Who is Generation Z?

This group represents 18% of the world population. Born since 1990 – most today are teenagers born after 1994 – they are the first fully technologically savvy generation. Not only have they grown up with the Internet, but they are also addicted to social media. They prefer texting than talking on the phone. They are the ones who have not one, but two technological devices, a cell phone and another, iPad, Playbook or another smartphone. They can even use a Kobo or a Kindle. And they will have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networking sites. They have grown during the rise of the consumer market created by the Internet. They are used to instant action and results, so they prefer to research products online (selection and prices) before making a purchase. They even shop online for their friends. They are the consumer-oriented generation.

They are called the silent, quiet or I generation because they tend to live in the virtual world. They have grown up with Yahoo and Google, their world is the internet, search engines, cell phones and now smartphones. They communicate through technology, mainly on social networking sites. And his network of friends is large, much larger than any other generation. As ‘digital natives’, they feel comfortable sharing their personal lives and private thoughts with a large network of people, many of whom they have never met face to face. They are not focused on developing relationships but on the immediate and present, obtaining immediate responses to their requests. Online chat or text messages are the preferred means of communication.

Their society lives mainly on the Internet, where they can talk and give their opinion on any topic they choose. Since they continually communicate with large numbers of people, they tend to be group-oriented, highly collaborative, and creative. They multitask, handle multiple media at once, and are not likely to give focused, undivided attention to any task at any given time.

What are the implications for the future of the workplace?

By the time Gen Z enters the workforce in large numbers, in about ten years, a large number of Baby Boomers will have left the workforce. Members of Generation X and Generation Y will be the leaders, the business owners, the business managers. So what will the world of work look like when these ‘digital natives’ enter it? And what will business leaders and owners need to accommodate these ‘digital natives’ who will have spent a good portion of their lives communicating through technology, spending a considerable amount of time alone, being raised by helicopter parents? What will they need to have in place (work environment, work structure, work styles) to engage Gen Z?

The work environment must support various forms of technology, including the use of personal devices and participation in personal social networking sites. These new hires will not differentiate between their personal and business lives when it comes to their use of social media. They will look for organizations with a strong social media presence and who understand how to use it creatively to create and market products and services. They will want to work with others, in the virtual world, so they will want to be members of virtual teams that use webcams, webinars, and live virtual technology to share ideas, create products, and serve customers. They will look for employers who can provide them with self-directed training environments, including collaborative online conversation tools where they can learn by asking questions, discussing with others, and receiving coaching from online colleagues, peers, and supervisors.

The dichotomy facing future business leaders and owners is providing an environment that supports the collaboration and creativity of these employees while acknowledging their need to work on their own. Their dependence on technology is high and attention span and ability to concentrate may be low. Their interpersonal skills may be challenged and they are more likely to focus on themselves and their communities in the virtual world, rather than the people who work next to them. Those open environments that led Boomers and Gen Xers to distraction (too noisy, not enough privacy, and longing for the private office) will actually be perfect for this generation of office workers, if they work on-site. Many will telecommute, much more so than today, and work in more global online employer communities creating and building products and services that will be marketed to customers online.

Previous generations were very concerned with education and building a career, this might not be the case with Generation Z. Today, they have access to a vast amount of information on any subject, many courses are online and they can be educated at a much younger age. Educational institutions, along with business organizations, non-profits, governments and any other company that wants to sell services to this generation will need to continually offer their services online, on the Internet but, more importantly, through the Internet. social networks, if they want to become the providers of choice for this next generation of employees, customers and consumers.