How to Attract and Retain Generation Z Workers

It’s a topic on everyone’s mind: Are Gen Z workers? In fact another?

TechCrunch tried to find out at a conference this year. Gap 2024. We sat down with SignalFire’s Heather Doshay, Comprehensive.io’s Roger Lee, and Capital G’s Lauren Illowski to talk about recruiting and retaining talent. One of the topics discussed was how different younger workers are from their older colleagues.

“It was the same with millennials, right?” – Illoshsky asked on stage. “We remember when boomers criticized millennials, and now millennials criticize Gen Z. I love Gen Z, too. I think there’s an appreciation for how much they push boundaries and make you think.”

She said employers can either grumble about this or try to see the world from a different perspective and how that impacts what Gen Z has to offer. Doshay noted that this generation has been working for at least five years, meaning they are facing a job market that has been impacted by the pandemic; economic uncertainty; and mass layoffs in the technology sector.

“So there’s a loyalty gap that we’re seeing in the early data among the Gen Z workforce,” Doshay said, citing that her company’s report shows that Gen Zers stay on the job for an average of 1.1 years. compared to older generations who have worked for the company for decades. “It makes you perform better,” she said. “What can you do to retain these people and keep them there longer?”

At the same time, according to her, it is still early. Generation Z’s behavior may change over time as the workforce changes along with it. “I think it’s really important to have that perspective among your employees and to have a really diverse group of people,” she said. “If your consumer base reflects Generation Z, you need to make sure you have that DNA in your workforce.”

Lee said Gen Z values ​​transparency much more than other generations. Today, young people talk openly about their salaries and post on TikTok about how they are being fired. Lee said companies need to find ways to be more transparent with their employees, which could set them apart from companies that don’t.

Of course, we had to ask about this video that has now gone viral. Keith Rabois says you shouldn’t hire people over 30. Without naming names, we talked about the concept of ageism and how it actually harms companies. Illowski said companies need to have a workforce of different ages, resulting in a diverse skill set. Doshay said older generations tend to be more active in the workforce and reminded the audience that age discrimination is illegal. In fact, she said, not hiring people over 30 probably meant that most of the audience wouldn’t hire themselves.

“Besides, since when did 30 years become the limit?” Lee added jokingly. – This offends me a little.