Generation Z does not want to live for work, but for work to be part of life. The priority is balance, sense of purpose and personal development, and not only the amount of salary – according to research and opinions of young people presented during the European Forum for New Ideas in Sopot.
Generation Z is entering the labor market in times of dynamic technological, social and economic changes. Participants of the panel “Generation Z on the labor market. Prepared or not?” talked about how young people find themselves in this reality, whether flexible forms of employment, remote work and work-life balance are priorities for them. during the European Forum of New Ideas in Sopot.
The most important balance between work and private life
The main point of the meeting was the presentation of research results on Generation Z on the labor market, carried out by a team led by prof. Jacek Męcina from the University of Warsaw and the research company SW Research. They showed that:
- nearly 80 percent respondents considered work-life balance to be a key value when choosing an employer,
- the choice of employer is not accidental and young people highly value its reputation and the subjective way of treating employees,
- for 82 percent what counts is open communication with superiors and a good atmosphere in the workplace,
- 80 percent respondents indicated employment stability as important when choosing a job,
- 83 percent respondents expect attractive earnings, although at the stage of choosing an employer, salary is decisive for them,
- Additional benefits and opportunities for professional and personal development were also important.
High salary is not everything
According to Piotr Zimolzak from SW Research, What emerges from the research when it comes to the expectations of young people is work-life balance, conscious choice of employer, the important role of relationships, and the fact that not only satisfactory remuneration is important, but also non-wage benefits.
– Generation Z is a group characterized by high flexibility, readiness to learn, independence, high awareness of their own needs, which should not be confused with demandingness – says Piotr Zimolzak. – However, the message for managers is that high remuneration will not necessarily attract them to work.
According to prof. Jacek Męcina, Generation Z will soon constitute almost one third of the workforce in Poland.
– Their most important expectations and preferences are employment stability, fair remuneration and work-life balance, as well as the possibility of professional development and mental well-being – says Prof. Jacek Męcina.
They demand balance and well-being
As Maria Jastrzębska, a student at the University of Warsaw, noticed, each generation that entered the market, both the X's, the boomers and the Y's, introduced something new – the ethos of hard work, loyalty to one employer, the concept of work-life balance, transparency.
– We are also the next generation that brings new things, but does not necessarily force changes – says Maria Jastrzębska. – We demand balance and balance.
We want the employer to care about our well-being.
Humanitas research shows that as many as 63 percent Zeteks are discouraged from taking up a job when an employer does not match their values. That is if we don't agree with what a company stands for, we won't be willing to act there work.
Of course, we focus on great flexibility and on being autonomous. We are pushing back against hierarchy a bit. LWe will make sure that the work is under our control, but we can give a lot of ourselves among others flexibility, awareness, speed of work. Our entire world is so dynamic that we are ready to change from project to project in a minute.
– First of all, inwe carry labor. That's why we simply have to come to an agreement somehow, says Wiktoria Nowak, a student at the University of Warsaw. – It is worth remembering what happened when millennials entered the labor market. My parents told me that when they started talking about wanting to earn a living wage, go on weekend trips and have a nice office with table football, employers were surprised. Now another change is happening and we have to adapt to each other.
They were born in the digital world and have valuable competences
The meeting participants also talked about the consequences of introducing robotization, automation and artificial intelligence.
– Young people were not only born in the digital world and are competent with it, but also they acquired these competences not thanks to public education or employers, but thanks to their own initiatives and self-education
– says prof. Jacek Męcina.
– We are a very specific generation because we grew up just before the Internet sphere began. In fact, we created and introduced the Internet with millennials, on which we are currently based, so it is an irreplaceable value. We have knowledge and knowledge of the subject, including: when it comes to the digital sphere – says Zu Bochniarz, a student at the University of Warsaw.
Technology can also be a challenge for young people
According to Zetek representatives, artificial intelligence and new technologies will change the labor marketbut they are also a challenge for them.
– We are the first generation to be born in a completely digital world. Whereas
Every day we are faced with the erroneous belief that our digital competences are extremely developed. Meanwhile, it is not the case that we can automatically solve all the IT problems in the world – says Mikołaj Florczak, a student at the University of Warsaw.
It turns out that young people place great hopes on new technologies to realize their priorities.
– AI is another technology that should actually change the market so that we have time to live. After all, we strive to achieve work-life balance and that, after all, work is not our whole life, but something that completes us, adds Zu Bochniarz.
