Gen Z aren’t up and coming; they’re here. Now. What do they want? Join host Jennie Brooks to find out as she talks with two of LinkedIn’s “Top Voices”—Ang Richard, Assistant Director of Career Education at Boston University, as well as JAKE Small, a workplace equity consultant, the Director of Strategic Alliances at Leadership Brainery, and a Boston ChangeMaker at MultiplyingGood. Here’s a hint: Among other things, they want to be treated as our colleagues, in the fullest sense of the word. Tune in to learn what forces have shaped Gen Z’s aspirations, perspectives, behaviors, values, and what they’re looking for in a workplace.
Gen Z aren’t up and coming; they’re here. Now. What do they want? Join host Jennie Brooks to find out as she talks with two of LinkedIn’s “Top Voices”—Ang Richard, Assistant Director of Career Education at Boston University, as well as JAKE Small, a workplace equity consultant, the Director of Strategic Alliances at Leadership Brainery, and a Boston ChangeMaker at MultiplyingGood. Here’s a hint: Among other things, they want to be treated as our colleagues, in the fullest sense of the word. Tune in to learn what forces have shaped Gen Z’s aspirations, perspectives, behaviors, values, and what they’re looking for in a workplace.
Jennie Brooks:
Welcome to Booz Allen Hamilton's Unstoppable Together Podcast, a series of stories that unite us and empower each of us to change the world. I'm Jennie Brooks with Booz Allen Hamilton, and I'm passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please join me in conversation with the diverse group of thought leaders to explore what makes them and all of us unstoppable.
Welcome to the Unstoppable Together Podcast. I'm Jennie Brooks, and today I'm very excited to be joined by JAKE Small, workplace equity consultant and director of strategic alliances at Leadership Brainery, and Ang Richard, assistant director of Career Education at Boston University. Today, we're going to be speaking with both of them about Gen Z. What does Gen Z look like in our workplace culture today and how can organizations be thinking about Gen Z as they go to create the working environment of the future? JAKE and Ang, welcome to the podcast.
Ang:
Thank you for having us.
JAKE:
Thank you so much, Jennie. I'm so happy to be here and to be having this conversation.
Jennie:
Same. I'm really grateful that you guys took the time to connect with us on this. Let's just start with some of the basics, the fundamentals, and lay some groundwork. Who is Gen Z? When were they born? How do they fit into the broad millennials umbrella? And what kind of hallmarks, traits exist for Gen Z? How do you define them?
Ang:
Sure. So, Gen Z, when we think about when they were born and who they are, they're regarded as being born between 1997 and around 2010, so there's about a 13-year gap there. They're often characterized as digitally native, confident, advocates in many lines of their lives through sustainability, their professional work, consumption, lots of advocacy and lots of emphasis on equity and inclusion. Most were raised by Gen Xers, some by boomers, some by millennials. So, there's some generational traits that are influenced there, but they're a very dynamic crew and they're going to bring a lot to the world of work.
JAKE:
I think the only thing that I'll add is that I think of these conversations about generations, when they start and when they end. It has to also be painted in this larger conversation about what's going on in the world contextually. So, I think the generational shifts happen when something is changing, and for me, my earliest memories, I just turned 26 years old a couple of days ago.
Jennie:
Happy birthday!
JAKE:
Thank you so much, I appreciate it! My earliest memories were things like 9/11. I grew up in New York City. I remember the tragedy there and how 9/11 shaped so many conversations around xenophobia. I remember wars as a child, right? War initiated in Iraq to Saddam Hussein. I remember also really exciting things like my oldest brother getting his first Facebook account in 2005, 2006. Facebook then of course reaching a million users in just a couple of months and connected us like never before. So, moments of tragedy.
I also think about moments of unprecedented connection that we have. Think about really high highs like the election of President Barack Obama, which sparked conversations also about a post-racial America, which of course were untrue. Just years later, the deaths of folks like Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, and so just so much going on, but such a huge closeness to it all too. And I think that Gen Z is marked by just having a lot of connection with really big events and feeling like we're right in the room when it's happening in a way that really didn't exist up before our generation.
Jennie:
Okay. Now you both have me just consumed by reflection. My first question back to you, JAKE, is my son who just turned 18 tells me that Facebook is for old people. What say you on this?
JAKE:Oh, Facebook is, how do I put this? It's not for young people. I'll say that. I'll say now while it was one of the social media platforms that launched us into connection like we've never before seen it, it is sort of teetered out a bit, and other social media platforms have popped up and emerged like even Instagram is on its way out. Twitter has changed into X in a really interesting way, but TikTok is bigger than it's ever been and new changes there. So no, Facebook is definitely not the gold standard any longer, but in 2005, 2006, it was all we had when it came to that sort of social media platform.
