In recent years, thrilling leaps in technological advancement have often kept the skills gap conversation focused squarely on the need to equip employees with hard, technical skills. While these are critical—especially as many face a shortening shelf life for their professional skills—Gen Z employees have their eyes instead on soft skills—foundational competencies including communication, leadership, and negotiation skills. In fact, in a recent research report, Gen Z knowledge workers highlighted soft skills advancement as their number one priority for support they want from their employer. One reason for this is plain to see in the same study, where 9 in 10 Gen Z workers report feeling social discomfort or anxiety at work, with 35% experiencing it nearly daily.
Gen Z are often touted as digital natives. However, while many of this generation are confident speaking to thousands of followers on social media, giving a presentation to a dozen coworkers in the same room can be a different story. Soft skills need practice like any other, yet less than half of Gen Z’ers believe that their formal education prepared them with key skills like networking, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, stress management, and creativity. These competencies are not only important to employees’ success, but to the success of their team and company. With Gen Z expected to become the workforce’s largest generation in just 10 years, adopting training and support strategies that help young employees thrive should be a top priority for organizations.
How can employers empower their Gen Z workers’ growth into confident and competent professionals who can help take their company to the next level? Get started with these three tips:
1. From Flying Solo to True Collaboration
One of the most common situations where Gen Z’ers report social discomfort is delivering presentations. This can lead to teams missing out on valuable contributions from young employees. Indeed, 58% of workers overall, and 77% of Gen Z workers, report holding useful knowledge they have yet to share with coworkers.
To make presentations less nerve-racking, try re-formatting them to feel less like solo performances under a spotlight and more like conversations where everyone is included. Use technology to integrate interactive elements throughout the presentation. By regularly shifting attention back onto the audience, presenters not only get a break from the limelight, but they can see that their audience is staying engaged, giving them an even bigger confidence boost.
2. Foster Inclusive Environments for New Perspectives
Voicing opinions in meetings is another reliable source of workplace anxiety for Gen Z employees. As Gen Z’ers are often known for their fresh perspectives, it’s unsurprising some would hesitate to rock the boat. However, these new ways of thinking could open doors to important solutions and innovations, so it’s critical that companies support employees contributing all they have to offer.
When asked what would encourage them to actively participate more, Gen Z employees called for safe and non-judgmental work environments—that welcome creativity, new ideas, and new points of view. Companies can build this kind of culture by lowering the barrier of entry to participate. For example, digital platforms for interactive learning and collaboration can enable people to share ideas, give input, and ask questions anonymously. This can help young employees build confidence in their voice and opinions. Likewise, these technologies can help create active group experiences, such as friendly competition. When everyone is involved, it’s less intimidating to participate, and employees can build stronger connections in these lower-stress environments.
3. Invite Gen Z to Become Peer Leaders
When designing a strategy for another generation or demographic of employees, there can be a risk of making assumptions and broad generalizations based on stereotypes. One of the most powerful ways to transform this for Gen Z employees is to simply let them lead the way. Invite young team members to help shape employee learning and engagement strategies for their peers’ unique talents and needs, as well as share their own knowledge through peer-to-peer learning. Not only can this lead to more authentic experiences; it can also help Gen Z employees build real leadership skills and see the positive impact they can make at work.
Ensure Gen Z employees are given the time, channel, and resources they need to host peer learning sessions, and encourage them to get creative. As a generation that grew up with game-based learning at school, Gen Z’ers don’t always see a strict separation between work and play, so invite them to add personality, humor, and even gamified elements to their knowledge sharing. Help them make it even more accessible with microlearning, using the familiar short-form, mobile-based format to keep learning flexible and engaging.
Gen Z are already changing the game for workplaces worldwide. By amplifying Gen Z employees’ voices and investing in their growth, companies are investing in their own future success.
Sean D’Arcy is Chief Solutions Officer at global learning and engagement platform company Kahoot!
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