Best. Manager. Ever!
No, you don’t need ping pong tables or craft beer-on-tap. Not even bring-your-dog-to-work days.
While that might’ve worked for millennials, the latest generation in the workforce thinks differently. Gen Zs are our first true digital natives. More digitally connected, more socially aware, more progressively-minded.
To be a legend of a boss for these young people, consider this.
photo from medium.com
1. Go greener
The ‘S’ word is front of mind. No, not that word. Sustainability. If you can harvest 50kg of honey from your rooftop bees like Canva, wonderful! But you can start making small changes, like avoiding single-use plastics, sourcing fair-trade coffee, and rewarding those who walk or cycle to work. And office plants. Lots of them. Great for air quality, and great for the ‘Gram.
2. Chat faster
Emails have their place but can be a drag. For day-to-day team comms, think about how Gen Zs grew up communicating on social media. Frequent engagement. Real-time feedback. It’s more productive to jump on an Instant Messaging app like Slack, Microsoft Teams or Discord. There, dare to venture into the world of emojis, GIFs, memes and stickers.
3. Rethink perks
Google’s nap pods or Spotify’s lunchtime jam sessions sound cool in theory, but would they really work for your team? And not everybody’s idea of “fun” is Friday booze. The point is, ask them what they’d like. You might be surprised. Maybe it’s group volunteering at the local community garden or two extra days off a year without needing to give a reason for them.
4. More flexibility
Some people thrive at open desks with music pumping, others require quiet breakout rooms. It doesn’t mean they don’t work well in teams. Everyone just shines differently. Throw in optional WFH days a week and flexible start and end times too. When you empower young people with this kind of freedom, they feel more in control of their work-life balance.
5. Be purposeful
Really drive your ‘why’ home. The more openly passionate you are about the ways the business positively contributes to the world, the more motivated your Gen Z team will be. Even if the cause isn’t explicitly linked to the business, try to join the conversation and attend rallies as a team. Something like sustainability, after all, is everybody’s concern.
