CEO of The National Society of Leadership and Success, one of the largest accredited leadership honor societies in the United States.
Psychological and behavioral differences are often attributed to generational alignment and are hot topics in behavioral science. Yet for every study or article that concludes there’s no evidence for generational differences, there’s another that concludes meaningful differences do exist. I think most of us can agree that as culture and society evolve through the years, those changes can create vastly different experiences for the people living through them, complicating clear communication.
As one researcher noted, weak employee communication is expensive for employers and the economy: “A study from Holmes Report found that the total cost of employee misunderstanding rose to $37 billion, with an average cost per company of $62.4 million. Miscommunications slow down production and relationship-building in the workplace, which is why searching for solutions in generation gaps is a major objective within organizations.”
This is why I believe that a better understanding of Gen-Z employees can lead to improved communication, greater productivity, and stronger interpersonal relationships within an organization. Based on my own experiences, here are six tips for communicating with the youngest employees in your workplace.
1. Focus on output, not behavior.
Many in the Gen-Z cohort are what experts call “hypercognitive”: able to process information more quickly than older colleagues. That can lead to frustration on both sides, as they may have long since picked up your point while you’re still explaining it.
Additionally, younger employees are tied to their phones more than other generations. However, that may not mean they’re unproductive. Evaluate them on meaningful metrics, and let the surface stuff go. If they’re completing their assigned tasks as expected and working well with teammates, the phone shouldn’t be perceived as a problem.
2. Use the channels that Gen-Z feels comfortable with.
Depending on when and where you grew up, you might feel far more comfortable with a face-to-face meeting than a phone call. For a lot of us, phone anxiety is a very real phenomenon. Guess what? Gen-Z agrees with you.
Gen-Z employees tend to prefer direct personal communication, especially with managers. They’re not crazy about phone calls, instead appreciating the directness that comes with a personal conversation in the same physical workspace, which allows all participants to note and evaluate nonverbal cues such as body language and facial expressions.
As for digital workplace communication, I’ve found that Gen-Z are increasingly averse to using social media, which most use for entertainment or information-gathering (or to publish their own content). In the workplace, I recommend incorporating regular communication through brief messages on text-based messaging platforms, such as Slack. Don’t inundate them with a giant wall of text, though. Instead, break it up into smaller, bite-sized messages.
3. Recognize what’s important to Gen-Z.
One of the defining characteristics of Gen-Z that we often see captured/demonstrated through popular media is their commitment to social justice causes. They are a generation of people for whom “fair play on a level playing field” isn’t simply a trite, surface-level opinion but rather a deep-seated conviction. They are more likely to insist on a healthier approach to “work/life balance” for all of their colleagues, not just themselves.
That being the case, try to honor that boundary between work and home whenever possible. Initiate longer conversations earlier in the workday, and avoid off-hours contact unless it can’t wait. You’ll likely benefit from their having an increased openness to your message.
4. Prioritize transparency and honesty.
Contrary to popular belief in some older generations, Gen-Z doesn’t tend to display significant fragility. Rather, they simply want to hear the unvarnished truth, spoken kindly. Being opaque or disingenuous won’t win them over. They’re often not afraid to call attention to perceived obfuscation and demand the truth. That can make it more difficult to win them over in the future, as well.
Instead, be plain-spoken, accurate and direct. That’s especially important if the underlying content or context might be perceived as unpleasant or negative. Whereas an older colleague might soften words or even keep to themselves information that might fuel a conflict, Gen-Z wants you to be upfront with them. It might not always be possible but try to pay them that courtesy where you can.
5. Understand how they interpret silence.
Many Gen-Z employees and colleagues expect to hear from their managers on a regular or daily basis. When they don’t, they are more likely to assume something’s wrong. That may or may not be feasible, depending on workplace culture, organizational systems and job functions. However, if you manage Gen-Z employees, try to schedule a short daily check-in to give them that regular point of contact. That can be face-to-face if you’re all reporting to a common office space or work site or through Slack or text messages if any of you are working remotely.
6. Be aware of their fears.
One of the biggest fears for Gen-Z employees is that their older colleagues don’t respect them. They’ve grown up hearing they’re lazy, emotionally fragile and don’t want to work. (That’s not true, however. Gen-Z employees are efficient and reliable team members. They’re also far more likely to have two or more jobs, or a job and a side hustle, than their older colleagues. They just measure goals and job satisfaction differently.)
Concrete, specific feedback can reassure Gen-Z that you do see them. Make that regular feedback a habit, if possible, so that they know it’s important to you, as well. Be detail-oriented when you deliver that feedback. Note what they’re doing well. Offer constructive tips on how to improve where they can. These details can help them have confidence in what you’re saying and in you, by extension. You may see a significant improvement in their performance as a result.
Communication Is Key
As the U.S. population continues to age and age out of the workforce, I believe it’s worthwhile to take a closer look at how we interact with our younger colleagues. After all, they’ll be the ones stepping into key management roles as older colleagues move up, and they’ll eventually be taking over as older employees retire.
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