How To Motivate Gen Z, A Generation That Wants More Work-Life Balance

Baby boomers (born in 1946 – 1963) are known for their strong work ethic. But along with their continuing exit from the labor market, so it also goes with the high value associated with hard work. Younger generations may not believe that decades of hard work will lead to a comfortable retirement. Millennials (born in 1981 - 1995) now take up the largest share of the labor market, while Gen Z (born in 1996 - 2012) is gradually joining the workforce. Work-life balance is a key factor for Gen Z when choosing a job, and millennials value family life more highly than previous generations.

What does this mean for organizations? Should we brace ourselves for a workforce that views their job as a ‘nice to have’ pastime? Will employees do the bare minimum at work? Research published by Karina Gabrielova, the Head of Business Development at the tech compant COGVIO, and Bradley University professor Aaron Buckho, suggests that the future is not so bleak. Millennials and Gen Z might want work-life balance, but they also care about meaningful work, learning, and making an impact. This gives avenues for designing jobs that benefit both organizations and employees.

What Millennials And Gen Z Want From Their Work

The importance Gen Z attaches to life outside of work is not new. Millennials already strive to combine work with family life, friends, and other non-work goals. An American Psychological Association study using data from the World Value Survey, using answers from 221,485 participants, shows a clear trend in the seven waves between 1981 and 2019. When asked if less focus on work in the future would be a bad thing, we see a downward line from ‘yes’ to ‘no.’ In other words, employees today prioritize work less and value leisure more than employees in previous decades.

Besides wanting more life outside of work, what do millennials and Gen Z want out of work? Professor Michael Maloni from Kennesaw State University surveyed around 1,000 Gen Z and 500 millennial students. Millennials value promotions, results, and learning. Generation Z shares these values, seeking achievement and development opportunities in the workplace. Another value that stands out is stability. Gen Z values job security and thinks about benefits and retirement. And the often-made claim that the younger two generations need lots of validation seemed confirmed. Both millennials and Gen Z highly value feedback from supervisors.

There were some striking differences between these two generations as well. Millennials are more comfortable with risk and teamwork, whereas Gen Z prefers to play it safe. While Gen Z is undoubtedly looking for friendship at work (maybe even more so than millennials), they are okay with more individualistic tasks. Knowing what the new generations are looking for, organizations can strategically design appealing jobs. Here are some factors to consider.

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How Employers Are Supporting Life Outside of Work

While some baby boomers may look contemptuously at a generation that works less, not wanting to work 60-hour workweeks does not mean you can’t deliver high-quality work. It might be the opposite, with working long hours damaging your health and work performance. The first crucial change for organizations is to get rid of tenacious organizational cultures that glorify always being available for work. Spending time off work has clear benefits for employers. Switching off from work helps employees stay healthy and motivated in the long run. Rewarding activities outside of work, like spending time with family or continuing education, can also give employees energy or new skills that they can use at work.

Aside from company culture, flexible work arrangements are a must-have for millennial and Gen Z job seekers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have let employees decide their work hours or allow remote work. Keeping this flexibility is essential if organizations want to attract and retain talent. If an organization is worried about poor communication or coordination between team members, it can help to set core work hours when everyone is available. The same can be done for remote work. Allowing employees to work at least two days per week gives them flexibility, while organizations keep the benefits of face-to-face communication.

A third policy to support work-life balance is offering blank non-work days that employees can use for life emergencies. These non-work emergency days signal that organizations acknowledge employees have a life outside of work. This policy is also inclusive, as each employee decides what life emergencies to use days for. Parents might use those days to stay home with a sick child, while others might use a non-work day to help a family member in need or take a pet to the vet.

3 Ways Companies Are Designing More Sought-After Jobs

Generational work values are valuable input to designing jobs that Gen Z and millennials want. These generations want to learn and see results. One idea is to assign projects where they can develop different skills and see clear outcomes within a reasonable time frame. Whereas teamwork appeals to millennials, Gen Z also values working independently. A mixture of team meetings and individually assigned tasks might work well for Gen Z employees. This group highly values being connected with others. Regular team events or informal get-togethers can motivate this youngest generation.

Gen Z and millennials both fare well by receiving frequent feedback. Therefore, both generations appreciate an involved and positive leadership style. Now that millennials are moving into management positions, while more Gen Z employees enter, these two generations might gel well on this item. Millennials understand the desire for reassurance and will be open to giving encouraging feedback.

A final strategy to attract and keep younger employees is offering transparent job security, salary, and retirement information. Generation Z errs on the safe side, and they will want to know the pathways to promotion, the salary levels associated with those promotions, and the retirement package an organization offers. Discussing the future with junior employees might be counterintuitive, but Gen Z has been proven to be pragmatic. They want to be prepared, as they have seen their parents endure uncertain times.

Whether or not you believe generational differences exist, there is clear evidence that employees today strive for work-life balance. Supporting employees in their search for balance attracts talent and creates a more sustainable workforce that is not chronically overworked. It is a quadruple win. Companies get talent and results; employees get jobs they enjoy and a chance to do more in life than work.