While generational friction has inspired plenty of funny memes (OK boomer), in the workplace it’s undermined productivity—especially when it comes to younger employees. According to the London School of Economics and Political Science, while 25% of all employees reported low productivity, that figure rose to 37% for Gen Z—the highest of all age groups—followed by millennials (30%) and Gen X (22%). The culprit? Insufficient manager training on how to navigate multigenerational dynamics.
With Gen Zers expected to surpass boomers in the full-time workplace this year, business leaders can’t afford to ignore their unique challenges and strengths. Understanding and addressing the newest generation of employees will not only help companies attract and retain Gen Z talent but also boost productivity across the board. At Jotform, which I founded in 2006, digital tools form an important part of our strategy for bridging generational gaps. Here’s a closer look at how.
Gen Z participation reduces friction
At first blush, the LSE research paints a bleak picture for tomorrow’s workforce. The good news is that productivity was higher in younger generations where organizations adopted intergenerationally inclusive work practices, empowering colleagues of every generation to have an equal voice when collaborating. In short, participation reduces friction. Recent studies confirm that when decision-making, problem-solving, and action planning are shared between employees and management, productivity increases.
At Jotform, we foster collaboration among all employees by holding weekly Demo Days, where our cross-functional teams share their latest projects and ideas. Given that employees spearhead individual projects based on their experience and expertise, each group is essentially leaderless. There is no single mouthpiece for any of our teams. We are committed to hearing from everybody.
But this is just the first step. Zoomers enter the workforce with particular challenges. They’re more comfortable with remote work environments than other generations, and sometimes that leads to gaps in soft skills training. Business leaders have to be proactive about addressing these gaps. But for every challenge, Gen Z counters with a strength. I’ve found that the only way to foster those strengths and boost participation among our younger colleagues is by speaking to digital natives in their mother tongue. At Jotform, that means leveraging digital tools and in certain instances adopting a more “Gen Z mindset.”
Tapping Gen Z’s inclusive mindset
A defining characteristic of the youngest adult generation is their commitment to radical inclusivity. According to research by McKinsey, Gen Z blurs the lines between online and offline communities. This mindset, combined with their technological savvy, enables them to champion their causes both digitally and in real life. Importantly, Gen Z prioritizes uniting people around shared causes rather than traditional socioeconomic factors.
Employers can harness this inclusive mindset and Gen Z’s digital expertise to engage with diverse communities across socioeconomic boundaries. This approach can help businesses reach new user bases that might have been inaccessible through traditional methods.
At Jotform, for example, our target audience includes small to midsize businesses worldwide. By involving our Gen Z colleagues, we can develop social media messaging that resonates with a broad spectrum of users—be it a fledgling Silicon Valley startup or a global airline. Gen Z’s perspective can ensure that our message is communicated in a way that feels genuinely universal.
Zoomers teaching boomers
Considering that Gen Z is the most highly educated generation, it’s no surprise that they’re concerned with reskilling and training on the job. Deloitte research found that Gen Z believes that technology will benefit their work. It also found a positive correlation between a person’s use of AI and fears about it eliminating jobs.
So, how can leaders reap the benefits of technological advancements while simultaneously quelling fears about it? By making sure employees are fluent in the latest digital tools and platforms. This requires letting employees build slack into their schedules so they can research and explore the evolving landscape, and practice incorporating new tools into their processes. As I always say, sometimes you must carve out time to save time. In the end, these tools will recapture precious minutes and hours by eliminating tedious, manual tasks.
At Jotform, continual training and reskilling with AI and digital tools help us assuage any misplaced concerns about the threat of technology and engage Gen Z on a playing field where they feel at home. We even recruit younger employees to get more senior colleagues up to speed on newer digital tools. I don’t mean just asking twentysomethings to teach boomers how to post on TikTok—it’s also understanding the significance that these platforms and content streams play in their lives. This has proven a great way to increase engagement among Gen Z employees. It reinforces the idea that all employees, across generations, have important contributions to the organization, and helps Gen Z find their place at work. It helps us to create a workplace where every employee, regardless of age, feels equipped and valued.
More reading:
- Gen Zers and millennials are flocking to places with these attributes—and it’s key to winning the war for talent
- Gen Z are demanding more in the workplace. Here’s how we changed our culture for them to thrive
- Managers are puzzled by Gen Zers as giving feedback becomes a lost art in the era of the ‘coddled mind’
- Gen Zers walk into the workplace with one foot out the door—slandering them won’t solve the future-of-work conundrum
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