71% of gen Z find the future 'frightening'

Meaningful employee experience is no longer just about office beanbags and free stuff; it’s about connected engagement that fosters a sense of belonging. When Steven Bartlett commented on gen Z’s inability to be resilient, did he have a point? And is there really such a cultural chasm between him in his early 30s and the growing cohort of gen Zs in the workplace? Let’s break it down.

Thrown in the deep end

What we do know, from our own research and the insights available in the wider market, is that gen Z is both fluid and flexible. So far, so good; these are qualities that serve the marketing industry well. But life comes at gen Z fast, and our research showed that 71% found the future frightening (hardly surprising when the older end of gen Z is entering the workplace three years into straddling one leg in the pandemic and the other in a worsening cost of living crisis).

How is this reflected in their resilience? Resilience is often the product of hardship and, whereas the gen Z cohort has by no means been sent up a chimney, they are maturing into working adults with exceptional circumstances directly affecting their physical, financial and emotional wellbeing.

As Kristie Naha-Biswas, our head of strategy at Assembly, explains: “What we have uncovered are several characteristics that demonstrate the duality and often contrasting behaviors and attitudes of gen Z. Although ambitious and confident, they are also extremely vulnerable. But, if supported and nurtured in the right way, gen Z will grow to be adaptable and armed for difficult situations.”

A new perspective

It appears that gen Z’s outlook on work and life is infectious. As Naha-Biswas says: “We have to avoid the repeating of past generations and complaining about the younger generation. I remember [...] the eye-rolling from the senior executives and the ‘too lazy’ commentary because millennials didn’t want to work long hours and wanted an actual life. Thankfully, some of that millennial working ethos has finally trickled through.”

It is also worth noting that our youngest gen Zs still have some years to go before entering the workplace. How the younger half of the gen Z population will mature into working adults may be drastically different than those we see in the workplace already.

Although work-life balance is important to them, gen Z also places significant importance on purpose and feeling fulfilled. “I feel an important role in building a sense of purpose is feeling entrusted with responsibility, whether it’s holding yourself accountable with the responsibility of achieving personal dreams and goals, or being supported by your employer with professional responsibilities,” says my colleague and digital marketing apprentice Oliver Bridgman. “When I have responsibilities, I feel trusted and supported by my team, my managers and the company as a whole.”

Gen Z craves more

As we welcome this generation into the industry, heavily populated by millennials who have championed change in diversity, equity and inclusion, we have a responsibility to ourselves and to them to be inclusive, to be open-minded to their diversity and fresh perspectives and, frankly, to keep up with them.

Gen Z comes with high expectations, and with 29% preferring brands that do not advertise heavily but instead seek a deeper and self-aligned brand experience, they are bound to be an exciting and transformative influence on the marketing sector – both for agencies and brands alike.

Read Assembly’s full report: Decoding Gen Z for Brand Growth here.