Generation Z is the newest generation to enter the workforce. When talking about Gen Z, we are talking about the population born after 1995. I myself being from that generation, I feel that most stereotypes are false. One of the most common stereotype is that our generation prefers to work alone. Personally, I don’t think it is true because at our University, (Hotel Institute Montreux) it is an all-out war to have the best group for group assignments. While reading this you can say “But that doesn’t mean anything because you can do your part of the work alone and then show your teammates!”. Actually, you will see most students get together during the week and sometimes the weekend all together for hours working on the assignments and enjoying what they are doing (most of the time).
While reading “What Gen Z Wants in the Workplace” I must agree with everything the author is writing about. He made very good points on how Gen Z can be a very good asset to the company. I decided to contact my old managers to see their opinions on that matter. I had many conversations with those professionals from different ethnic backgrounds and different academic backgrounds. They all came to the same conclusion that most people from my generation are anti-social. They are explaining it, in the sense, that we are always on our phones and because of that we can get easily distracted. Personally, I agree to a certain degree with them but I also have to disagree.
If we put aside this generation’s “ultra-connectivity”, Gen Z has some unexpected traits that surprises the previous generation. One of those traits is that my generation prefers face-to-face interactions with their colleagues. Something that I strongly believe is that we have very high expectations, from the Gen X, to work much harder. My generation is slowly entering the work place and joining the workforce, and we have to prove to them and to ourselves that we are hard workers and can be valuable to the company. We as generation Z are clearly different from all the previous generations. The way that we learn and think is much different than our parents for example. Nowadays we have amazing tools to helps us study and work, and that is because we are used to the technology, we have used technology for a long time and that makes us “Native technology users”, that way we are able to push the envelope on how well and innovative we can be with this technology. These days employers are always or most of the time looking for people with good Microsoft Office skills. They know that no one can be better at using those tools than us. At universities, they push us to see how far and how well we can use those tools knowing that employers are looking for those skills.
If we put aside this generation’s “ultra-connectivity”, Gen Z has some unexpected traits that surprises the previous generation
As for me, in high school, I wasn’t a good student because I didn’t know the potential I had in myself. After entering Hotel Institute Montreux, they are pushing me to find this potential and utilize it to be the best employee I can possibly be in the future and they were right. A year ago, I wanted to prove to myself, my parents and my family that I am ready for the workplace and that’s what I did. I found an Internship for 6 months in Montreux and that was the first time I worked a real job. At the beginning, some of my colleagues were a bit uncertain if I would be able to perform because they knew how young I was and as stated before it was my first real job. When I was working there, I was motivated to work hard and vigorously in order to prove that I can do what it takes and prove to them that I am not this young kid that can’t do his work properly. Honestly, it was one of the best experiences I had in my entire life. After coming back from that internship, all of my friends also came back from their own internship, one night we all sat down and just talked about our experiences. While typing this blog, I started remembering those conversations and what I took from that is that generation Z will be and currently is the best thing that happened to the workforce in every aspect.
I strongly believe that Gen Z is and will be the future of the workforce. The reason for this bold statement is that we highly focus on academic success. We are a more success-oriented because our life experiences and academic life pushes us towards that. Nowadays, only having a single degree isn’t enough anymore. As stated before, academic success is something hovering over our life continuously and we are push to have more and that creates an enormous free-for-all battle for the best positions in top companies. The past generations should acknowledge our entrance in the work place.
We are more success-oriented because our life experiences and academic life pushes us towards that.
There is something that Gen Z is the best at and that’s adaptability. We are tought by our parents, teachers and every other employer that this ability is the most important trait needed in the “real world”. When scrolling down Instagram and other social media, a lot of times you see young entrepreneurs from this generation starting their own company and succeeding against all odds. Generation Z is formed by young, hungry and savvy people eager to enter the work place. At Hotel Institute Montreux, most of our professors are very successful in their own fields and that can be in all universities across the world. I truly believe that when they talk to us about their success, it motivates the students to work hard and achieve those dreams. The past generation are undermining and underestimating Gen Z.
The message that I am trying to pass throughout this blog is that generation Z is unpredictable to everyone. I feel that it will be the best thing that ever happened for the work place. People whom don’t believe about it will soon have to accept or change their mind about the newest generation. I know that some people reading this won’t agree with what I am writing about but this is what I truly think will happen. I am not bias towards my generation but facts are there. Change is not a bad thing, we have to embrace it. We are going to be the future of the work place. We are already, slowly, entering it and already leaving our mark. If you enjoyed reading this blog and got you interested, please leave a comment below.
Author: Mr Marc-Olivier Michaud, Hospitality Bachelor Student at Hotel Institute Montreux, from Canada.