Article 07 - How to Attract and Retain Gen Z Employees

The Gen-Z juggernaut is all set to take over the workplace of the future. According to Zurich, Gen-Zers are expected to form 27% of the workforce in the next two years. Businesses need to understand and adapt to the unique experiences, values and behaviors of Gen-Z talent to attract and retain them (Parikh, 2023).

The future workplace will be dominated by the Gen-Z juggernaut. According to Zurich (2024), during the next two years, Gen-Zers will make up 27% of the workforce. Companies must comprehend and adjust to the unique experiences, values, and behaviours of Gen-Z employees to attract and retain them. Also, attracting and keeping Gen Z is one of the top priorities for talent executives worldwide. Talent acquisition teams must comprehend and adjust to these differences as this younger generation continues to join the workforce.

Furthermore, Gen Z workers have clear expectations for their first job and workplace culture, and they are far more likely to leave if those expectations aren't fulfilled.

The impact of Gen Zers' future arrival on the global scene will be immediate and significant, with consequences seen in the workplace, retail consumption, technology, politics, and culture. This generation, which is very different from Millennials, has a completely different idea of what success in life and the workplace means.

Who is Generation Z?

Gen Z, also known as Generation Z and Zoomers, is the generation born between 1997 and 2012 (Dewar, 2023).

When we discuss about this generation, a special thing that we can see is that even though salary is the most crucial fact when choosing a profession, Gen Z places a lower value on that than any other generation. When offered the option of choosing between a more fascinating but lower-paying job and a boring one that pays more, Gen Z were split fairly equally (Tiffany & Betts, 2019).

In order to gain the affection of Generation Z, organizations and employers must emphasise their endeavours to be decent global citizens. Additionally, companies need to show that they are committed to addressing a wider range of societal issues, including hunger, climate change, and sustainability.

Without a doubt, Gen Z are well aware of the working culture and first job they desire. They also take pride in their unyielding refusal to compromise that ideal. In fact, if companies fail to meet Gen Zers' expectations, they are far more likely to leave. According to data from the LinkedIn platform, Gen Z workers in the US are changing professions at a rate that is more than twice as high as that of millennials with a roughly 40% increase over the previous year.

They also take pride in their obstinate refusal to give up that goal. In actuality, Gen Zers are far more likely to leave if their employers fail to live up to their expectations. In the United States, Gen Z workers are changing professions at a rate that is more than twice as high as that of millennials, with a roughly 40% increase over the previous year, according to data from the LinkedIn platform (Fisse, 2023).

 

                                                                                                        (Outsource Accelerator, 2023)

Best practices for recruiting Gen Z

By speaking the same language and making direct appeals to their egos, forward-thinking HR professionals and recruiters are winning over the hearts and minds of young, enthusiastic Gen Zers. 

According to Dewar (2023), Gen Z will account for 27% of the workforce in OECD countries by 2025, and this percentage will rise as they continue to reach working age and Boomers continue to retire.

It will require a different mindset for employers to attract and retain the best talents of this generation. It's critical to comprehend the hiring practices that will motivate them to actively pursue and accept positions at your company. Also, employers must be prepared to adopt a pace of evolution that aligns with the external environment in order to attract them. This involves creating strong leadership and training programes with a genuine, tangible focus on diversity. 

Let’s look at some steps that organizations can take to remedy that situation.

1. Provide career-growth opportunities.

Making professional development investments for employees can help to attract and retain Gen Z employees, and organizations should find out the job desires of Gen Z workers, connect them with development opportunities, offer mentorship, and provide career advancements. Gen Z job candidates will be attracted towards the employer brand if they follow these strategies. 

Gen Zers are eager to learn new skills, particularly if it enhances their worth and enables them to perform well in their positions. In addition to engaging and motivating your current workforce, a workplace culture that prioritises and supports on-the-job training will attract Gen Z talent seeking employers who value education.

According to LinkedIn’s recent Employee Well-Being Report, employees see “opportunities to learn and grow” as the top driver of work culture. In fact, 76% of Gen Z’ers believe that learning is the key to a successful career (Fisse, 2023).

2. Provide flexible work arrangements.

“The days of a traditional 9-5 spent heads-down in a cubicle is just not going to work for most Gen Zers (Fisse, 2023).

Work-life balance is highly valued by many Gen-Zers, who may also favour flexible work schedules. Flexibility in the workplace is no longer a "nice to have". Gen Z wants a fully flexible workplace culture that allows workers to set their own hours, work "non-traditional" hours, work remotely or hybridly every day, and take more paid time off. Companies should think about providing these options in order to attract them. Giving the team members autonomy over their work schedules and locations can promote improved work-life balance, increased creativity, and increased productivity.

3. Offer competitive compensation and benefits.

Salary is not necessarily the most crucial factor for Gen Z workers when evaluating job opportunities, but it does matter. Provided that their other needs are satisfied, offering a competitive salary can help you draw the newest generation of employees.

When asked which benefits they would most want to see their employers prioritise, 39% of workers say flexible work schedules and 44% say retirement benefits are the most important. These findings were consistent across all generations, though Gen Z employees ranked managing emotional health among their top three concerns (Dewar, 2023). 

4. Use technology.

Gen-Zers are digital natives as they have no memory of the time before the internet. They frequently assume that companies will employ the newest technology in the workplace. Therefore, companies should use new technologies to enhance communication, teamwork, and productivity.

Conclusion

Gen Z represents the workforce of today and the leaders of tomorrow, and they are the future of organizations. There are a lot of opportunities for growth when the next generation of workers joins the workforce, both for the workers themselves and the businesses they work for. 

Employers must acknowledge and cater to Gen Z's particular needs. Also, employers should think about what their business is already doing to connect with these applicants and what changes would be necessary to assist in attracting more Gen-Z workers. Those who fail will have to deal with a labour shortage in the future, and Gen Zers may never return to companies that don't live up to their expectations, and they will be quick to go. 

References

Parikh, H. (2023). 8 Ways Businesses Can Attract And Retain Gen-Z Talent. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2023/03/21/8-ways-businesses-can-attract-and-retain-gen-z-talent/.

Fisse, D. (2023). Gen Z Employees: 3 Successful Strategies for Attracting, Retaining, and Supporting Them. [online] Available at: https://www.springhealth.com/blog/how-to-attract-retain-support-gen-z-employees.

Mawhinney, T. and Betts, K. (2019). Understanding Generation Z in the workplace. Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/understanding-generation-z-in-the-workplace.html.

Dewar, J. (2023). A Guide to Recruiting Gen Z. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/guide-to-recruiting-gen-z [Accessed 29 Mar. 2025].

 Zurich.com. (2024). How is Gen Z changing the workplace? [online] Available at: https://www.zurich.com/media/magazine/2022/how-will-gen-z-change-the-future-of-work.

Outsource Accelerator (2023). How to Recruit & Retain Gen Z Talent. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZN3-RuDic4 [Accessed 5 Apr. 2025].