What Gen Z wants in the workplace to be happy

A generation open to everything new, and in the workplace they want to be listened to. This generation is one of change, technology and flexibility. 

I created a questionnaire based on which we will discover what Gen Z wants from the workplace, but also how open it is to evolve through free or paid courses. We will also see what are the principles they focus on at work and what are the things they would change.

Is it easy to find a job after finishing your studies?

More than 50% of respondents say that they easily found a job after finishing college, not all of them are still working in the field they graduated from. Why this? Precisely because this generation is one of change, which is not afraid of the new or the unknown.

Most of them choose not to work in a corporation because they want more freedom, flexible schedules and a much more relaxed vibe. Of course you can find all this in a corporation, but most of the time here you have a fixed schedule, which doesn’t really please the young Z’s.

Work from home or office

I was extremely curious to find out how their work schedule changed after the end of the pandemic, if they switched to office work and completely gave up remote work. Here the balance was balanced, in the sense that half of the respondents still work from home, while the rest exclusively from the office.

Asked how they would like to work, remotely or physically, the answers were equally balanced: many liked the idea of working from home because they have a different convenience, while others wanted to start physically because they lacked the connection between colleagues and the vibe that is created when they meet at the office.

What factors are decisive in choosing a job

We all know how important salary is when hiring, but is this the main criterion that attracts Gen Z when choosing a job? Well, yes! More than 50% of the respondents admitted that the salary is a priority in choosing the current job, but 2 other factors were also very important: the notoriety of the company and the vibe among colleagues.

What did I tell you at the beginning that Gen Z is a generation of change? Well, when asked if they see themselves in a long-term job, most of them answered that they are not sure, and the main factor that would lead them to change their current job would be the salary or a better position.

We can see how focused they are on the salary, so that 57% of those who answered say that they are not quite satisfied with how much they earn and that it can be even better. The desire to evolve is always seen in Z young people, regardless of whether we are talking about job, social life, family or lifestyle, always at the base is the burning desire to be better.

Free or paid courses

Gen Z is a curious generation, eager to know as much as possible from different fields. Most of the respondents say that they chose to take courses after finishing college, precisely with the aim of developing themselves, but also to deepen their knowledge in a specific field.
Also noticed that some young people were pushed from behind by the employer to take certain courses, which the company imposes on employees: from foreign languages, courses in the field of activity to health protection courses.

As Gen Z is 100% connected to social media, they specified that they found their courses there most of the time, seeing posts, ads or other people talking about that course. Some courses were recommended to them by friends or at work by colleagues. Here we can also observe the power that social media has over young people, but we will address this topic in the future.

Regarding the choice of a free or paid course, the balance was perfectly balanced: 50% say that they prefer free courses because they can discover a lot of interesting and useful things without necessarily giving money, but 50% consider that a paid course is too much better and that the subjects are much more in-depth in this case.

I was surprised to discover that the majority prefer physical courses, personally considering that 100% will say that they prefer online. Why this choice? I think that after the pandemic they missed the physical connection, the face-to-face conversations, and for this reason they run away from spending time online.

As I said, Gen Z is a generation that is not afraid of change, that’s why they choose to change their job until they feel fully fulfilled, in all aspects. I was delighted to learn that over 70% of them admitted that they feel fulfilled in their current job, but what would they change?

What would Gen Z change about their current job

I decided to leave a question with an open answer, to see exactly what doesn’t suit the young people in their current job and I admit that I felt their emotion through the screen when they said they want to feel at home at work.

I received different answers, but one was found most of the times: the program. Exactly what I was saying, young people want a flexible schedule that allows them to combine work with passions, with lifestyle, with social life. Many would like more jobs to be made in the workplace so that the workload is lower, as well as the salary increase. I note that I also had answers in which they did not want to change anything.

What does the ideal job look like?

“Work-life balanced, salary above average, to offer me the possibility of development both personally and professionally, healthy workplace overall” – the answer that encompasses them all. Everyone wants a healthy work environment, with a team they can rely on and get along with, a good salary and a flexible work schedule. Young people want to develop every day at work, to be allowed the right to their opinions and to be rewarded according to their efforts.

Communication and a pleasant atmosphere at work are extremely important elements when it comes to a healthy environment – “to have a pleasant, calm environment, good dynamics between colleagues”.

The relationship between office colleagues is very important. Can you make real friendships at the office? Their answer was definitely yes!

In conclusion, Gen Z don’t prefer corporations, they want a flexible schedule, to work from anywhere, and when they are at the office to have a pleasant environment among their colleagues. The salary is the most important criterion in choosing a game, but the notoriety of the company and the position it occupies are also very important.

Gen Z is a generation of change and does not hesitate to express its point of view when it considers it important and beneficial for a good collaboration.

Z- er Antonia Vaideanu
Communications and Public Relations Specialist