Unlike other generations, Gen Z employees haven’t spent years or decades developing their careers and building professional relationships in the office. Remote or hybrid work could have them feeling stalled, disconnected or less engaged. Here are five things they may be missing, without office face time.
The office humor and casual camaraderie that employees enjoy when sharing a workplace is a huge element of job satisfaction for many. For remote work teams, you might want to create more opportunities for online social connection, like trivia competitions, virtual cocktail hours or just more time for chitchat in online meetings. One note though: be sensitive to demanding mandatory fun for employees, and when possible, schedule these during work hours.
When people are working together in an office environment, there are countless interactions throughout the day that provide feedback, from a casual nod of approval to pointed conversations that deliver constructive criticism. Encourage your managers to find ways to provide that feedback in online conversations one-on-one meetings. And remind them that just like face-to-face critiques, it's good to sandwich the negative between a few positives.
People working together as a team tend to thrive on meeting challenges together and then celebrating their successes. Gen Z and Millennial employees also may be more team-oriented than their older colleagues and could be missing those collective victories. Encourage managers to find ways to acknowledge the wins, and to congratulate teams for crossing hurdles and meeting milestones.
In the typical office situation, younger employees learn from older ones by watching how they handle a wide range of situations, from sales calls to meetings with their superiors to managing office politics. Your current cohort of entry level employees could be missing out on some important but subtle learning. Consider launching a more structured mentoring program that allows Gen Z employees to develop close one-on-one supportive relationships.
One of the time-honored perks of working long hours used to be a break room stocked with fantastic snacks and scoring frequent free catered meals. If you're hoping to attract younger employees back to the office more often, look for opportunities to host food-related meetings and events. In addition to stretching their food budgets, this gives younger employees a reason to share some face time with their colleagues.
