The social fabric of organisations need to be ready for 2025 when Gen Z will make up one quarter of the global workforce.

Gen Z (born 1995-2009) are entering the workforce in growing numbers. These digital natives are calling for a return to the office for social connection and purpose. So how can young people find meaningful interaction through remote and hybrid work.

​There’s nothing better than face to face interaction. The transitions to work from home set ups and digital interventions has made work flexible but also somewhat disconnected. ​

After researching high and low here are the top tips I’ve found to support and adapt to the needs of the growing Gen Z workforce.

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Connect Early and Often

Building connections with new hires, whether it be about past experiences or hobbies makes new hires feel part of the team and a sense of psychological safety. For remote onboarding, Forbes recommends adding personal touches like a welcome package, virtual social events and mentorships. This can of course be adapted to small and medium businesses through virtual welcome cards and team social events.

Opportunities for socialisation should be often not just at the beginning of the onboarding process. It takes time to build relationships with coworkers and mentors. Organisations should take time to ask employees how they want to build connections and employees should take any opportunity to voice their concerns and preferences.

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Be an Open Book

Showcase your organisations values, culture and practices. Gen Z’s preference for authenticity and value driven work practices calls for transparency and accountability to ESG goals and DIE practices. According to the World Economic Forum, this generation looks for leaders focused on a positive impact for the organisation and society.

As a Gen Z myself (no bias here), I’m personally more inclined to support organisations with a clear mission, supportive culture and positive impact on the world. What helped me most to decide to join Stopgap was the people and purpose. Meeting the team helped me understand the core of the business, who and what they care for. Whilst most of this information is publicly available, first hand accounts are all the more compelling.

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Make your Mission Known

Knowledge of values and culture is an extremely important foundation for new hires to understand the broader mission and goals of the organisation. This makes their purpose clear in the organisation and helps guide their responsibilities. At the core of connection is a purpose and a strong purpose helps meet Gen Z’s social connection and values-driven work.

This article was inspired by HRD.