Organisations that can attract, recruit and embed early talent will embrace and develop an agile workforce capable of taking on the challenges of what is a rapidly changing world of work.
From the evolving role of artificial intelligence and the introduction of equality, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDI&B) strategies, to the Covid-accelerated changes around flexible and hybrid working, our working environments are in a state of constant flux.
Furthermore, we are operating at a time when businesses are facing chronic skills shortages.
It’s a situation that was acknowledged by the new Labour government, which reacted to figures which showed a doubling in the number of skills shortage vacancies across England from 226,500 in 2017 to 531,200 in 2022, by announcing it will be forming a new Skills England body.
And a Reed Talent Solutions survey of 1,000 HR managers/hiring managers at organisations with more than 1,000 employees found that three-quarters of those leaders believe there’s a gap between the skills their organisation has and those it needs to meet their goals.
All this means companies are having to look at new solutions to attract and retain skilled people, including those in Gen Z – defined as having been born between 1997 and 2012.
This early talent cohort, which includes those who have left education and are looking for work, such as sixth form leavers, university graduates or leavers, apprentices, or interns, have the ability to bring fresh perspectives and ideas to organisations.
They can adapt to new technology and societal change, while also offering companies the chance to create greater diversity in their workforce – especially when it comes to industries such as technology, where less than 30% of those currently employed are women.
There are, however, potential challenges that come when recruiting and looking to retain Gen Z talent. As a population the cohort is significantly smaller than their elder peers, meaning retaining employees and minimising staff attrition becomes more important.
Furthermore, Gen Zers are less likely to expect a job for life with research from analysts McCrindle predicting they will have 18 jobs across six different career paths in their lifetime, while a Legal & General study revealed that one in three members of Gen Z report having a mental health problem.
How, then, can organisations tap into this valuable talent source while overcoming the challenges that come with living and working in the 21st century?
Recruiting Gen Z talent
There are several schemes and processes which organisations can introduce to help them recruit Gen Z talent and ensure their path into the workforce is as smooth as possible.
Early talent programmes
By setting up programmes to cater for early talent, businesses can start to grow their future leaders from within, preparing them for lifelong learning.
Organisations looking to create successful early talent programmes should first create a talent roadmap, outlining their current skills gaps and long-term goals.
Any programme should be tailored to the specific needs of your organisation, offering continuous training and building challenging, collaborative workspaces that provide the opportunity for growth that Gen Zers thrive on.
Such programmes can also feature apprenticeships, an important way to integrate early talent into the workforce. Organisations should consider what on-the-job training and less practical, off-the-job training is needed to attract candidates, while proper assessment and analysis of those who are recruited will ensure the right people are employed and have training plans to match their needs.
Supporting early talent into work
Taking the step from education to employment is not easy. Gen Z talent will need to learn how to juggle priorities, be efficient, and respond to rapidly changing external disruption, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The workplace setting is very different to that in an educational facility, which doesn’t necessarily prepare early talent for the muti-faceted environment and expectations of the corporate world.
Organisations which provide growth opportunities, clear career paths, the chance to network with those currently working in the roles they desire, and a positive, purposeful environment will be far more attractive to a diverse range of Gen Z talent.
Having a strong employee value proposition and a powerful suite of benefits will also attract early talent to your organisation, while companies which foster links with education facilities – via career talks for example – will see clear benefits.
Be flexible
Gen Zers have been raised in a world where technology means people can work from anywhere, at any time. Hybrid working is no longer a perk or extra, it is expected and desired.
By offering flexible work options such as remote working, compressed hours or varied start and finish times, organisations can tap into the desire of Gen Z to find the perfect work-life balance.
Embrace skills-based hiring
Many Gen Z employees believe learning is the key to a successful career. By evaluating candidates on their skills and potential, rather than previous work experience or educational qualifications, organisations will widen the talent pool of Gen Z workers available to them.
Graduate recruitment historically involved finding those candidates with the top degrees who had been to red brick universities, but these days the right attitude is equally – if not more – important.
Recruiters need to focus on what skills can be trained and what a candidate's aptitude and attitude to learning, and change, is like.
Diversity policies are key
Those organisations which champion equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDI&B) will have a huge advantage when it comes to attracting Gen Zers, who are considered to be the most diverse generation yet coming from a range of backgrounds, cultures and religions, and possessing a strong sense of social awareness.
