About 18% of managers say they’ve thought about quitting because of the stress of managing Generation Z employees, according to a Nov. 5 report from online education magazine Intelligent.com.
In addition, 27% of managers said they’d avoid hiring Gen Z workers if they could, and half of managers repoted firing a Gen Z worker who directly reports to them.
“While soft skills like communication, time management, and teamwork are essential, it’s worth considering the new grads, especially those in recent years, have had fewer opportunities to develop these skills through traditional methods such as internships or in-person work, partially due to the pandemic,” Huy Nguyen, chief education and career development advisor for Intelligent.com, said in a statement.
“Gen Z employees come in with stronger technical skills than previous generations but may lack the practical experiences gained through traditional work environments,” Nguyen said. “Managers should recognize this shift and consider reevaluating their expectations to provide more structured guidance and become more of a coach than a boss.”
In a survey of 1,000 U.S. managers who oversee Gen Z employees, 51% said they’ve experienced frustration and 44% said they’ve experienced stress due to managing this age group. Managers also said they’ve experienced disappointment (31%), increased workload (27%), a need for additional resources (26%), reduced productivity (20%), overwhelm (20%) and burnout (16%) from managing Gen Z employees.
Half of managers said their younger workers cause tension among other generations in the workplace. Managers also said Gen Z employees demonstrate poor work ethic and excessively use their phones.
In response, two-thirds of managers said they’ve changed their management style to accommodate Gen Z direct reports, with 75% saying the younger generation requires more time and resources and 44% saying they provide more frequent feedback to Gen Z employees.
In another survey by ResumeBuilder, nearly a third of hiring managers said they avoid hiring Gen Z workers in favor of older workers. The COVID-19 pandemic hindered the generation’s ability to acquire foundational workplace skills, ResumeBuilder’s chief career advisor said.
Although Gen Z employees appear to be more likely to consult their employer’s code of conduct than older generations, they’re also more likely to bend the rules to “get the job done,” according to a report from LRN Corp. Generational gaps in ethics and compliance could pose challenges for companies with multi-generational workforces, the firm said.
Gen Z workers seem to be struggling in the workplace, with most employers saying younger workers have issues with reliability and divisiveness, according to a RedBalloon and PublicSquare report. Upskilling and training opportunities can help with shortfalls, experts told HR Dive.
