‘Smart’ Generation Z Alarms Czech Employers
Hyper-connected and ambitious Generation Z is changing the course of recruiting and working nowadays. They are students, employees, voters, and customers. Yet, the Czech employers have not comprehended the peculiarities of the previous Generation Y. Photo: Pexels
Millennials or Generation Y have caused the turnover in working environments all over the world. Researches have come to conclusion that millennials now do mostly care about further career development, flexibility, and a relevant pay. Home office has become a buzzword of the present days.
But Generation Z (born in 1995 or later) shows even more unusual job requirements which are not naturally embedded in post-socialist countries’ systems such as the one in the Czech Republic.
Who is the generation Z and what do they want?
Predominantly individualistic multitaskers moving in a never-ending flow of updates do process information faster than any other generation before – please meet post-millennials.
Forbes writes: “While it’s true that gen z-ers have plenty of digital and social insights to offer their future employers, they’re also a socially conscious generation that cares about face-to-face interactions and creating communities.”
Young people like learning and need to feel that they are making a progress in their professional development. The use of smart technologies has greatly encouraged independent thinking, and the representatives of Gen-Z want to feel some sort of ownership.
They are ready to bear the responsibility for their own actions. The popular top-down model widely used in the Czech management doesn’t either fit or make sense to the new generation.
Work and life become one
Gen-Z does not need to discern between personal and working life. Their dream working place should mirror such attitude. According to research conducted by company U1, only every fifth Czech company is ready to comply with the new rules.
Almost a half of researched companies follows the socialist layout of working environment of the 80s – small closed offices, rigid equipment and a conference room.
A designer of U1 Radek Mašinda explains: “It is neither natural nor self-evident for Gen Z that occupational environment should strictly differ from the private one. They desire to experience the most natural environment for themselves even at work.”
Whether an individual with a desire to be not disturbed or an extrovert looking for open space – premises of a firm must be adjusted to miscellaneous needs. Usually, Czech companies lack such flexibility or variability. Some Czech branches of multinational corporations keep abreast of current trends and offer relax areas and areas for entertainment on their premises.
Even Generation Y sheds light on obsolete Czech practices in organizations, not to mention Gen Z. Czech companies should not be oblivious to the interests of new generation which is taking over the world now.
