Dive Brief:

• Despite the prevailing view, face-time really matters to the employees in the Gen Z demographic, as 41% of them report corporate offices are their workplace preference, according to a new global study.
• The “Gen Z & Millennials Collide @ Work” report, from Future Workplace and Ranstad US, also found that Gen Z and millennials today find “communication” the most important leadership quality, compared to “honesty” in 2014 (the last time the survey was done).
• With their technological bent, Gen Z and millennials want their workplace social media (41%), wearables (27%) and virtual reality (26%), yet 46% of both demographic groups agree social media is their biggest distraction from getting work done, with text messaging (39%) and email (31%) right behind.

Dive Insight:

Judging by the overall results, it's no surprise that both Gen Z and millennials crave working in technology (45%), with education a distant second (17%). HR leaders and recruiters in insurance and other industries have their work cut out for them, as insurance (3%), energy and utilities (3%) and telecommunications (4%) are at the bottom of the career wish list.

Another interesting data point is that in 2016, work flexibility is the most desired employee benefit, even more than healthcare for both cohorts (a contrast to the 41% of Gen Z folks who prefer the office setting). In 2014, healthcare coverage ranked number one.

Jim Link, CHRO at Randstad North America, says that another pervasive theme is collaboration, whether it's from home, at coffee shop or in the office. Furthermore, more than half (54%) of Gen Z respondents said the people they work with is the workplace attribute that matters most in order to do their best work. Companies seeking to be an employer of choice must leverage the collaborative revolution taking place and provide the technology, tools and processes that facilitate and encourage it.