Gen Z + The Future of Work

Written by Tait M. | Research Associate, Enlightened Solutions

As a soon-to-be high school senior, I have begun to reflect on who my generation is at this point in time, and what kind of presence we will have in the future. I acknowledge that I have a particular perspective as a young queer Black woman, but this is what I have found to be consistent with the general values of Gen Z; including how we’re oriented to work-life balance, technology, diversity, the ‘importance’ of money, and the overall culture of our ideal work environment.

“I can’t imagine the traditional 40-hour workweek surviving, as more of us enter the workforce.”

Traditional 40-Hour Workweek

Given how digitally-focused my generation is, I can’t imagine the traditional 40-hour workweek surviving, as more of us enter the workforce. This doesn’t necessarily mean outright eliminating physical workplaces and transitioning solely to remote work, but Gen Z needs to see workplaces offer significantly more flexibility.

We have grown up with an innate familiarity with technology unique from any previous generation; a remote work model may be preferable to a 9–5 “desk job” while still recognizing that face to face interaction in the workplace is beneficial not only for productivity but our mental health as well.

“We see an opportunity to progress past America’s outdated standard work model and would like to see it be redesigned to adapt to our changing world.”

Flexibility + Self Care

In addition, Gen Z collectively has a sort of entrepreneurial spirit, so we aren’t all expecting to rely exclusively on our primary employment as our only source of income. Having a job with more accommodating hours would allow us to pursue other areas of interest, and focus on taking care of ourselves, which is often overlooked in the monotonous routine of a traditional workweek.

We see an opportunity to progress past America’s outdated standard work model, and would like to see it be redesigned to adapt to our changing world. This new concept of what a traditional workweek should look like is reflective of our appreciation and desire for a quality work-life balance.

“We’re inheriting a world that our parents and grandparents have left in complete shambles, which is ultimately the root of Gen Z’s deep sense of economic insecurity and pessimism about the future.”

Failures of Government and Economic Instability

My generation is growing up witnessing countless failures of government and economic instability. We are inheriting a world that our parents and grandparents have left in complete shambles, which is ultimately the root of Gen Z’s deep sense of economic insecurity and pessimism about the future. We recognize that we are not guaranteed financial stability in the careers we pursue, so making loads of money seems to be less of a priority many of us than it is for those in older generations.

All we want to do is live.

Although salary is an important aspect of any job, it’s definitely not our sole concern. From my experience, a common consensus among Gen Z’ers is that happiness and health hold much greater value than monetary payment. Allowing employees time to enjoy their lives outside of work, and giving them enough support to generally feel content with themselves, is something that I’d like to see respected by future employers.

“Not only are we incredibly racially and ethnically diverse, but a significant percentage of us belong to the LGBTQ+ community as well … active allies of the communities rather than disengaged supporters.”

Diversity + Inclusion

More and more employers are also beginning to prioritize diversity and inclusion, which aligns well with the expectations of young Gen Z employees. The diversity and open-mindedness of my generation have seemed to spark new conversations around diversifying workplaces. Not only are we incredibly racially and ethnically diverse, but a significant percentage of us belong to the LGBTQ+ community as well; and those who don’t identify themselves as LGBTQ+ or people of color are far more accepting of these groups than older generations, considering themselves to be active allies of the communities rather than disengaged supporters.

Because of how diverse we are as a generation, most of us don’t want to see only white, cis-gendered straight people being represented in the workplace. It’s important to us that workplace demographics change, and this is something we are willing to fight for.

Gen Z’s idea of diversity is intersectional.

Activism and Diversity

Although my generation is young, we’ve been thrust into activism as teens and preteens. This, in combination with early exposure to the internet and social media, has given us a sort of social consciousness that other recent generations didn’t necessarily have to the same extent at our age. Our awareness of social and political issues has given us a greater appreciation for diverse workplaces and challenged us to take on a new definition of what true diversity really means. Gen Z’s idea of diversity is intersectional.

It doesn’t only mean racial variation, it also means a mix of different genders, sexual orientations, ethnic groups, and backgrounds. Furthermore, we understand that representation is what makes an environment diverse, but in order to fully benefit from diversity, there must be inclusivity as well.

Diversity doesn’t really matter if every voice is not equally valued.

A Word To Future Employers

Most of my generation has yet to enter the professional workforce, but we have two pieces of advice for our future workplaces:

1. We hope that employers recognize how much the world is changing as Gen Z’ers continue to make their mark as young adults. Our voices are often masked by older people’s dismissive comments attempting to invalidate our feelings and opinions because of our age, but there’s value in our voices.
2. I’d encourage future employers of Gen Z to take note of what and who we advocate for, and how the change we are calling for in general society is applicable to the workplace.

We may be young, but we’ve become a powerful force in today’s social climate.

We’re not interested in settling for empty promises and symbolic change, we’re interested in work environments that promote diversity and encourage employees to live fulfilling lives outside of the workplace.