Posted by Nathalia Lopes on 16 Mai, 2022
Fewer emails and more feedback. Understand what it’s like to lead teams with young generation Z
Two years ago, Daniel Pedrino, president of the Descomplica Digital College, was surprised when he discovered that his employees were meeting technology products inside an online video game.
"I wanted to know what the hell it was. Meeting inside the video game? So I bought it to see what it was and try it out. If there’s one thing I find incredible about the new generation, it’s that they pull you and exchange knowledge," he says.
This is one of several examples that Pedrino says he has learned as a leader within a company whose team is mostly composed of members of generations Z and Y. Joining the two generations, they represent 87% of the company. If you consider only the audience up to 30 years old, the number drops to 65%. But young people are still the majority.
Generation Z members are those born after 1995. Generation Y, millennials, are those who are between 25 and 34 years old.
According to the report of trends for the future of the work of the Manpowergroup consultancy, the meeting of four generations within the companies is one of the major disruptive impacts that the market will suffer in the coming years.
What does generation Z want?
According to the consultancy, the two generations are marked by some distinct characteristics:
Generation Y: Seek for more flexibility, want constant learning and think of career in waves
Generation Z: cares more about money, seeks career development and value skills development
These are characteristics that Pedrino constantly sees in his day to day work. In addition to the technological novelties that the digital generation brings, he points out that he sees employees very concerned about constant feedback and mentoring.
"It is a generation eager to grow, they want to work and do new things, they want to be protagonists of change. And they like to bond and have a sense of belonging. In the past, we hoped the boss would not invite us to happy hour, they charge us to organize something together", he says.
A point of attention for the leader is: after constant feedback requests, usually comes the anxiety for promotion. And this usually does not come at the desired speed and periodicity.
"You have to show that the path is positive, but ask for calm. As a manager, if you don’t communicate correctly, you can create excitement because of positive feedback and then frustrate the person, "he says.
How to be the leader of Generation Z
When thinking of common traits of generation, Souto highlights the need for dialogue and lower tolerance for imposition.
"They’re also digital natives, not immigrants, so it’s normal for them to work with different platforms and devices," he says.
For him, the new generation is the ultimate expression of the new world: they like things fast, they are more eager for results and they like to have visibility of the career cycle.
"The leader has to know how to show this great cycle of career for the young. Then you need to invest more time in conversations, because they want to debate, understand what they’re doing and know that they’re doing well. And the leader himself needs to be open to learning the new look of the world that is now entering the market, "he says.
The president of the Faculdade Descomplica Digital reinforces that personalization is important in the environment with several generations.
"They may see emails as a thing of the past, but here comes my work as a mentor to talk about how a message can lose its tone. On the other hand, we have a director of 55 years and for him the email is the main tool. Sometimes he sends an email with everyone on copy and it’s my job to replicate on Slack, "says Pedrino.
What Generation Z finds "cringe" in job interviews
Pagegroup has found that situations in selective processes are "cringe" for younger people, the term that has become popular in young people’s mouths and that means when something is shameful.
Generation Z doesn’t want to know how to answer personal questions that address how their families are formed and find the ultimate need to bring a printed resume to an interview.
In Pagegroup’s list of what cringe is in recruitment, there are some other points. See below:
Take printed resume and/or fill out a long form on paper;
have many stages in the selection process;
on family composition. What is your marital status? If you intend to have children, how long?
face-to-face interviews during pandemic times;
Random questions: about your sign, if you were an animal what would be;
What do you plan for your career in 10 years? ;
request proven experience for internship process.
Source: https://exame.com/carreira/como-ser-chefe-geracao-z/