How to Manage Gen Z Effectively
By Iryna Chuhai
“You are going to fire me at the next weekly meeting, aren’t you?”
That was the first thing I heard from one of my teammates during a recent one-on-one session. I was like, “WHAT THE HECK?!” They’d been struggling with anxiety and impostor syndrome for a while. Some troubles in their personal life affected their working mood and their self-image in general. I was not going to fire them—they were definitely doing a decent job! No one on the team was questioning their competence and skills but themselves!
“Excuse me?” I asked, as if I hadn’t heard the question.
“You will fire me; I’m 100% sure.”
Millennials and Gen Z are now dominating the job market. The generation that was brought up in the era of the internet and cannot imagine their life without a mobile device in their hands appears to be the most vulnerable when it comes to self-confidence when communicating with other people. Research shows that Gen Z and Millennials communicate with others more digitally than in person (65%), and 85% of zoomers prefer chat or automated service interactions over phone calls.
Still, chatting does not equal real-life communication. There is a whole world out there—beyond Tinder, Reddit, social media, and video games. A real world where Gen Zs are not ready to interact with other people. As a consequence, it’s tough for them to handle arguments and even critical comments—they take them too personally. We are working hard on managing overthinkers and overworriers.
So, how do you manage team members who are vulnerable to self-doubt? Here are some techniques I use.
3 ways to more effectively manage Gen Z
1. Talk about processes, not only misses and achievements
Highlight the value their role and duties bring to the company. The main challenge for you as a manager is to create a stable and safe environment that will help your overworriers not to fall apart while doing their everyday tasks. Remind Gen Zers that their work is vital, even if they don’t give you significant news every single day or week.
2. Be empathetic
In my personal opinion, empathy is one of the things differentiating a boss from a leader. We are not robots—we are social animals seeking our own tribe and a like-minded community. Mistakes are part of the process. Someone who doesn’t make any mistakes is barely doing anything.
Your team members need to understand that you are also human, and they can be open with you. At the end of the day, at different periods of our lives, we all fight the same demons. Don’t be afraid to share your ups and downs. Focus on lessons you’ve learned from these situations or emotions and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
3. Give them help in finding purpose
It’s true that Gen Z is the most educated and mental health-aware generation that we’ve ever had in the world’s history until now. But they have had to adapt to fast-changing reality more than any other generation. When I was in school, my father told me that statistically every generation faces one economic crisis in their lifetime. Now look at what we’ve seen starting from the 2000s: the dot-com crisis, the banking crisis, and the Covid pandemic, to name a few . . . and this all happened in a little over 20 years!
The younger generation has had to adapt and find their way while feeling insecure all the time. Hopefully, they will have enough resources to get therapy and qualified help when they need it. But until then, help them fight their self-doubts and anxiety—even if the purpose is just sticking to a work schedule, tasks, and deadlines.
FAQs about managing Gen Z
Are Gen Z staff harder to manage?
According to a recent Resume Builder survey, three out of four managers have difficulty working with Gen Z. The main reasons why they feel uncomfortable working with zoomers are lack of technical skills, low motivation, stress tolerance, and the effort it requires.
How can I be a good Gen Z manager?
When communicating with zoomers, the key is having honest and open dialogue. Gen Z sometimes has difficulty coping with in-person communication. Mutual understanding and compromise can only be achieved through communication and empathy.
How do I keep my Gen Z employees happy at work?
Gen Z needs to understand that they are trusted, not micromanaged. Regular informal dialogues and meetings allow for building more trusting relationships between all team members. Communication, respect, and empathy are the primary and not-so-secret secrets to a productive collaboration across generations.
About the Author
Post by: Iryna Chuhai
Iryna Chuhai is the chief marketing officer at WePlay Studios, a content-driven production company that blends gaming, technology, and storytelling. Based on her extensive work experience in e-sports and gaming, today Iryna is responsible for the marketing strategy for WePlay Studios’ development, launching campaigns to promote the studio’s products, increasing awareness of the business in the market, as well as developing creative integrations for partners.
Company: WePlay Studios
Website:
www.weplay.tv
Connect with me on
LinkedIn and Twitter.