Jennie:
Fair enough, fair enough. And Ang what you mentioned in terms of today's Gen Z is being raised or has been raised by multiple generations before, like various generational groups, if you will. When we think about that, every generation, perhaps it's generic to say, but every generation sort of sees itself as different than the ones before it. How do we think about this in terms of what you said about Gen Z being raised by various groups? How do they view themselves as compared to those groups? And also, just in terms of what JAKE mentioned in terms of these big sort of hallmarks that they've experienced growing up relative to the groups that are raising them.
Ang:
Yeah, Jennie, thank you for that question. When I think about that, I first reflect on my experience and my parents. So, my parents are generation X. They are very, very focused on stability. They're very focused on security. My most prominent memory of them navigating that, and what I think has influenced a lot of my own traits that I know Gen Z also associates, is the 2008 recession. That was a really, really challenging time for my family and families alike. And so that has definitely for me and Gen Z as well influenced our need for workplaces to ensure security of jobs, to ensure equitable pay, to ensure good pay for this work that we're doing as we're graduating and we're entering the world of work. And when I think about Gen Z and how we situate ourselves among these other generations, I think we're very confident in what we bring to the table. And I think we're a bit more open than ever to navigating some of these intergenerational differences that we're seeing in the workplace.
It is challenging to work with other folks who have of different ages, different lived experiences, different traits that make up their professional selves. And so, I'm excited about Gen Z's open communication desire to grow professionally and to learn from mentors of other ages, right? Gen Z is very trainable, mentorable, wants to upskill in so many exciting ways for their own careers, but also just in general. And I'm just really, really excited about what that's going to look like as we make up around a third of the workforce by 2030.
Jennie:
A third of the workforce by 2030. Okay. JAKE, what are your thoughts?
JAKE:
I'll agree. I think we need to realize that there's been a major shift. We used to talk about Gen Z as being these young kids up and coming. Eventually will be decision makers, maybe even one day, the president of the United States, but it's not necessarily that aspirational anymore. Gen Z are already in the room. We are masters and doctoral degree holders, we're CEOs and founders of mission-driven startups, we're managers and thought leaders at every company. We built impressive resumes and potentially preparing to switch jobs. We're fitting in, we're standing out, we are calling for change, and also bold re-imagination of how the workplace can and should operate. It's no longer something that will happen 10 or 20 years from now. We're here, we're here right now, and we have, of course, this is a broad swath that I'm painting here, but characteristically, Gen Z tend to be willing to move and change and find what's right for them, even if that means "job hopping", being in a place for a year or six months and then switching to another opportunity to find what's right.
I think that we've grown up through so much transition globally, economically, and to mention the 2008 recession, of course. Also, we're just coming out of what some are calling the great resignation, so many changes in what our workforce looks like and what it means to be economically stable shifting to, and so yeah, young people, gen Z professionals are really dynamic, are really, really dynamic, and we're looking for changes that accommodate and suit some of the desires we have.
Jennie:
Okay. Well, let's talk about it. Let's talk about the change. So, my son just turned 18, as I mentioned, and we recently got into a conversation, he's now registered to vote, about what his priorities were when he went to the ballot box. And I should have anticipated, but nonetheless, I was still a little bit surprised that his priorities were definitely distinctly different from mine. And you just are gently reminded all of us, even the same family, sort of same values, we sit and have dinner together every night, and yet then it was really a fresh conversation. And to sort of punctuate what you just said, Jay, it's clear that there is an underpinning trend of change that Gen Z would like to see in the workplace. We have conversations around organizational change, ESG or environmental, social and governance issues, clearly diversity, equity and inclusion, organizational culture, career mobility, interest in learning development and professional development. So, for those listening, what can organizations do to engage Gen Z and talk about this change their expectation set and what this really looks like in action?
JAKE:
I think that just like what Angela was mentioning before, Gen Z are the fastest growing segment of professionals in the workforce. So, we were entering at a really, really fast pace. And I think that what I've found to be important and helpful building bridges is focusing on some commonalities and similarities as opposed to all the differences. There are competencies that folks who are part of Gen Z might have, might be more willing to use and leverage. But I think that we also need to focus on some of those commonalities that you're mentioning before, right? Shared values, when you're a part of a company or a team, I think sort of situating ourselves in what do we all share? What truths do we know? When do we all commonly hold and how can we work together drawn on all of the various skills rather than focusing maybe too much on the differences. That's what I would say, but I'm just one person.
Ang:
To piggyback on what JAKE had mentioned there, I think before even getting into the workplace and focusing on retention and mobility of Gen Z professionals, it's also about how is this organization showing up in their social media? How are they showing up in the news? How is their presence on issues that Gen Z really care about? How are they talking about political activism? How are they showing corporate social responsibility? Do they have a commitment to sustainable practices? Are they advocating for technology that Gen Z needs for privacy, for issues around other social issues? So, I think it's really important for employers to convey this in a way that's really open in these job applications that Gen Z are seeing for internships or full-time positions. How are they showing up as a good match for a Gen Z professional? And I think that that is super important for employers to keep thinking about.
