Generation Z workers have high expectations when it comes to earnings, promotions and management opportunities, according to a new study by InsideOut Development.
Those in generation Z, typically categorized as people born between 1996 and 2015 (though according to PEW Research Centre, no chronological endpoint has been set for this group), began entering the workforce in 2017, noted the study. By 2020, they will make up almost a quarter of the global workforce. As a result, many employers are looking at how they can begin adjusting their workplaces to accommodate these employees.
The study found generation Z expects to be rewarded at work. Seventy-five per cent of respondents said they should be given a promotion after only a year of employment with a company, while 32 per cent said they believe a promotion is deserved within the first six months.
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Further, three-quarters (75 per cent) of generation Z workers said it’s important to have a boss who can coach employees and effectively communicate the company vision. Twenty-five per cent of respondents indicated they’d leave an organization because of a boss who managed through fear.
Diversity is also a key issue for generation Z, with almost half of respondents identifying themselves as a minority and 72 per cent saying racial equality is the most important issue today. Generation Z is the most diverse in the United States, according to the study, with 55 per cent of respondents noting they’re Caucasian, 24 per cent Hispanic, 14 per cent African American and four per cent Asian.
Close to half (49 per cent) of survey respondents said they believe employers should do more to promote workplace inclusion, compared to 26 per cent of baby boomers.
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However, 64 per cent said they’d accept a position even if the company’s diversity and inclusion culture was weak, while 36 per cent said a weak culture of diversity and inclusion would be a deal-breaker for them.
As for workplace discrimination, almost a third said a glass ceiling prevents women and minority groups from advancing in their careers. Half of survey respondents said the same for having a disability.
The study also found those in generation Z, much like the millennials before them, anticipated working for multiple companies throughout their career. Survey respondents said loyalty and security are top priorities and felt working for several different companies isn’t necessarily the path to success.
Respondents ranked company culture and values as the fourth most important factor out of five when considering whether or not to join a company.
Read: 90% of employers not integrating millennials into the workplace: survey