Gen Z has more in common with the boomer generation than you might think
By Jennifer Hughes
Photo: iStock/nd3000.
It might seem that young people born in the mid- to late-’90s—a.k.a., Gen Z—are screen-obsessed and tech savvy, preferring to do everything with their computers or phones, but a new survey suggests that they’re much more traditional than many think.
ServiceNow Canada, a company that aims to create digital workflows to improve productivity, polled more than 1,500 Canadian employees about their expectations about work and career and found that Gen Zs have a lot in common with boomers when it comes to using technology at work. They value job security and believe that in-person interactions at work are important, with more than half (58%) stating that they would rather talk to their superiors face-to-face than via text (36%) or instant message (26%).
Unlike their Millennial counterparts, Gen Zs would rather build established careers at one workplace than job hop between different companies, though they aren’t willing to settle for jobs that make them unhappy or don’t advance their careers.
Gen Z believes it has a lot to teach older coworkers, especially when it comes to creative problem solving, open-mindedness, and having fun at work.
“This age group has the potential to bring really positive change to the way we work,” wrote the general manager of ServiceNow Canada, Marc LeCuyer. “If we want to create the best workplace experiences we have to look beyond what we assume we already know about this generation and dig into what truly drives and motivates them at work.”
