Dear Human Resources Director, as one of the representative of Generation Z, I want to
talk about the phenomenon of Gen Z job-hopping from younger generation. The reason why I talk about this topic is that I have watched a TV program called “ Table Talk”, they have talked about Job-hopping in one of their episode. Gen Z Job-hopping has aroused a heat discussion among the public, they say that “The young people today are too self-willed and impetuous”. Today, let me tell you what are the real reasons why Gen Z “love” to quit their job.
According to Linkedin, for people who are born after 1995, the average time of working in a company is around 7 months, then they quit; it has obvious decline compare to people who are born after 1970s and 1980s. About this situation, the “Table Talk” has mentioned that, in our parent’s generation, their work is relatively stable. At that time, the government will assign job for them after they graduate from the university, people actually did not have to worry about unemployment. And you did not have to find a job by yourself because the mobility of the work is very low, you did not have to think about what should I do and what can I do. At that time, the work was distributed, housing was allocated, and even marriage was not a big deal, the firms will take care everything for you. The only thing they need to do is to work in this firm, day by day and year by year. As the time passing and they grow older, you can easily achieve middle and higher management level from the bottom.
I am a Gen Z, if I looking back at their time, it was really simple. There is no need to think too much, although you could not get rich living conditions, but you did not have to worry about fill the belly. And everyone else is living the same condition, holding a small salary, living a life without differences. I believe their sense of security is much stronger than us who are living in 2019.
Nowadays, we are in a highly competitive society, which only the talents can get a good job and good paid, however, as a company, you should realize that “the future belongs to our young people, it is irresponsible to keep us out of the company just because our ideas are different from yours.”
Their are three reasons why Gen Z job-hopping:
Due to the economic strength of the family - for most of Gen Z, it is not necessary for us to work to support their family
Due to the education that we get, it is not a big deal to change jobs, but back to 20 years ago, it would be another story
Due to the open internet environment- Gen Z can receive more information which means we have more external opportunities, rather than take patience to work under a “Bad Boss"
People are afraid of change because they are afraid of the unknown. Many families of Gen Z have superior living conditions. Our parents provide enough sense of security, and we have more freedom to think in comparison. We are more concerned about ourselves and we are more curious about what is unknown.
The main reason is that we are still young,
there is no family pressure, and now is the era of rapid Internet development, a large number of emerging industries continue to emerge, for us, there are more opportunities for trial and error.
Many graduates have no work experience during their school years and do not know what they are suitable for. Therefore, the initial work is trying to suit their work in the attempt. In addition, we will also find that most of the current graduates' work and majors are not match. Some studies have shown that the proportion of professional counterparts of people born in 1970 is more than 40%, and Gen Z, it is sharply reduced to 28.8%.
In fact, the idea of Job-hopping is not only from Gen Z, but also from many middle-aged
people. However, young people dare to do it, and they have no pressure on themselves. The risk is relatively small, but for the middle-aged people are different.
The current society is not the same as it was decades ago, and there are more job
opportunities. Today is the era of self-selection. Whether it is a state-owned enterprise or a
private enterprise, entrepreneurship or part-time work, the young people themselves said so, and it is normal to think that it is normal to change jobs.. I can choose to resign if I do not like the culture and working atmosphere of a company.
“I do not want to waste my time on a single boat.”
This is the voice of many young people!
Bosses should remember that the future belongs Gen Z. If the turnover rate of Gen Z
is high, it is not our responsible to change, but for the bosses, it is the moment for you to take time to study how to use good salary, welfare, career development and corporate culture to retain Gen Z in your company. I have also been inspired by Daniela who post in her blog that Gen Z means more creative and innovative ideas, and we really want the company can hear them.
“Now young people have no passion for work, no sense of loyalty to the company, and they leave without a word.” The elder generation always spoke about emotions. But, they are wrong, the “sunset” should not worry about the “sunrise”, it is more important to worry about themselves! If a Gen Z employee wants to leave the company, and the company has just recruited him or her, then it is obvious that the company needs to do some introspection. As a corporation, have you ever investigated that what the younger generation of employees are most eager for? Is the work interesting? Can you give young people a sense of accomplishment? Is the job flexible? Is it necessary to check-in at 9 a.m.? Is the team harmonious? Can I play board games with colleague after work? Is the basic salary and benefits are reasonable? Do employees still have money left after paying the rent? The management team of the company has not done any research on the needs of younger employees, and they just post the label of “Love Job-Hopping” “Grumpy”, “Irresponsibility” and “Love Bragging” to our Gen Z!
Brainwash cannot improve the employees’ loyalty, instead, it is build by understanding and trusting. I also want to say something to Gen Z. For us, job-hopping is a normal thing, but too frequent job-hopping is a bit abnormal. Although there is no pressure at present, sometimes it is reluctant to resign for the sake of the moment, but it is not good for your long-term development.
Conducive to accumulating workplace experience, it is not conducive to learning deep
knowledge. The best way is to precipitate yourself first, and then wait until the time is right, and then choose your preferred career.
Do you agree with me? You can share this blog post to encourage people to know more and
understand Gen Z; or you can leave a comment below to tell me what do you think about Gen Z job-hopping.
Author: Mr Yue Hongyu (Edward), Hospitality Bachelor Student at Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM), from China