Essay 2 revision

Adam Wahl

Professor Rysavy

3/10/2019

English 102

Gen Z’s

It is not a secret that every generation of people has its own values, behavioral patterns, and ways of thinking. Gen Z is a generation that comes after the millennials. They were born between 1995 to 2010. Different generations may call them successful geniuses because of their individual competitiveness and technological strong hold. Other generations may call them arrogant digital natives because of their lack of communication skills and being anti-social. Gen Z is different in the work force and they come with certain characteristics they share among themselves.

What are Gen Z’s looking for at the workplace? In today’s society, technology is in doubt the greatest advance in any field of work. David Stillman who is the coauthor of the bestselling book When generations Collide, stated, “Ninety-one percent of Gen Z said technological sophistication would impact their interest in working at a company.” This generation is craving technology. if a company isn’t up to date then Gen Z’s will more likely be turned off. Technology has important effects on business operations. No matter the size of your enterprise, Gen Z workers will make their way through. Within that technology, Gen Zers can offer both tangible and intangible benefits that will help make money and produce the results customers demand. 

Sure, job security is important to most generations, but Gen Z views it as a top priority. Gen Z was raised in a time of recession. Watching their parents struggle for a job that they could feel safe with, Gen Z’s strived for a job that they could keep. Samantha Sackin, who is a writer for Forbes magazine, states “We see a strong showing for tech and health-care jobs, strong career choices for people who seek security.” Gen Zers are seeking jobs that are “fire” proof. When it comes to improving your financial stability, keeping your career goals on track is the most important thing you can do to assure job security. Gen Zers want to settle into a long-term position, and are more likely to achieve their career goals. Being focused on one job will positively affect their personal lives and allow them to help maintain job security.

With the wide use of technology that the Gen Z’s displays, it may cause some negative impacts on their social nature. Janet Adamy, a Wallstreet Journal Writer, describes Gen Z as a non-social generation. She states “Getting employees comfortable with face-to-face interactions takes work.” She motivates them to go and talk to their co-workers. It establishes a bond. On the other hand, David disagrees, he concludes “However, in our national study, 84 percent of Gen Zers said face-to-face is their preferred mode of communication.” Personally, being a Gen Z, I would agree with Adamy and Turkle. Gen Zers like myself, are more interested in what’s on their phone rather than what you have to say. Being able to have a conversation with another human allows you to build trust.

With any workplace you’re going to experience age diversity. With the baby boomers well on their way out and into retirement, we have a clash. Gen Xers are at the top of the work line. With their age range 39-53 years young, they flood the work place from factories to office jobs. Will Gen Z’s and Gen X’s get along? Gen Xers are used to being told to do the same job everyday as best as they can. Gen Zers aren’t wired like that. They want multiple roles to keep their selves occupied. David states, “In fact, 75 percent of Gen Z would be more interested in a situation where they could have multiple roles within one place of employment.”

Gen Z has a fear of missing out, so they always want to be involved and tuned in into the latest and greatest. I can see this as an opportunity for older generations to take advantage of. No doubt Gen Zers are coming into the work place. Generations like the baby boomers, X’s, and millennials should take this information and try and use it for their best interest. CEO’s and managers of businesses can take this information and shape their companies for Gen Zers. Being able to change and adapt for the new and coming generations can lead to more successful companies/businesses.

Being part of generation Z, I can relate to much of this material. Reading four different sources, I saw parts to which I totally agreed with and parts to which I didn’t agree with at all. A point the authors failed to address was how Gen Z introduced the use of apps and online social connections to their parents (Gen X’s). My mother, who is a part of the generation X was less tech savvy before I came into her life. Yes, technology exploded in the early 2000’s (when I was just a baby) and it was a big deal. But I can say I introduced my parents to the social life online texting, Facebooking, tweeting, facetiming, snapchatting etc. As I saw it, parents were clueless when it came the use of these things. I remember I would go over to my friend’s house and show their parents how to set up their phone or how to download a certain app. Generation Z is not only a generation that knows how to use technology but can teach adults how to use it at a very young age.

 Generation Z is a generation that is full of surprises, incredible talents, and the way I see it, is all around “sharp”. What you see in the weekly news doesn’t define what Gen Zers really are. They grew up learning and taking in what other generations can’t achieve. From excelling in today’s newest technology, to being a technological genius, or just being all around more aware of themselves. Gen Z is a generation that will not only overcome adversity, but excel and hopefully improve today’s world.

Works Cited

Adamy, Janet. “Gen Z Is Coming to Your Office. Get Ready to Adapt.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 6 Sept. 2018, www.wsj.com/graphics/genz-is-coming-to-your-office/. Accesssed 3 May 2019.

Turkle, Sherry. Reclaiming conversation: The Power of talk in a digital Age. Penguin Books, 2016

 Sackin, Samantha. “What Gen Z Wants In A Career (And How To Give It To Them).” Forbes, 28 Aug. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/08/28/what-gen-z-wants-in-a-career-and-how-to-give-it-to-them/#383b4d9b7a4a.

Stillman, David, and Jonah Stillman. “Move Over, Millennials; Generation Z Is Here.” SHRM, SHRM, 10 Apr. 2018, www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/move-over-millennials-generation-z-is-here.aspx.