Generation Z Could Solve Your Inclusion Problems — If You Include Them

Gone are the days of looking the other way and hoping you can circumvent important issues. With the turmoil surrounding issues of racial equality and inclusion reaching a flashpoint, it’s easier than ever for word-of-mouth to spread about those companies who aren’t authentically embracing an inclusive culture. One group, in particular, that’s taking notice of how corporations are handling where the rubber meets the road is Generation Z.

Natural Born Influencers

Generation Z, defined as those born after 1995, or also known as post-millennials, includes all college students for the next 15 years. In fact, by 2025, Gen Z will make up 29% of the population, making it the largest generation ever.

With their propensity for galvanizing around important societal and cultural issues, and technology giving them unprecedented ways to proliferate their messages, they are poised to be one of the most influential generations of all time. Even if they don’t have a seat at the executive table for the foreseeable future, they have an executive board seat at the cultural water cooler and their influence over what’s trending on the Internet can be polarizing.

For companies that have spent the last several years trying to figure out the mystifying millennial cohort, the thought of trying to decode yet another generation can be tiring.

However, while Gen Z values transparency in the companies they interact with, they are also very transparent about their desires and values. This means that for businesses to understand them they simply must go through the exercise of listening. But make no mistake, listening is only the first step in appealing to this action-driven generation.

Driven By a Different Set of Values

While millennials were painted as a generation driven by me-centric values, Generation Z is quite the opposite. 72% of Gen Z believes racial equality to be the most important issue today. From a consumer standpoint, 60% of Gen Z will support a brand if they stand for equal rights, sexual orientation, and race.

While some employers might think that a quick Facebook post condemning white supremacists will persuade Gen Z of their inclusive values, only 22% of Gen Z reported trusting what employers share online. When it comes to the internet, Gen Z reports trusting online communities more than any other avenue on the internet, including social media. As true digital natives who spend a great deal of time on social media, this rising workforce can spot insincerity from a mile away.

Businesses should take advantage of the opportunity to build online communities or interact within third-party communities to forge personal relationships in a consistent and genuine way.

Random House, one of the largest book publishers in the world, recently used this strategy to connect with Gen Z members who love to read and write fan fiction. In launching its community Figment to host this lightly branded initiative, the company has created an avid group of 300,000 members sharing, creating and even moderating community content on topic that they are passionate about.

Bye Bye Job Hopping and Hello Career Stability?

Millennials gained the reputation as a generation of job hoppers who want to be promoted and paid more when they believe they should be. Gen Z shows several differences in what they value in terms of employment. 70% report that they prefer a job that offers stability over one that offers passion and less stability. Their level of pragmatism in the workplace is also evident in the fact that more aspire to be financially stable (31%) than having a dream job (28%).

And while things like redesigned workspace may have appealed to millennials, it seems Gen Z may view those things with little importance, as only 8% of Gen Z want an open workspace. However, while Gen Z may not require an office with the aesthetics of a Silicon Valley startup, they do require trust. That’s why it’s important to note that a survey of more than 3,200 Gen Zers, found that their top factor in trusting an employer is how inclusive they are.

This means that adding a section about inclusion to your About page isn’t going to cut it anymore. We’ve seen countless companies throw money at the diversity and inclusion problem; effectively creating bandaid-solutions that aren’t sustainable. Although the motivations of many are undoubtedly pure, the results have in large part been underwhelming. Instead of inspiring speeches about how important diversity and inclusion is, we need to work together to build foundations that withstand the test of time.

With this new cohort of value-driven and influential talent entering the workforce in the years ahead, companies would do well to use Gen Z as the guidepost for creating more inclusive and diverse workplaces. College students are increasingly recognizing how organizations respond to societal issues and are using these instances as a barometer in creating their lists of companies that they are interested or not interested in working for.

Gen Z could bring a breath of fresh air into industries that may have lost sight of concerning issues or it could stifle organizations that take the wrong stance on key societal trends. It will be the companies who recognize early on the societal shift that this generation is driving that will rise to the top of the global market. With Gen Z graduating already its first college class this past spring, the time is now to start recognizing, learning, and, most importantly, listening.