Jennie:
I have a follow-on question, Ang, what does it look like to show up? What does that really look like, do you think, to Gen Z?
Ang:
Yeah, I think it looks a lot of different ways. One way is pay transparency. Gen Z really cares about their salary. They want to know that they're going to be compensated fairly. They want to know that they're going to have stability in their role. I would want to see in a job description named opportunities for professional growth and development. I would really want to see what this employer expects from me in the first 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. I want to be thinking about my time at a workplace and really planning out what's that going to look like for myself, but also how is this employer going to support me in my professional growth to be the best asset to their team and just for myself and my career. So, I think showing up looks a lot of different ways for different industries and different employers, but it's really important to be transparent and to communicate openly with Gen Z because those are two things that they really, really value.
Jennie:
Do you have any thoughts on general everyday daily engagement with Gen Z in the workforce? Because obviously, and we're having this conversation, but it's on the heels of pulling through a global pandemic, and so just broadly return to work is also sort of still in a very dynamic state, and I think everyone's trying to figure it out. Do you have a sense of what that looks like? I mean, JAKE's basically told me that Facebook's on the outs and Instagram's on its way. So just how does daily engagement look to Gen Z?
Ang:
Yeah, daily engagement, I mean, we find Gen Z all the time on TikTok. We find them on Instagram. We're finding them more on LinkedIn, and so I think it's really important for companies to be sharing what they're up to, their data, their insights, how are they celebrating things in their offices in ways that Gen Z can really relate to. The Duolingo owl blew up for a reason, right? It's funny, it's engaging. It shows different workplace cultures and environments that are really stimulating and honestly attractive, I think to a lot of generations and a lot of different people no matter what they do. So, showing up is also about being fun, having fun, but also being accountable and taking important stances and statements on things that are going on around us because that's also a characteristic of Gen Z is showing up authentically.
Gen Z has a harder time separating what may have happened in the past with generations showing up at work, we're bringing our full selves in. As JAKE said, and a lot of the content that we do together, we say Gen Z, we're here, we're showing up, we're being who we are. And so, I think what companies do that to and show the ins and outs, that's showing up.
Jennie:
Thank you. JAKE, did you have anything to add?
JAKE:
Yeah, certainly. I think a lot of times when we're having these conversations about what do Gen Z want, what do Gen Z need? What should we do in terms of our communication with Gen Z? It can sort of feel on the outside like we're trying to coddle these really soft young professionals who need a lot of support to feel important, and they need trophy or award for showing up to work for three days in a row. And it's not necessarily that. And I think oftentimes the conversation leans in that direction, but it's not that, right? We watch our parents struggle through two recessions. We watch our older siblings fail to purchase a home even though they made a comfortable salary because of a recession, because of the economic turmoil, we watch so much happen, and so we have collectively absorbed a shared trauma. We're asking for pay equity and pay transparency because we're afraid of experience the same things-
Jennie:
Because it's been informed by all of the observations that you shared at the top of the podcast.
JAKE:
Exactly. We're looking for opportunities to lead vision and strategy because globally we're amidst an environmental crisis that many of us had no part in producing. And so, we want to be a part of the strategy team to respond to it. We're looking for realistic expectations when it comes to years of experience, recognizing that we have these expectations to make enough money to keep the lights on, move out of our parents' home, but all these entry level roles are looking for three to five years’ experience at a master's degree, how do we get entry level experience if the expectation is so high to begin with?
And lastly, we want to redefine what workplace norms look like, whether it's attire or wearing on a day-to-day, whether it's the language we use. I have a tattoo sleeve in my right arm. I'm an educator. I teach in college classrooms and at the K-12 level. If I had these tattoos on my arm 50 years ago, 60 years ago, a lot of folks would say, "There's no space for you in this industry," but there is, right? And this issue needs people who are like me in all of my diverse identities.
Jennie:
Thank you. That's very helpful. That really resonates with me. We've spoken a lot about Gen Z, before Gen Z it was the millennials. How should we be thinking about the next generation and creating space today for the future groups that are coming? What are your thoughts on that?
Ang:
Gen Alpha, they're here too. They are 2010 and beyond. They're early teenagers, are the oldest ones, and they are strong-willed, they're also independent like Gen Z, and they're regarded as the true digitally native generation with added AI interventions there and other digital tools that are booming at a really rapid rate that Gen Z is just getting its grasp on. And so, they are fiercely independent, they are motivated, they're decision makers. It's going to be really awesome to see them make up about 11% of the workforce by 2030. And so, their influence is going to be really tremendous.
