Putting joy before paychecks. We chatted to Gen Z expert Antonia Dixey on what matters to young people in the workplace.

Antonia Dixey, CEO of Participation People, is widely regarded as one of the leading global voices when it comes to unlocking the power of young people for business innovation and social change. We’ve recently drawn on her expertise and experience for one of our projects to get a clearer idea of what resonates with Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

As we’re thinking about the importance of company culture in this month’s issue of Loud & Clear, we had a chat with Antonia to get the young person's perspective. What is it that young people are looking for when they research and consider potential employers, and how can organisations benefit from the power of young people?

 

TC:  To get started, can you tell us about the new needs and expectations young people have from businesses and workplace cultures?

AD: There are two key expectations which management teams across all industries are failing to meet, joy in work and societal impact. The younger generations are definitely rewriting the rule book on what a career and workplace culture means. Things we have long considered crucial to a desirable job, like a good paycheck and a clear progression path, just aren’t as important anymore. What Gen Z are looking for is joy. Joy in the way they work and in the way their employer works. When it comes to societal and environmental impact, for Gen Z a proactive and genuine approach isn’t just a preference, it’s a priority. Organisations have to be doing their part, and this can’t just be lip service. And don’t forget that they can easily do research on your organisation. Our research shows that if they haven’t got a snapshot of what you do or how you do it within 8 seconds of landing on your site, they’ll leave.

 

TC: Let’s dig into societal and environmental impact first. Most organisations are aware that it needs to be part of their set-up – but what about, for instance, oil and gas companies? Should they give up on hiring young people all together?

AD: No, they shouldn’t give up on hiring young people – they need them! For businesses that work in more commercial industries like oil and gas, it’s all about offsetting their impact in a transparent way and communicating these efforts clearly. Look at the rise of B Corp. Younger workers actively seek out organisations with B Corp status as it’s a clear indication that a business meets high standards of environmental and societal performance. If you’re working in the oil and gas industry, or even banking, law or accountancy, you should be building offsetting initiatives into your business and communicating them clearly.

 

TC: Great, now what about ‘Joy’? To many corporations this probably means after-work drinks and casual dressing, but we’re guessing that isn’t what it really means to Gen Z? 

AD: Joy is about being human-first – it’s thinking ‘how do our employees want to work and how can we get the best out of them’, not ‘what do we want to offer and what do we think is the best solution’. Since the pandemic, the idea of work/life balance has shifted, but it’s more than just offering remote working. Many Gen Zers actually enjoy being in the workplace. What it really means is listening to your individual employees' needs and trusting them to deliver even if they have different ways of working. By changing structures to accommodate varying needs you ultimately say, ‘we will listen to your needs and we value your contributions’.

 

TC: Time to look at the other perspective – what’s in it for a company to adapt to meet the needs of Gen Z? 

AD: Cognitive diversity. If you can attract young people to your business, you will see the benefits of fresh perspectives, ideas and insights that mirror the reality of the world we’re living in – and as it will be in the future. For example, I recently worked with one of the big supermarkets to help them attract more young people into employment. With our network of young people, we set up a listening lab to understand how its current recruitment process was working. The lab’s feedback was, ‘We’re not on LinkedIn, and we’re not on Indeed – we’re out and about in our local areas, doing things and experiencing life’. Following the young people’s advice, the supermarket put out new job ads in places like barber shops, chicken shops, music venues and sports centres. These included a QR code that took them to a quick and easy application form. Job applications went through the roof because applying became relevant and accessible to the audience they were trying to target.

And there are other clear benefits too. It’s proven that youth-proofing your language makes you much more accessible and inclusive to everyone, not just young people. Youth-informed decisions are usually relevant for longer as youth insight is typically already thinking 5-10 years into the future. Ultimately, this is going to save you time and money in the long run as you can make better decisions with longer-lasting impact.

 

TC: In your opinion, what are some of the biggest challenges and pitfalls organisations face when it comes to Gen Z? 

AD: There are three things I see the most.

First, a culture of listening is not there. Time after time organisations try to implement initiatives without actually listening to what their people want. These inevitably fail.

Second, businesses are reluctant to change the way they do things. We often see an attitude of ‘It’s been working this way for years, why do we need to change it now?’. This doesn’t work for younger generations. They are quick on the uptake and much more fluid in their ability to engage – think multiple screens at once. Businesses need to look at more innovative approaches to working – like gamification as a way to make almost everything, from recruitment to staff development to mentoring, more fun.

Third, is ‘nurturing’. Mental health is at an all-time low, and awareness of it is at an all-time high. Businesses have to help their people feel like they’re respected, looked after and part of something meaningful. By showing that they understand there is more to their people than output they’ll see immediate results when it comes to recruitment, retention and output.

 

TC: You mentioned diversity, do you have any thoughts on how you think brands should be approaching EDI? 

AD: We have to move away from the tick-box approach. I find it’s better to take EDI in its traditional sense out of the equation and focus instead on ‘What kinds of thinkers and doers do we want to attract?’. Businesses with a range of cognitive diversity and experience are more genuine and more in tune – and authenticity matters. Gen Z are quick to unfollow/block/report a brand that they see as disingenuous. So, trying to pretend your brand is something it’s not is definitely not recommended – make sure you know what you’re talking about by making sure your employees represent a full mix of perspectives.

 

TC: Thanks Antonia, that’s it from us. Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share before we wrap up? 

AD: Young people are exposed to 1000s of adverts a day. If your brand simply blends in, you don't have even the slightest of chance. That's why storytelling is more important than ever. Young people tell and respond to stories. If you’re telling meaningful, genuine stories you’re almost certainly going to build brand loyalty and see people coming back to you again and again. But it has to be genuine, resonating with your brand and what it stands for. For example I tell a story about my dad, who is my biggest inspiration – and it resonates with the young people I work with because it’s relatable and believable (and true!).

And finally, enjoy working with young people. Enjoy finding their strengths and adapting your business to get the most out of them. After all, they are the joy generation and we should learn from that.