Companies Must Get Ready for Gen Z Workers
Companies Must Get Ready for Gen Z Workers
The next generation joining the workforce, Gen Z, values face-to-face communication, and appreciates tech tools for their effectiveness, not their convenience.
Who Needs an Office?
57% of Gen Z respondents, 51% of Millennials and 42% of Gen Xers said physical offices will be necessary to complete a day’s work.
Gen Z Wants Hybrid Workspace
Gen Z wants a physical workspace (57%) combined with the ability to work remotely (48%) and have flexible hours (73%). They want tools that let them work effectively in both environments.
Personal Communications
25% of Gen Z workers prefer communicating in person, whereas 40% of Millennials said personal interaction will become less important in the workplace.
Effectiveness Versus Saving Time
Gen Z is concerned about choosing communications tools that help relay messages more effectively (51%), in contrast to Millennials (42%), who, more than any other generation, prioritize communications tools that help them save time.
Gen Z Rejects Traditional Tools
Only 5% of Gen Z respondents prefer email, compared with 34% of Millennials and 39% of Gen Xers. 42% of Gen Z use landlines for work, compared with half of Millennials and Gen Xers.
Bots and Automation
All the generations agreed that bots and automation will have a stronger role in the future. 70% of the respondents agreed that some current jobs can be automated by bots, and 80% agreed that bots will do some of their jobs five years from now.
Everyone Loves Smartphones
When asked about the communications devices they use at work, on average, half of all respondents across the three generations use smartphones
Group Messaging and Chat Tools
Each generation predicted that the use of messaging and chat apps would decrease, but Gen Z is the least likely to use these work tools. 21% percent of Gen Z workers use chat tools now, but only 13% expect to use them in the future.
Response to New Technologies: Wearables
Gen Z may not be as technologically attuned as Millennials when it comes to adopting new technologies such as wearables. 39% of Millennials use wearables in their personal lives, compared to 30% of Gen X and 27% of Gen Z.
Response to New Technologies: The IoT
Asked whether they use connected appliances in their personal lives, 35% of Millennials, 26% of Gen Z and 25% of Gen X do so. Money may be the cause: 50% of Gen Z respondents rely on their parents to pay for their communications tools.
