Debunking The Myth: Is Gen Z Truly Demanding, Job-hopping, And Confrontational?

“Easy come, easy go”, demanding and confrontational – is it true? 

By constantly “come and go”, Gen Z is often seen as a problem to HR. Hoàng Anh – an HR professional shared: “When applying for a job, they seemed very excited and showed a strong passion towards everything related to work. A few months later, all the passion and promises at the beginning are all gone, and out of nowhere, they left.” 

Given that employers ask Gen Z “What do you expect from a healthy workplace?”, they will surely receive a long list of personal requirements such as flexible working hours, relationships with colleagues, encouragement to speak up and give suggestions, etc. 

However, to Ms. Nguyễn Thị An Hà – Head of Marketing and Strategic Partnership of Talentnet, Gen Z’s needs are understandable in today standards: “Every generation has their needs and wants for the benefit package. Work-life balance has always been one of the highly sought-after benefits. Growing up in the digital world – an era of information and social platforms, Gen Z has better opportunities and tools to raise their voice compared to the previous generations. This has created the stereotype of a young generation that is not afraid to speak up what they want.” 

Đức Hoàng (21 years old) shared: “A meeting, where people need to express their ideas, will not be effective if we aren’t allowed to speak up. But the dilemma is that straightforward opinions can be considered as “showing off” and disrespectful. I’ve also noticed the gap between Gen Z like myself and Gen X, Y leaders views upon various problems. I just wish there was a way to help me express my points of view more effectively.” 

Debunked the negative labels for Gen Z

It is truly a difficult problem for leaders and HR to manage Gen Z. However, it is not possible as Ms. An Hà shared a few solutions that businesses can apply: “HR needs to prepare and update themselves with a deeper understanding of Gen Z. To deal with the freedom-loving generation, businesses need to be flexible, implement the “out of the box” mindset to inspire employee’s creativity“. 

Ms. An Hà suggests the “flexible 3” model to become an ideal company in the eyes of Gen Z: 

Flexible opportunities: Unlike the fixed working model, the circular management model allows businesses to flexibly arrange employees, work procedures, make decisions, etc. Applying a flexible working model not only brings new experiences but also allows Gen Z to actively participate in many different projects that match their abilities and skills. 

Flexible management: Simplifying management processes and evaluating employees based on effort and performance is what HR needs to put into consideration instead of rules and “boring” assessment forms. Moreover, businesses can motivate Gen Z by including and asking for their opinions on KPIs assessment, which also make it easier for managers to provide career roadmaps for these employees. 

Flexible benefits: Businesses can change their benefit packages according to individual needs, also known as personalized benefits. For example, instead of yoga classes to reduce stress after work, businesses can provide a certain amount of money for employees to find their favorite type of entertainments. 

Source: Tuổi Trẻ