Irish businesses are still adapting to Gen Z’s arrival into the workforce – indeed, some are even just getting used to millennials, despite that cohort being middle aged. And yet the time to prepare for Generation Alpha – those born since 2010 – is already upon employers. This, the most tech-savvy generation so far, is going to shape the workforce for decades to come. Employers need to be ready to adapt.
“The tech savviness, even compared to Gen Z, is pretty big, considering what they have grown up with and will grow up with,” says Sinéad Gogan, partner and chief human resources officer at Deloitte.
“When we think about planning for new generations, the first thing I think about is the consumer experience they have and how we might replicate it in the workplace. When they come into work, the systems and processes they deal with may seem archaic. What they expect from an employer will be really interesting.”
This isn’t to suggest that the upcoming generation of employees is particularly needy – rather that they simply won’t understand what, to them, will be the old way of doing things.
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“They know no other way to do things. Their expectation of seamless tech is important,” says Joanne Murray, recruitment and business director at Osborne. “Their way of working and how they view it will be different. This generation will engage in multiple different careers and move through them much faster than we’ve seen before.”
That viewpoint will result in a difference in priorities. This workforce is going to be more mobile by nature as much as by choice.
“There’ll be a lot more fluidity, not only in their jobs but where they are based,” says Cloe Stapleton, recruitment and business director at Osborne. “Travelling and seeing the world, seeing places and experiencing new things will be a priority. It will be life first and then seeing how work fits in around that.”
These different attitudes won’t be entirely of Generation Alpha’s own doing. If employers don’t like the prospect of this new challenge, it’s worth noting who is raising this generation.
“Who their parents were will be interesting. They are being raised mainly by college-educated graduates, which is different from how most before them were raised,” says Gogan.
“That means the experiences they have, in terms of coaching and mentoring at home, is incredible by comparison. Ireland is a great place for them, given there will be so many opportunities for them with the skills they will develop.”
Can a label really cause so much change? The truth is a touch more complicated. When discussing the differences between Gens X and Y, millennials, Z or Generation Alpha, it’s really about communication.
“They are important from a marketing and branding perspective,” says Murray. “It impacts how you communicate with people. We’re trying to talk to all of these communication styles so it’s important to understand how a message is communicated.”
While important from a communications perspective, “gen” classifications can overlook the commonalities across generations.
“The classifications often oversimplify. A lot of the things we want are the same, just in a different order of priority. Most people want flexible working, for the organisation they work for to operate sustainably, and to have interesting work,” says Gogan.
“Some of those things might come ahead of others, depending on the generation. The focus on diversity and inclusion, and sustainability is greater with the generation entering the workforce now. That will increase with the next generation.”
Shóna McManus, chief executive at Osborne, says that understanding these requirements begins with learning about the future workforce.
“It’s important to be knowledgeable and be well read about the change that is coming. If you can have different generations across leadership teams, and teams in general, it helps with that.”
There are some obvious benefits to the change in mindset from the fresh blood entering the workforce. Matters such as childcare and career progression will likely change with new ideas and attitudes.
“What men are going to expect around leave and co-parenting will be different. It’s only going to go up as domestic responsibility is shared more equally,” says Gogan.
And as a more equitable approach to home life is likely to develop, so too will different attitudes towards success in work.
“More people will want to be experts in their field rather than necessarily take on leadership roles,” says Emma Hickey, recruitment and business director at Osborne
Whatever changes there might be, Gogan says it’s best if employers think about the needs of the employee they are engaging with when trying to communicate.
“Different generations experience different preferences for communication. The younger generation is very happy with digital messaging. Someone in the workforce a lot longer will lift the phone more regularly.”