The invisible handbook of skills Gen Z employees lack

Gen Z will make up a third of the workforce by 2030, but they face big challenges in the workplace after the pandemic upended their education and as the traditional business environment is changing quickly to meet climate, technology, and economic concerns.

Though they’re  known for being the first “digital natives,” the most educated generation, and the most racially and ethnically diverse, they’ve also been described with contradictory superlatives: most indebted; more worried about money and stability; and “the loneliest generation.” And as they constantly scan online alarms over climate change, gun violence, and social divisions, they’re 27% more likely than other generations to report their mental health as “fair or poor.”

For employers, it’s important to know that experts say Gen Z’s rough ride in recent years means many are also coming into the workplace lacking a set of critical, often invisible skills for interacting with colleagues and handling jobs—a situation that can lead to frustration and burnout not just for those born between 1996 and 2010, but for bosses and coworkers.

What can employers do?

Recognize and meet them where they are

“Most of the gaps have to do with what I refer to as power skills, oftentimes seen as soft skills—the ability to have conversations, make eye contact, shake hands, or eat at a table with multiple people; the types of things that are indicative of a society that is social,” says Kaye Monk-Morgan, president and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center, who spent more than 25 years working in university student affairs.

With pandemic-altered schooling and internships, many Gen Z-ers have had limited in-office work experience. Working from home denied them the chance to experience real-time problem-solving and collaboration, stifling development of self-advocacy skills, she notes. “One young man I was working with graduated at the top of his class, [and then] worked a remote job. He ended up only being in that job for about nine months,” Monk-Morgan continues, “because he was not able to raise his hand and say, ‘I don’t know, I don’t understand.’ ”

Because Gen Z members saw daily routines completely upended during key developmental years, many could benefit from more time, structure and support to build workflow strategies, manage distractions, and develop professionalism older generations might take for granted.

Communicate, communicate, and then . . . communicate some more 

Explaining how your office works is essential, says Robin Blanchette, CEO and founder of Norton Creative, a Houston-based advertising agency that has 26 employees, 10 of whom are Gen Z.

“I’ve noticed that many lack traditional email and writing skills. It’s not that they don’t know how to write, but they don’t necessarily know who to copy, how to copy, or who to send an email to,” says Blanchette.

Asking current staff members to suggest key procedures for newcomers is important, Blanchette suggests. After the Gen Zer has mastered those, veteran staffers can look for opportunities to mentor new staff members, so they can manage expectations and feelings of uncertainty, as well as encourage them to signal when they need extra help.

“Our supervisors are required to do weekly one-on-one conversations, and half of that should be some level of coaching, which is not just telling you what you’re doing right or wrong,” Blanchette explains. “Having a two-way conversation means you have to raise your hand. You have to be a willing participant to your own success.”

 Be empathetic to their career goals

Understand that their desired growth and leadership trajectory may or may not match their skills, but they want to move up quickly and might move jobs to get there. Cecilia Montalvo, for instance, graduated from college in 2019, and has worked as a diversity, equity, and inclusion coordinator in the entertainment industry ever since. But her eye now is on the next move; and she has goals. “I am at a time in my career where I am trying to think and be intentional about what is important to me in my career and what it is I want to get out of my job,” she says. “In the next five to 10 years, I would love to be an HR business partner.” Her goals include clear boundaries for a work/life schedule as well.

But some goal-oriented Gen Zers seem to want to be promoted even if they don’t yet have the skills or leadership ability, says Monk-Morgan. “I find that the young folks that I worked with and who I now work with have goals and expectations of being in leadership roles that may or may not fit their experience, or their academic background,” she explains. “It’s this idea that I can do anything. and I want to be in charge. And, I want to be in charge within three years, or within five years.” Monk-Morgan found that those who don’t see the path to promotion are quick to jump ship.

This tendency to more frequently move around or work independently than their elders was quantified by a November 2022 McKinsey report. Data collected from 1,763 Gen Z respondents that spring  showed that 25% work multiple jobs, 51% do independent work, and 45% are concerned about the stability of their employment.

Point out the benefits of building workplace networks

Montalvo admits she didn’t know how important workplace relationships could be until she saw her boss lean on established relationships with colleagues to navigate emergencies. “I didn’t know [that] was going to be a skill I had to develop in the workplace,” she says.

 “I don’t know why they didn’t make more of an emphasis on group projects in high school and in college,” Montalvo says. In school, the main goal of group projects, she thought, was to get an A, even if it meant having to do work others didn’t. Now, she sees work projects as a way to intentionally figure out how to collaborate: “How can we find out whose strengths can be used? How can we actually build a team that works together?”

See Gen Zers’ challenges as an opportunity to grow together

Every generation has had something difficult to overcome, says Blanchette, recalling how Gen Xers were termed slackers and millennials as difficult. “I think some of it is just being 21 or 22 years old.” She suggests reframing this generation’s missing skills as an opportunity to reexamine management policies and training procedures to benefit everyone in the workplace.

“Oftentimes, we subscribe to this notion that the students aren’t prepared because the university didn’t do their job. The reality is, this is the generation that we’re working with,” Monk-Morgan says, drawing on her time in a university setting and as head of a leadership center. “All the rules they had going to school disappeared and a new set of rules were put in place, and now they don’t know how to engage.” As their new colleagues, it’s our job to help guide them and learn from them along the way. 

Ana Homayoun is an academic advisor and early career development expert who is the author of four books, most recently Erasing the Finish Line: The New Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades and College Admission. Learn more about her work at www.anahomayoun.com.