JAKE:
Thanks so much, Ang. I love working with Ang, and I make this the first of probably a couple more times that I give her flowers. She always brings such a research informed perspective, which I appreciate. So, thanks, Ang. What I'll say is that, yeah, so we oftentimes look at the previous generations and think about all the things they didn't do. How did you not get us to this better place? How did you not solve these big issues? How did we make it all the way to the 21st century? And things like same-sex marriage were still illegal, and pay equity was such a huge issue, and racial trauma was still being perpetuated. How did you not solve these-
Jennie:
Climate.
JAKE:
Climate, all of these things. But I think what's going to be important, especially as we welcome this new generation of young people, that we have to give them something that we're proud of. We have to give them steps that we've taken towards solving some of these issues. I have three nephews all under the age of 10. I have two nieces. They'll grow up to be high schoolers and college students should they be interested, potentially graduate students. They'll enter the workforce. They deserve to live in a world that is more habitable. They deserve to live in a world that is safer. They deserve to live in a world where they can find gainful employment easier than I have had to.
We deserve better than previous generations, but that also means that we have to be grateful for what we've gotten to. And while it's easy to say, you didn't do all of these things that I maybe wanted or needed, we also have to be patient because to build any of those bridges we were talking about before, we have to first acknowledge the sacrifice and the work and the work that's gotten us to where we are today.
Jennie:
I was headed exactly where you were because Gen Alpha, you just described my nieces and nephews who are fearless, and as you both were talking, I was thinking, well, if we couldn't fix it, I have every confidence that they'll be able to fix it, right? But I was perpetuating and passing the baton already saying they are the future. Figure it out. But I do think there's such rich value in that conversation heading all the way back to the top of our conversation around what was your experience and what did you see in your generation and how did that inform your decisions and your actions and choices. And how can we spend some time conversing around that and sharing and better understanding and understanding where someone comes from.
Going back to my dinner conversation with my son and just being utterly surprised by what he shared in terms of his priorities and how he saw the world, even though we've sort of talked about our community and our home and our schools routinely, it was a completely fresh conversation in that moment. This has been really, really inspiring, and I could talk to you both all day. At the end of each of our podcasts, we do save some space for your final thoughts, what would you like to share with us today?
Ang:
I'll say JAKE really helps me and encourages me to feel confident in sharing my own stories and bringing in my own perspective. So, I'll add a quick anecdote here just about how I'm excited for these next generations of communicators and really advocacy centric folks to come forward and how they're really going to be able to honor unique and individual lived experiences. I think that those are going to be paramount characteristics of Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and I hope they help make the world a better place.
I was a first-generation student, first generation professional, feel very grounded in my Gen X parents motivation and ability and just unwavering want for me to get to somewhere where they didn't go. And so that has been super helpful in structuring my approach to life, to the world of work, to navigating these different instances with all different people. And I'm so excited to have more folks bring in those lived experiences and just boost generations to come from that.
JAKE:
I would say two quick things. Like all community groups, Gen Z is not a monolith. Every racial group, every ethnic group is represented in Gen Z. Every sexual orientation, every ability, status, everything is represented in Gen Z. We don't all think alike. We don't all move in the same ways. We don't all have the same competencies or even aspirations and desires. So, I think it's important to always treat the person in front of you like an individual person, regardless of what we think we might know about them.
The second thing is we have to lift as we climb. We have to lift as we climb. No major issue has ever been solved by a single group. We have to reach across generational lines, we have to reach across multicultural lines to ensure that everyone is being brought to conversations about how we build a more habitable workplace, how we build a space where everyone has greater self-efficacy, also where everyone can reasonably aspire towards gainful employment, right?
We are in a really, really challenging time economically and culturally in our nation, in the United States of America, and we have to work together. We have to work together. And I think that we've been moving closer and closer to the highest of the stakes where if we don't work together, we won't see any of the progress or change or growth that we're looking for and that we all deserve. But to do that, we have to work together.
So, as I hold myself as a representative of Gen Z, and as I get to, I was born in 1997, like Ang mentioned, one of the oldest Gen Zers or folks born in 1997. I consider myself to be a shepherd of our generation in the workplace. I have always been the only Gen Zer in my office, or at least one of the only. I'm the first Gen Z director of a nonprofit who I know. I'm one of the only Gen Z consultants who I know. And so, as we're doing this work, I rely on millennials. I rely on folks from other generational groups, and I also will one day be able to support Gen Alpha when getting into the same positions of power or privilege and authority that I've been able to, which is exciting.
Jennie:
So exciting. Thank you both for taking the time with us today. We really appreciate and grateful for you.
Ang:
Thanks so much, Jennie.
JAKE:
Jennie, thank you. I appreciate this conversation so much.
Jennie:
Thanks for listening. Visit careers.boozallen.com to learn how you can be unstoppable with Booz Allen. Be the future. Work with us. The world can't wait.