In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, Kat Walsh, a leading voice on Generation Z, offers insights on how businesses can more effectively attract and keep Gen Z talent. She addresses common misconceptions about the newest generation to enter the workforce, highlighting their strong desire for work-life balance, opportunities for growth, and meaningful careers. With today’s ever-evolving workplace, you don’t want to miss this discussion about what truly motivates this new wave of professionals.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Kat Walsh is an entrepreneur, consultant, author, speaker, and self-proclaimed GenZ-ologist.
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ATTRACTING GEN Z TALENT
While 63% of CEOs are focusing on employee engagement in 2024, organizations may still struggle with understanding how to effectively attract and retain the enigmatic Generation Z. According to Kat Walsh, one of the key challenges is that while companies have information on Gen Z, they “don’t know what to do with” it.
Walsh further explains that many corporations focus too heavily on skill-based job postings, neglecting to highlight values or attributes that will truly engage a generation that values aligning their own lifestyles with their work. “Those are the things that really make people thrive,” Walsh said. To better engage Gen Z, she suggests that organizations adjust their processes and tap into what excites this generation. Ultimately, if businesses really want to reach Gen Z, it’s time to take a different approach.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Embracing What Works
“We need those skill-based postings, but then to build a little bit further, a little bit deeper, by saying, ‘Okay, these are the attributes that really will help you excel in these roles.’ It’s very well documented that things like emotional intelligence create higher performance and better leaders, so it’s nothing new. It’s just that we haven’t really embraced it to the extent that I think we could.”
The Gen Z Approach to Work
“There’s a misconception in the world that Gen Z doesn’t have ambition and doesn’t want to work, and they’re lazy, and all kinds of things. That’s not exactly it. The issue is that they believe that there should be some sort of compatibility between their lifestyles and their careers. They really, really highly value learning and development — 84% of Gen Z thinks that learning and development are as important or more important than a job title or a promotion, so they want to be there for you, and they want to develop themselves and become the best versions of themselves that they can possibly be.”
How Gen Z Stands Out
“Curiosity, fresh ideas. Innovation. One of my favorite things to see is when organizations do a really, really good job of bringing teams together that cross generations and cross functions because that’s when […] you see these ideas start to bounce off each other — the older generations with their incredible experience and the younger generations that are dreaming so big and thinking so huge, but yet don’t have exactly the kind of experience to understand that maybe some of their ideas are unaffordable.”
Gen Z Communication
“The way that they communicate is much more straightforward, and although people think that Gen Z believes everything they read, it’s not true. They are so suspicious and skeptical, and they will not believe you if you don’t have some facts to support what you’re saying. They just won’t. And I don’t think that’s wrong. I mean, they’re very good at getting to the real meat and potatoes of a conversation. So they’ll be direct about it. […] Open it up, have the conversations, get all generations in the room. And when something isn’t clear, don’t make assumptions. Assumptions are the worst thing you can do. So getting a leader and a Gen Z together and having people make assumptions about each other is really dangerous. It’s really about opening up communications just like it is within a family or friendship or any other relationship.”
Wellbeing at the Forefront
“I have one client who has hired an on-staff psychiatrist, […] and she does once-a-month programs. And for somebody like me, it’s a little terrifying. It’s like, ‘You’re kidding me. I don’t wanna go in there and start confessing everything.’ But it’s amazing how it’s worked for this organization. It’s the most well-received and highly-populated program that they do. This woman has a kind of celebrity, rockstar, pop star status at their organization because so many people from so many generations participate in her programs. So that’s, I think, pretty progressive.”
Can You Deliver?
“What fascinates me about the whole topic of Gen Z is how people are so baffled by them. I don’t understand why it’s so baffling that they want to have a great work-life balance, and they want to be developed, and they want to have successful careers that align with their values. I don’t think it’s that confusing. The difficult part is now we know it’s just like a customer. When you know what your customer wants, can you deliver? We know what they want. We can deliver. We just need to innovate just like any good organization does to meet the needs of their customers. This is, in my opinion, the most important customer organization at this point because that population is growing in their workforce.”
LEARN MORE
To find out more about the newest generation to hit the workforce, visit Kat Walsh’s website or connect with her on LinkedIn.