick around very long.
A lack of transparency and communication can also cause Gen Z workers to quit. These workers want to be heard and kept in the know, not ignored or shut out of decision making.
If a company doesn’t align with the personal values they hold, many Gen Z workers won’t be willing to work there. The existence of old and outdated processes, routines, and technology can drive them away, too.
Also, if you can’t offer opportunities for growth and or career development, you’re likely to lose Gen Z workers to competitors who can. Gen Z sees the value in building their skills and wants to work with companies that invest in them.
What Are Gen Z Deskless Employees Looking For in a Job?
First of all, Gen Z wants to be heard. Listening to Gen Z workers and getting their opinions on things like business practices and their job satisfaction can go a long way in making them feel valued and involved in the company. You can send out surveys to collect thoughts, open a suggestion box, or encourage them to fill out live polls, among other things.
A paycheck simply isn’t enough for many workers of this generation. They want to make a difference in the world and for the work they do to have a purpose. To this end, show employees how their work has an impact by equating their work with a positive outcome. For example, you can mention that house-building helps families or great service at a restaurant makes someone’s first date or anniversary dinner enjoyable.
Additionally, with depression in the workplace and employee burnout being common, Gen Z workers want to work with a company that prioritizes their wellbeing. Ensure you offer a positive work-life balance, a flexible work schedule, and a quality wellness program. Also, ask your team the sorts of wellness initiatives they feel would be most valuable to include in this program.
Gen Z workers also look for jobs that let them communicate in a way they are comfortable with. Many don’t talk on the phone and don’t love the idea of sending emails back and forth or sitting through meetings.
Instead, they prefer a chat app that they can use on their phone. This is likely to be familiar to them and allows them to get important information and ask questions wherever they are.
What Challenges Does This Pose to Businesses?
These expectations of Gen Z workers can pose some unique challenges for businesses looking to hire and retain them. Businesses need to adopt technology that allows young workers to work, communicate, and collaborate in a way they’re comfortable with.
The challenge with this isn’t only the potential cost of these solutions but also getting your older employees on board and comfortable with the changes. Organizational change is difficult and requires a lot of trust and work from everyone involved.
Also, with many Gen Z employees requiring flexible scheduling and more control over when they work, you may need to rethink how you schedule shifts.
Businesses face the additional challenge of needing to personalize the employee experience and allow for customization. Everything from social media feeds to music to online shopping experiences are personalized and can be customized, and these young employees expect the same at work.
With many Gen Z workers always looking for their next opportunity, it can be challenging for businesses to deal with the potential uncertainty of losing employees out of nowhere. Your business needs to provide a good overall experience to keep these workers loyal.
Conclusion
Retaining employees helps keep costs low and productivity high, and is something every company should aim to do. As the Gen Z workforce grows, it’s more important than ever for businesses to learn how to keep them happy and engaged. If you don’t, this generation isn’t opposed to jumping ship to another company that will. Read our article to learn exactly how to retain Gen Z employees.