How to manage Gen Z

Coach Scott Hay tells you everything you need to know about how to work with your youngest colleagues.

Whether you’re a project manager or team leader, it’s important to know how to manage Gen Z workers. Aged up to 24, they are the future of the workforce, and they have different expectations and needs than previous generations. Here are some tips for managing Gen Z employees effectively:

1. Seek to understand your young people

Gen Z were born after 1995. While they share characteristics with Millennials, their early years have been influenced by a very different world, which is what helps set them apart. Here’s how:

Digital natives. Gen Z were born into the world of technology, the positives being that an abundance of information and the opportunity to connect is literally at their fingertips. That helps them to enhance their knowledge and learning. The downside is too much time spent on devices can result in feelings of isolation and less developed social skills.
Equality, diversity and inclusion. Gen Z are values‑driven and care about equality, diversity and inclusion. They want to work for organisations that they morally align with. They value ‘allyship’ groups and being around like‑minded people.
Mental health. Gen Z were impacted by mental health challenges before the global pandemic, which exacerbated these challenges. More time isolated, with less time developing and sustaining meaningful relationships, has taken its toll.
Politically astute. Gen Z are politically progressive. They are very open to sharing opinions and more likely to be activists. They believe that governments should take more responsibility for solving societal problems.

2. Understand what Gen Z workers want from their career

Gen Z are quite clear about what’s important – money is, undoubtedly. However, more so than any other generation, they want an alignment between personal and company values. If there is a disconnect, they either won’t apply for jobs or it won’t be long until they get itchy feet.

They value flexibility, work‑life balance and want to feel like their work is meaningful. They want to roll up their sleeves and get actively involved in solving the root cause of big challenges. Expect Gen Z to want to be involved in projects that are making a meaningful difference.

Gen Z are often keen to explore new ways of working. They like to challenge the status quo. They’ll look to you to offer them the opportunity to get involved in continuous improvement projects. Offer them opportunities to learn new skills and work on interesting projects.

In the early stages of their career, Gen Z workers don’t want to have complete independence, but they do aspire to that. They will benefit from more intensive hands‑on support throughout the onboarding stage. Don’t underestimate the positive impact role modelling can have on your young people. And that includes how you manage your wellbeing.

Provide regular, specific feedback and encourage them to see it as a great opportunity to learn and grow. Have open, honest and constructive conversations when mistakes are made. You don’t want them to feel like they can’t discuss mistakes. In time, they will want autonomy so it’s more about intensive support in the short term for longer‑term gain.

Key to all of this is good communication, which really matters to Gen Z in light of the shift from working in the office to working from home or hybrid working. When allocating tasks, be clear about your expectations, including:

how they’ll go about completing the task, including next steps;
timescales and deadlines;
whom to turn to for support and the importance of not leaving it too late;
when and how you will communicate; and
any possible obstacles and how to overcome them.

Agree with each individual and collectively with the team how and when you will communicate. Notice the team’s preferences; e.g. you may find Gen Z prefer online messaging rather than phone conversations or email. And don’t forget the importance of connecting socially; it doesn’t always have to be about work. Having open conversations will help multi‑generational teams get to know each other and form a positive way of communicating.

3. Give the right welcome and onboarding

We recently supported an organisation to transition its young recruits into working life. They changed their approach to recruiting by personalising their communications. When inviting them to an interview, they included photographs of the interviewers and shared a bit about them. The interview itself had a lighter feel to it. That set the tone for the experience they wanted their young people to have. Starting a career is a significant milestone and those early impressions matter. Once recruited, you want to ensure that their onboarding process goes well. Consider:

Thinking long‑ Too often, organisations see the onboarding stage as the first few weeks, when key information is shared along with some basic training. Instead, build a robust onboarding plan for the first 12 months. If you provide in‑depth support during their first year, you’re far more likely to reap the rewards in terms of staff retention, progression and loyalty.
Self‑ Gen Z are digital natives so self‑learning is the norm for them. Content available online and on‑demand is very helpful for them to learn about project management skills and team working.
Giving support. Help them to create an onboarding support network. It’s common practice for organisations to find mentors or buddies. They can be extremely helpful; however, also encourage them to create networks, stakeholder relationships and other learning opportunities.

4. Develop their confidence

Young people in your project team may not feel confident enough to speak up in meetings or know how to communicate assertively. They are confident talking to people online, but when it comes to face‑to‑face, they may feel less confident. Here are some tips to help:

Coach and mentor them through potential discussions. It really helps them to think and talk through scenarios in advance.
In meetings, draw them into the conversation by asking them a question they know the answer to or talking about something they feel confident discussing.
Encourage them to practise talking through what they’re going to say in advance.
Ask them to take on a role they’re comfortable with in the meeting, e.g. capturing flip chart notes or collating completed Post‑it notes.
If you want to ensure their opinion is included and considered, invite the group to share thoughts on Post‑it notes or in the chat box if online.

5. Plan, organise and be proactive

The brain isn’t fully developed until we reach our mid‑20s. That means young people don’t always access the rational, thinking part of their brain in the same way as older adults. So, they need support to think through plans, actions, risks and mitigations. Take time to talk through and plan out thoughts, behaviours and actions. Help them to work through risks, consequences and mitigation actions. They’re far more effective when they have a better idea of the roadmap ahead.

Set clear expectations around behaviours and outcomes you want to see when it comes to showing initiative and being proactive. Help them to understand what you mean by that, bring it to life and role model it. Remember, for young people new into the workplace, they often don’t know what they don’t know. As their experience grows, give them more autonomy and the scope to show more initiative and be proactive.

6. Leverage their strengths and energy

Gen Z have great strengths, such as adaptability, digital skills, innovation, creativity and problem‑solving. They also bring with them a youthful energy and enthusiasm. Look for and target the energy they show for different tasks and opportunities. What lights them up? How can they get more of what they want? Help them to identify the skills that will leverage their career and create development plans to support their learning and growth. Encourage them to diarise and protect development time.

Trying to evaluate the behaviours of an entire generation is tricky. However, by following these tips, you can create a workplace that is attractive to Gen Z and set them up for success in your team. Good luck!

20 dos and don’ts of managing Gen Z

Be patient, compassionate, empathetic and a great listener.
Communicate well and frequently. Be open, honest and transparent.
Performance‑manage them effectively.
Support them in managing their mental health and wellbeing.
Leverage their strengths and help them develop key skills to progress in their careers.
Work closely with them throughout their first year while appreciating that, longer term, they value autonomy.
Monitor their workload. They may not know their limits in terms of what they can and can’t deliver within timescales.
Give them opportunities to learn new and different things.
Be an example. Role model the behaviours, actions and language you want to see in them.
Encourage them to look for better ways of working.

Don’t

Leave them feeling unsupported with nobody to turn to.
Ignore or not listen to them. It’s important to Gen Z to have their voices heard.
Treat everyone the same; everyone is unique and brings something different to the team.
Leave them feeling like they aren’t valued.
Be vague or infrequent when communicating, particularly when setting expectations.
Shirk responsibility when things go wrong. Be open, authentic and show vulnerability.
Lack focus and direction. That’s what the team is looking for from you.
Be distant. Be around and available for them, particularly over the first six months.
Start with a position of trust until it is proven otherwise.
Fail to react to situations and make decisions. Otherwise those problems will fester if ignored.

Scott Hay is a coach and CEO of Potential In Me CIC, a social enterprise that provides programmes to support young people and the adults who live or work with them.