How to Work With Generation Z

Much ink has been spilled about millennials in the workplace. But how should employers approach the generation following them? In Gen Z @ Work, David Stillman and his son Jonah surveyed this new wave of workers — specifically, those born between 1995 and 2012 — to reveal several key takeaways. Unlike millennials, they write, Gen Z-ers have been living with the Internet since birth, and 91% of them say that a company’s technological sophistication would affect their decision to work there. They also have a more DIY attitude about job skills, thanks to their love of YouTube how-tos. And because of their FOMO (fear of missing out), the Stillmans write, they want to have “a lot in the hopper at all times”–in fact, 75% of the subjects surveyed say they’re interested in jobs where they could serve multiple roles at once. It’s critical for employers to understand these changes and adapt accordingly now, the authors conclude, as more and more Gen Z-ers start to break into the workforce.

This appears in the March 27, 2017 issue of TIME.

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