An old story tells that a man had two daughters; one married a gardener and the other a brick maker. After some time, the father decided to visit them to see how their marriage was going. The first told him that she was very happy with her husband, working in the garden, and that the only thing she wanted was for it to rain abundantly every day so that she could have a large and beautiful harvest. The next day, the father went to the second daughter. He lived very happily, but he also wished for something: “May the days remain dry, with bright sun, so that the bricks dry faster.”
On the way home, the father felt disappointed in what his daughters wanted: one wanted it to rain, and the other the opposite. Which of these desires should God’s father ask to be fulfilled?
This story reminds me of the family business situation when new generations join the ranks. The father or founder sometimes worries because different generations also want different things: what is a person from the Generation , if the future heir of the company is precisely a young man of, say, 25 years old, how sure is the founder that his company is a place. where do his grandchildren want to work?
Generation Z is made up of those born approximately between 1997 and 2012. This is a generation that grew up on social networks and the movements that stem from this new way of communication, such as the Arab Spring or the #MeToo movement. But unlike what their predecessors thought, young people are not so responsible or hardworking, but their priorities are different:
According to this survey conducted by Zapier, and a study conducted by the company Deloitte in the United States, young people are interested in working in a place with technology, care about their mental health and a harmonious that balance between life and work. There is data from the Zapier survey that is very revealing:
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One in 6 Gen Z employees quit their job because their employer didn’t provide them with the right technology to do their jobs.
Nearly 4 in 5 Gen Z managers (79%) say they encourage their direct reports to solve problems using technology.
The majority of Generation Z employees (69%) have experienced periods of reduced productivity at work due to burnout, likely due to their difficulty disconnecting from their devices.
The majority of Gen Z employees (91 percent) think all employers should have a mental health policy in the workplace.
For its part, the Deloitte study reports that this new generation:
They value empathy from their employers and consider it a prerequisite for job commitment.
They feel they are not receiving the mental health support they need at work and believe that their ideas about how work affects their mental health differ from their employers.
61% feel that work is an important part of their identity, while 86% of bosses say that work is an important part of their identity.
This last number is very important. This generation knows that its future is not guaranteed: gone are the days where one could have a 35-year career in the same company. This is exactly why they are more demanding and strategic in their opportunities: if their current position does not guarantee stability and a good future, then they will look elsewhere. The same is true of family business heirs. They don’t want to stay if the company doesn’t represent a good future for them. Very pragmatic, without the romantic “put your shirt on.” It may seem like a capricious attitude, but couldn’t they be right after all? They are a generation that knows there is no time to waste. Why not help them build that better world that we all dream of for our children?
