What company leaders have learned from their Gen Z staff
The youngest generation in the workforce is certainly unlike others before them. Generation Z grew up as digital natives and went through college or started their first careers during the pandemic.
They are more vocal about previously stigmatized issues like mental health in workplaces. And they are demanding more from their employers by seeking more flexibility, meaning in their work, and the ability to be their true authentic selves on the job.
At the same time, opinions around them being lazy, poorly socialized and having unrealistic expectations abound. But some company leaders are learning a lot from their youngest workers, and say they’re leading the charge to change how corporate cultures operate. Here are some thoughts from execs about their Gen Z staff.
Soraya Easterbrook, founder of SEO agency Didgeheads
One thing Easterbrook has learned about Gen Z staff is how entrepreneurial they are. “We’ve found them to be very creative thinkers, lots of them have side projects and things going on outside of their day-to-day work, from running fitness classes to Amazon businesses, to freelance social media stuff. And they’re totally unapologetic about it – adding it to their LinkedIn and not willing to give that up for anything.”
That’s teaching her how “it’s beneficial to our business to allow people to have their own things going on,” she said.
Work life balance is another key value she’s seen among her Gen Z staff. “One of the biggest things, they’re not afraid to leave and wrap up dead on the contracted hours, or shoot off to a yoga class in their lunch break. It is such a breath of fresh air and it’s really infectious to everyone else. There doesn’t seem to be that same competitive attitude, it’s more camaraderie.”
That’s teaching her how “Work quality is just as good, if not better, when people have boundaries,” she said.
Amanda Zuckerman, founder of Dormify, a dormitory furniture company
Zuckerman has learned that Gen Z staff highly value in-person work and office culture, she said.
“They want their workplace to have a culture that they align with and they want opportunities to meet friends and connect with other people. Their expectations of what workplace culture looks like is radically different from that of 10 or 20 years ago (I certainly don’t see them wanting to wear formal business attire any time soon), but the idea that they don’t want to leave the house and only want to work online is a total myth. College-aged interns especially love to be in the office — sometimes even more than the actual team,” she said.
Gen Z also highly values honesty in the workplace. “The same way they see right through a marketing stunt or an ad, they can also see right through sugar coated announcements and internal messages. I’ve noticed how removing a layer of sugar coating and just being straight-up about challenges is actually really motivating for my team and makes them feel more like they’re a part of the solution,” she said.
Ethan Monkhouse, founder and owner of Typed, an AI-driven digital marketing agency
As a Gen Z leader himself, “one of the key lessons has been recognizing the distinct working styles across the four generations in our workforce. At Typed, we often compare it to running a finely-tuned orchestra — each generation plays its own instrument, but when we acknowledge their individual strengths and blend them together, the output is extraordinary,” Monkhouse said.
“For instance, our Gen Z team members are highly tech-savvy, driving innovation by pushing for cutting-edge automation and algorithmic solutions in our marketing strategies. At the same time, older generations on the team provide valuable experience and a structured approach, ensuring that our technological innovations are grounded in proven methods. When we listen to these diverse perspectives, the results are far more powerful than any single approach.”
“A great example is how we’ve integrated AI-driven marketing techniques. Our younger team members spearheaded the effort to automate campaign management and optimize targeting algorithms. Meanwhile, senior team members focused on maintaining a human touch with clients, blending tech with trusted relationship-building practices. This balance has allowed us to scale our operations effectively across continents while maintaining strong client connections.”