Here at Youth Employment UK, we are dedicated to supporting young people into rewarding and fulfilling careers, and helping businesses to become the kinds of organisations where young people want to work.
Generation Z, affectionately known as “Zoomers” (a play on “boomers” and relating to the video conferencing tool Zoom, the popularity of which skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic) broadly refers to those born between 1997 and 2012, or aged 12 to 27 at the time of writing. In other words, those who are likely to be either early in their careers or entering the workforce in the next few years.
So what makes a great employer for Gen-Z employees?
10 things Gen-Z employees want from their employers
Like all other generations, Gen-Z is a huge and diverse category that includes people from a wide range of backgrounds, life experiences, and demographic categories. This means that we cannot make sweeping assumptions about every member of this group.
However, in our research and work with young people and their employers, some consistent trends have emerged. Here are ten of the most common themes that we have noticed when asking members of Gen-Z what they are looking for in employment.
In each section, we will also offer a free resource from our site to help you. Don’t forget that you can find lots more exclusive resources to help you become a great youth employer and make the most of today’s young talent when you join us as a member.
1. Job security
With short-term, insecure jobs and zero hours contracts on the rise, young people are feeling the stress that a lack of job security can cause. Young people want to feel financially secure, build their savings, and plan for their future and they can only do this if they are afforded job security.
Resource: Delivering Levelling Up: How Secure Work Can Reduce Regional Inequality
2. Competitive pay
We all go to work to earn a living. Competitive pay is essential if you want to attract and retain the best talent. Young people who are underpaid will simply leave for more lucrative opportunities when they arise.
It is against the law to pay below the National Minimum Wage (for employees under 21) or National Living Wage (for employees 21 and over.) It is also important for employers to focus on reducing pay inequality and ensuring pay transparency.
Resource: Compliance and Enforcement of the National Minimum Wage
3. Skills development opportunities
Many young people are highly motivated to continue learning and developing their skills after they enter the world of work. Skills development opportunities such as mentoring, skills workshops, job shadowing, funding to attend courses and conferences, and networking all show young people that you value them and their continued growth. They also help your young employees to grow into more productive and highly skilled members of your team.
Resource: How to Set Up a Mentoring Scheme
4. Opportunities for advancement
Young employees are seeking not just a job, but a career. Offering opportunities for advancement is a great way to show young people that you value what they bring to your company and enables you to retain your best people for longer. Stretch assignments, leadership training, and promotion from within are just some of the advancement opportunities you can offer.
Resource: Creating Training and Development Plans for Young People
5. Generous benefits
When young people look for jobs, they tell us that the various benefits on offer are almost as important as the salary. Creating a generous benefits package can make all the difference in attracting and retaining the best people. Some examples of benefits you might like to offer include:
- A generous annual leave entitlement above the UK legal minimum of 28 days per year for a full time employee
- Free food and drink
- Private medical insurance
- Access to an Employee Assistance Programme for mental health support
- Wellness benefits such as gym memberships
- Childcare support
- Professional memberships or subscriptions
Resource: Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Services for Junior Employees: Employer Guide
6. A diverse and inclusive workplace
Young people from all backgrounds and walks of life want to feel welcomed and included at work. In addition, they recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion and will be put off by overly homogenous workplaces. Diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) should be embedded at every level of your organisation from recruitment and hiring through to appraisals, opportunities for advancement, and senior leadership.
Resource: Why EDI is Important for Employers and How It Benefits You
7. Flexible working options
Flexible working encompasses both when and where your employees work. Wherever possible, including a degree of flexibility in both working hours and working location can make your offering far more attractive to prospective employees. This is also an equality issue, as flexible working can make your organisation far more accessible for young people from a range of backgrounds including young parents and carers, disabled and neurodivergent young people, and those who live in more isolated areas.
Resource: Understanding How to Support Young People from Disadvantaged Backgrounds Into Employment
8. A great work-life balance
Young people should not have to choose between a successful and rewarding career and enjoying life outside of work. A healthy and sustainable work-life balance is essential. You can help to create this by, for example:
- Not contacting employees outside of working hours
- Creating a policy that explicitly prohibits answering work emails or phone calls outside of working hours
- Offering flexibility to handle essential personal matters such as medical appointments and childcare
- Encouraging employees to take time off when they are sick
- Giving good grace and leeway when real life issues occasionally cause employees to be less productive at work
Resource: Is the 9-5 Still the Way to Make a Living?
9. The opportunity to make a difference
Gen-Z young people tend to be highly engaged with the world around them and with social, cultural, and political matters. They want what they do to matter and they want to make a difference. Therefore, it is important to them that they are able to do good at work. This can take the form of making a positive difference in the actual work they do, taking part in workplace initiatives such as volunteering or fundraising, or both. As an employer, it is your job to offer these opportunities and to communicate effectively about how your organisation does good in the world.
Resource: 9 Places to Volunteer Online and Make a Difference
10. To have their voices heard
Young people want to be heard and to be understood. They are sick of the shallow assumptions that are often made about them and they want the opportunity to speak up for themselves. Therefore, the most important thing you can do as an employer of young people is simply to listen to your young employees and prospective employees. Create opportunities for them to be heard–from online forums to focus groups–and really listen to what they have to say.
Resource: The People in Charge Need to Learn How to Listen to Young People
Access the resources you need to be a great employer for Gen-Z employees
If you would like to learn more to help you become an amazing youth employer, joining our membership gives you access to a supportive community, bespoke advice, hundreds of exclusive resources, and much more. Contact our team for more information on our membership packages.
