Gen Z are demanding more in the workplace. Here's how we changed our culture for them to thrive (2024)

At first glance, business owners might perceive Gen Z as more self-focused, and less inclined to collaborate and commit to an organization’s larger goals. Surveys show that Gen Z is more comfortable job-switching than any other generation, so this perception isn’t totally off-base.

At Jotform, we aim to cultivate a collaborative culture for all employees, including the youngest hires, by understanding and respecting their values and leveraging their strengths. It’s helped us to attract and retain Gen Z talent, and keep them engaged. Compared to other generations, young millennials and Gen Z employees have experienced the biggest drop in engagement since the pandemic, according to a recent Gallup survey. Understanding young employees should be a top priority for leaders.

Here, a closer look at how we’ve adapted to meet Gen Z’s needs and built a collaborative work environment.

Nurturing a strong sense of agency

Gen Z employees might be acutely invested in their personal well-being, but studies show that they are also top-notch collaborators. They thrive in teams and view teamwork as a means to innovation. However, as Stanford researchers have found, Gen Z has a strong sense of self-agency. They don’t just accept orders and execute tasks; they question processes and look for more efficient solutions. This innate skepticism can benefit the entire organization, as employees continuously look for ways to improve the way things are done.

Mindful of Gen Z’s collaborative nature and need for agency, at Jotform our employees work in small, cross-functional teams of five to seven people. They’re empowered to collaborate and take ownership of their projects. To foster their teamwork, we provide them with private offices with closing doors and whiteboards, so that they have the space to concentrate and hash out ideas. Higher management might get the final say on the “what,” but teams take full responsibility for figuring out the “how.”

Cross-functional teamwork helps us to strike the balance between collaboration and self-determination.

Loosen rigid hierarchies

Another benefit of organizing our employees into cross-functional teams is the loosening of traditional workplace hierarchies. The Stanford researchers found that Gen Z employees don’t buy into hierarchy for hierarchy’s sake. Instead, they prefer leadership models based on expertise specific to a certain task or period.

At Jotform, our teams function as independent mini-companies. While they report to managers and share their progress with the entire company—for example, during our weekly demo days—their inherent autonomy means there is no single leader. Instead, the team lead is based on a project’s needs and our team members’ skills and experience. For example, we recently released a new type of form specifically tailored to organizations that need to meet enhanced governmental security standards. Because of the nature of this special project, it made sense that one of our security engineers spearheaded it.

A rotating leadership model gives every team member the opportunity to take the reins, further boosting their sense of ownership over their work and driving engagement.

Working in-office (and communicating why it matters)

Despite what you hear about Zoomers preferring remote or hybrid work, we’ve found immense benefits in implementing a full return to office post-Covid—especially for our youngest generation of employees. Recent Gallup research confirms that younger generations are more likely to have a gig-worker mindset and to be emotionally detached from their organization. In-person time helps shore up their company loyalty. It dramatically facilitates learning and mentoring opportunities, a primary motivator for Gen Z. And simply put, digital connections work well enough, but they’re no match for the synergy and momentum of collaborating with someone IRL. Research backs me up. Studies have found that interacting through a screen makes employees less likely to generate ideas. When you’re videoconferencing, the screen can steal some of your attention (like when you’re checking your hair during a Zoom call), which narrows cognitive focus. What’s more, an analysis of 20 million research articles and 4 million patent applications found that in-person teams make more breakthrough discoveries than remote teams. For companies, the ability to continuously innovate has never been more critical.

When it comes to setting an in-office work policy, the idiom “practice what you preach” is especially pertinent. As CEO, I can explain the benefits to employees all day long—but showing up is an even more powerful message.

Gen Z requires adaptation—today

Some leaders take issue with Gen Z workplace trends, like their laid-back language and obsession with wellness. But the truth is, resisting Zoomers and their values is like fighting an avalanche with a snow shovel: It’s futile. Gen Z employees will outnumber boomers in the workplace in 2024 and comprise 30 percent of the workforce by 2030. So for leaders who care about collaboration and innovation, it’s high time to start paying attention to Gen Z and figure out how to enable them to thrive within your organization.

More reading:

• 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
• Gen Z workers are rediscovering interpersonal skills in the post-pandemic AI era—and the stakes couldn’t be higher
• We’re Gen Z college dropouts who raised $41.4M for our blockchain startup. Here’s how we did it

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