are less interested in collaboration than millennials . This , however , does not mean they are opposed to collaborating or are overly competitive as some listicles on Gen Z may have you believe . Rather , they ’ ve typically been shown to really want and value their own space while working as it allows them to fully focus .
“ This is likely a result of their schooling . Academic life taught them that a big part of focusing was to have that space , whether it was by having separate desks or dividers ,” says Campbell .
What types of fears and insecurities are Gen Z employees facing and how can you combat them as a manager ?
1 . Fearing failure Compared to prior generations , many argue Gen Z shows increased levels of anxiety and even insecurity , often feeling the need for consistent affirmation from their supervisors . Though Campbell does not particularly agree with this group being labelled as insecure , she does believe there are increased anxious patterns in Gen Z that are the results of a greater problem she calls “ failure avoidance .”
“ They ’ re feeling higher stakes in their life than previous generations ,” explains Campbell . “ So , everything is going to just feel like it ’ s a bigger deal and that includes failure . Even a minor failure can feel catastrophic .”
2 . Lack of instructions But where exactly did this fear take root in this young generation ? Campbell believes it began in 2000 when the rubric grading system became standard in all North American schools . “ That was not a thing prior ,” Campbell recalls . “ When I wrote a paper , I would get a letter grade and wasn ’ t really given much direction , so I had to guess . If I got a bad grade , I could also just assume that the teacher didn ’ t like me and write it off . With a rubric grading system , there ’ s none of that . They are given the tools to succeed and that means if they fail , it feels significantly different .”
Essentially , Gen Z employees are taught from a young age to take on much more accountability , but this also means they expect and require a significant amount of explicit instructions when working . To satisfy this need in her own Gen Z employees , Campbell has taken to writing everything important down . “ These people want manuals , because they want to be able to study it and know how to be right ,” she says . “ Put these kids that have been given really explicit instructions into a store that ’ s driven by the personality of the owner , then expect them to intuit a lot , and you ’ re going to see that they just really weren ’ t trained that way .”
3 . Handling criticism In fact , their failure avoidance doesn ’ t stop there . Unlike older generations that require more reprimanding when they ’ ve made an error , which requires consequences , Gen Z employees are shown to be significantly more sensitive and warier of making mistakes .
“ When I ’ m dealing with an older employee , I have to sit them down and explain what happened , why it was wrong , and the consequences ,” explains Campbell . “ If you do that with a Gen Z person , they ’ re just going to quit . They ’ re going to feel so abused and so overwhelmed . It ’ s a real culture shock as a manager . They ’ re very sensitive to criticism , but I think that ’ s okay . We can all learn to be kinder with our words .”
Furthermore , criticism received by a Gen Z employee is taken very personally and often internalized rather than discussed . Naturally , all that bottling up can and has occasionally resulted in lashing out in the workforce .
“ We need to remember the majority of Gen Z people don ’ t have their first job until they ’ ve graduated from college ,” says Campbell . “ The assumption from previous generations that by the time you ’ re working full-time you ’ ve already had a crappy job isn ’ t helping . Gen Z people are coming in less experienced with the stuff that can ’ t be written down ; the non-rubric parts of work .” This doesn ’ t mean you have to follow online guides that suggest you change from a boss to a coach , which Campbell believes is merely a semantics thing . Generally , Campbell heavily suggests being gentler with this generation will benefit you much more .
How can you get the very best out of your Gen Z employee ? What really motivates them ?
1 . Making a difference It ’ s no surprise that the ever-rising conversations on social activism have had an impact on the younger generation , leading many to be open practitioners of activism themselves . According to a recent Marketo survey , 60 % of Gen Z said they want their jobs to impact the world , showing many of them are driven by the desire to make a difference . Additionally , 20 % said they would take a 20 % pay cut for a company with a mission they highly valued . Campbell believes this is further proof that they really want mission-driven jobs , to believe in something , and to change the world .
“ They ’ re not willing to just go in , push paper , and go home . That is not how they were raised ,” explains Campbell . “ The values instilled in our public education system are really trying to raise a generation of activists , so they really want to make a difference . I think that for the music industry , that ’ s great news for us because we don ’ t have to try to make our employees excited about our mission .”
2 . Long-term benefits as opposed to shortterm incentives . Having a practical nature means that this generation will likely cause many workforces to begin restructuring how they support their employees . Campbell advises that managers and owners start planning for benefits as soon as possible .
“ They want to see flexible scheduling , to be given additional educational opportunities , extra vacation time , and they ’ re already starting to think about that next step – like retirement benefits . They know they ’ re kind of on their own when it comes to building their financial future ,” explains Campbell . “ Though they want to do something that they believe in , I am a little concerned the arts industries are going to lose Gen Z en masse in about 10 years if changes aren ’ t made – once they have to really start getting out , buying houses , and putting investments . Now is the time for the leadership in the music industry to really start readjusting their expectations of how they pay workers and how much they deserve to be compensated .”
3 . Variety and loyalty Unlike earlier generations that were trained to hone in on one role and become an expert at it , Gen Z employees show a keen interest in constantly growing . If your Gen Z employee begins to show interest in trying new things , encourage it ! Many prefer to expand their knowledge and are eager to try out a variety of jobs . At the end of the day , boxing them into one role or set of tasks will not benefit you or your employee .
“ That ’ s what they ’ re really bringing to the table right now – a work ethic we haven ’ t seen in quite a while , which includes a willingness to learn many things , and a strong sense of loyalty – once they trust you ,” says Campbell .
Selina Setrakian is an Editorial Assistant at Canadian Music Trade .
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