Gen Z, the young people born in or after 1996, are entering the labor market. They appear to have very different expectations than generations Y (between 1981 and 1995), X (between 1965 and 1980) and older, according to a study by HR service provider Bright Plus.
Remarkable: One in five working Gen Zers in Belgium do not know why they do their job and find their job pointless, according to the online survey conducted by the research agency iVOX on behalf of Bright Plus.
That is much more than Generation Y (16.3 percent) and Generation X (9.5 percent). Among baby boomers the percentage is as low as 2.6 percent. Another indication of the lack of meaning: 40.5 percent of Gen Zers mainly work to avoid criticism from others. This is also significantly higher than among older generations. About 41 percent also feel guilty about taking time off.
A possible explanation: Young people aged 18 to 28 in the labor market therefore have difficulty finding their place. “That makes sense since they are new to the labor market and have little ability to work independently, nor do they have the expertise and experience of their older colleagues,” says motivation expert Dr. Hermina Van Coillie, who contributed to the research.
The contrast: At the other end of the spectrum, the last working baby boomers are generally entering the workforce voluntarily. They prefer to work than to retire and find great satisfaction in their work.
Fun at work
From paradox: Gen Z may have some challenges, but there are also many positives to report. The young people who seem to work because they have to and easily feel guilty, are also having fun with their colleagues and want to make progress.
For example, 86.2 percent agree with the statement that they trust their colleagues. In addition, they also enjoy themselves more often at work: 81.9 percent, compared to 67.7 percent among Gen X and 72 percent among baby boomers. Gen Z is also more positive about the way their boss motivates them.
The quest: “Young employees clearly choose a job with many growth opportunities and evolutions. So they explicitly look for strategies to feel more competent. Although this is accompanied by the fact that they occasionally lose sleep over their capabilities or making mistakes,” Van Coillie analyzes.
Not surprising: Gen Z is less likely than older generations to stay with the same employer. Four in ten Gen Z respondents expect their long-term professional future to lie in another company.
Conclusion: “We notice that Generation Z is realistic about their professional path. The time when people had only one employer until retirement is far behind us. Generation Z is clearly thinking of a career in which they can constantly reinvent themselves,” says Linda Cappelle of Bright Plus.
(ns)
2023-10-15 18:02:04
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