What Gen Z workers really want

Bel French, APM’s youngest ever ChPP, on what matters most

It’s not an unpopular opinion to say that the past few years have been a reset to everyone’s priorities. It would be wrong for me to assume that Gen Z have been the only generation to evaluate their priorities right now. For me, joining project management as a career, interest was the main driver. I hated my time in education and wanted to ensure that my career was something I was going to enjoy. It needed to have the growth to pay my bills, but I wasn’t chasing money. Careers are long and with education being as challenging as it is right now, finding careers that bring enjoyment seems to be a common theme.

The return to the office? I started my career having to be in the office five days a week. As a bright‑eyed and eager 18‑year‑old, being in the office worked incredibly well for my development. For those entering the workplace now, having spent most of their work experience and/or latest school years working from home, making this transition to working in an office will be more difficult. It used to be a treat to have a day to work from home and clear the admin without distractions, or to work around one’s personal life. Now, with the higher expectation of flexible working, I can only see the lack of adaptation to be a hygiene factor to work/life satisfaction. The weekly pub trips might not have the same appeal for Gen Z as with previous generations, with the decrease in drinking culture. For me, the 50:50 split that I have at Gleeds gives me the perfect balance of face‑to‑face time, as well as enabling me to make smart choices about where I work from and giving me time to see my colleagues and clients in person.

Finally, what about the influence of social media? Social media can come with negative connotations, particularly linked to being a distraction from productivity. But I think that it has had a hugely influential impact on my generation and not all for the worse. Having listened to the audiobook of Grace Beverley’s Working Hard, Hardly Working, I found the concept of ‘hustle culture’ to be something that really rang true to me. Seeing individuals constantly achieving lots at a young age all over social media leads to even more pressure to achieve wins than ever before. This has brought its own pros and cons. There’s a clear drive to be successful and to want to achieve. But we need to be more aware of the pressure that comes with this when looking at setting realistic career goals and work boundaries.

THIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU FROM THE AUTUMN 2022 ISSUE OF PROJECT JOURNAL, WHICH IS FREE FOR APM MEMBERS.