Companies which embrace EDI&B, embedding it everywhere from within their hiring process to branding, will prove far more attractive.
Retaining Gen Z talent
As we’ve already established Gen Zers, unlike previous generations, don’t generally look to stay in one job for their entire career.
However, organisations which give someone their first step on the career ladder and create a sense of belonging, will see natural word of mouth benefits and perhaps even benefit from boomerang hiring in the future.
Despite the transient nature of Gen Z talent, there are steps companies can take to nurture, develop and retain this cohort.
Onboarding
An employee-centric onboarding process, which avoids tick-box filled exercises and clearly outlines your organisation’s operational and social goals, will lead to greater productivity and retention.
Creating a seamless transition into your company will lead to a happy, productive workforce, while everything from ensuring senior managers live and breathe the company culture to providing frequent contact and even social events can boost your chance of keeping top talent happy.
The provision of an induction buddy or a mentor can provide vital one-to-one support and make Gen Z talent feel valued and important.
Training
Those organisations which invest in continuous training can address skills gaps in the workforce and provide structured development for employees.
A clear and accessible development pathway will help early talent to access the relevant learning opportunities that will see them maintain motivation and interest in remaining at the organisation.
Mentoring programmes can also be hugely beneficial, helping to increase the confidence and problem-solving abilities of employees. Having a mentor to advise and guide Gen Z talent will boost their communication skills, help them to network within the business, improve their goal setting and expose them to new perspectives.
Introduce retention strategies
Poor retention can be costly because of the outgoings related to sourcing a replacement. It also leads to important knowledge and skills leaving your company.
Developing a strong employee value proposition, improving your employer brand, and boosting inclusion and belonging within the business will all encourage Gen Z talent to remain.
Organisations which offer a work-life balance through hybrid and remote working will not only benefit from greater retention, but will see their employees become more efficient, productive and motivated, less stressed and healthier, with a lower rate of absenteeism, and more creativity.
Other strong retention strategies include recognising and rewarding employees’ key accomplishments, learning from exit interviews to pinpoint areas that may be leading to employee attrition, and monitoring employee satisfaction through surveys.
Internal mobility
Gen Z talent thrives on opportunity, and developing internal mobility schemes is one way to achieve this.
Stretch assignments or rotation programmes, whereby employees are matched to roles across different business units to build new skillsets, will help foster an environment of constant learning.
Reskilling and upskilling your workforce is really important when looking to develop a successful internal mobility model, while simple wins can be achieved by regularly updating internal job websites and advertising training opportunities.
By embracing internal mobility, companies can build a structure which isn’t all about fitting people into boxes based on job descriptions, but allows for the skills, interests and career paths to be open to exploration.
Career progression
The benefits of career development and progression are numerous and far-reaching. Employees with a purpose will be more engaged in their work, have higher levels of job satisfaction, and be more likely to stay longer at an organisation.
In return, employers will gain from lower hiring costs, increased productivity and better business outcomes.
Develop a strong, authentic culture
A company’s culture encompasses how employees interact within it, as well as their organisation’s mission, values, goals, work environment and expectations.
Organisations with a strong culture will naturally have better retention, with employees feeling they are part of a team and aligned with their company’s values.
Activities such as team-bonding events which reflect your company’s culture, having leaders fully onboard with it, and rewarding and recognising success which reflects organisational values will all have positive impacts on retention.
Conclusion
In the evolving world of today’s diverse, modern workplace, organisations need to adapt the way they recruit and retain talent to make sure they are attractive to a Gen Z cohort that values community, opportunity and technology.
Work-life balance, professional development and a purpose-driven company culture are vital components of any early talent recruitment strategy, while offering the chance to upskill, recruiting for attitude rather than simply academic achievement, and tapping into more diverse talent pools will attract the very best of Gen Z.
Employers must embrace and embody Gen Z values, developing strong training, mentoring, reward and internal mobility offerings. An authentic and well-thought-out EDI&B strategy and employee value proposition are also vital – paying lip-service to these policies won’t cut it with the modern workforce.
Organisations which don’t embrace the unique skills and culture of Gen Z risk missing an important opportunity to address skills gaps in their workforce. Now is the time to invest in the recruitment of a generation that can thrive in our exciting, and challenging, working landscape.
Read more about our work and how we have helped our clients achieve success on our case studies page.
