In Grease, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta sing the lyrics, “You’re the one that I want.” Gen Z is singing those same words, but the one that they want is job security.
Some 69% of students and recent college graduates said job security is very important when considering a new role, according to a report published by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Handshake earlier this year. But HR leaders would’ve guessed otherwise, with 58% reporting that compensation is these young professionals’ top priority.
The labor market could be behind the disconnect, Jim Link, CHRO at SHRM, told HR Brew. Many Gen Z workers started their careers amid the Great Resignation, when the labor market was hot, he said. Now that it’s cooled, it makes sense that younger workers want stability.
Link shared with HR Brew how people pros can help Gen Z employees feel more secure at work.
Be explicit about what’s expected. Gen Z workers who have jobs don’t necessarily have job security, Link said. Some 60% of business leaders have fired a recent college graduate this year, according to a recent report from education publication Intelligent. The culprit: Link said it might be a lack of clarity around what skills are required for the role.
“We understand that a lot of younger employees entering the workplace lack what we call professional skills…[also called] life skills or soft skills…that are traditionally learned in the social aspect, or social side of a work situation,” Link said.
“[Skills] like how to negotiate, how to persuade, how to influence, how to collaborate whenever you may not agree, how to understand different points of view and gain value from them” could be lacking, he added, due to Gen Z being virtual at the end of high school and college and when they entered the workforce.
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Recruiters and hiring managers, he said, may assume Gen Z workers have certain professional skills, and when they don’t, they let them go. He suggested that HR pros be explicit in job descriptions and in the hiring process about what professional skills are expected, so Gen Z candidates will know ahead of time.
Make ‘em feel important (because they are). Professional development opportunities can also help Gen Z employees feel a stronger sense of job security, Link said. He suggested that companies offer “reverse mentoring.”
Gen Z workers, for example, have digital and technical skills that some of their older colleagues may not possess. By sharing their skills with their coworkers, they can help promote their development, while also improving their own soft skills. This, Link said, can help them feel more essential in their roles.
“Gen Z workers bring the opportunity to reverse mentor, or to actually educate and help upskill their own colleagues in a workplace,” he said. “So that they then learn those socialization skills of teaching, and learning, and development, but also secure for the rest of the organization, a new competency and a new capability in the form of technical expertise.”
HR pros helping Gen Z feel more secure is mutually beneficial across an organization, and if the labor market remains cool, Link said, this generation will keep stability top of mind.