What do I want from an employer?

All employers, particularly Talent Attraction specialists and in-house recruiters within them, want to know the answer to that specific candidate expectation ‘ What I want from an employer’.  Knowing that would help them to devise strategies to attract, hire and retain the perfect employee. So it stands to reason, they are more likely to achieve this, when the needs and expectations of the potential employee are communicated and met throughout the hiring process as well as when actually selected, offered the job and on board.

So as a nineteen-year-old female undergraduate student studying BA (Hons) Marketing, and as I fit into the generational cohort of ‘Generation Z’, who are now entering the workplace it might be helpful for them to know “What I want from an employer”.

Growing up surrounded by the ever-changing world of technology, other generations could regard that for me and my generation, this has resulted in slightly differing views on motivation and employee engagement and ultimately what people want from their employer. There has been a lot of research and speculation into different generations and characteristics, from baby-boomers to the X, Y and Z generations, and heads up Generation alpha– the current under 5’s – will be entering the workforce around 2027!

Research into Generation Alpha has largely taken place in Australia, by social researcher Mark McCrindle. For those not familiar, a short summary of all the different generations are as follows;

Generation X (1966-1979)

• Global population: 45 million
• Looking for a flexible work environment
• The best educated with 29% obtaining a bachelor’s degree or higher

 Generation Y/Millennials (1980-1994)

• Global population: 80 million
• Grew up amongst the rise of mass communication
• Personality characteristics: social, confident and collaborative

Generation Z (1995-2012)

• Global population: Around 2 billion
• 1 in 2 Gen Z’s are predicted to obtain a university degree
• By 2025, 27% of the workforce will comprise of this generation

 Generation Alpha

• 5 million of this generation born across the globe every week
• Predicted to be the most formally educated generation known to date
• Predicted to live the most technology driven lifestyles ever

My interest into the subject of employee engagement is centred around the focus of my course, and at the age I am now, I am starting to experience various working environments. This article will explore my expectations of an employer, from a Gen Z’s viewpoint. My view of employee engagement as a workplace approach is based upon a two-way commitment and communication between a company and its members, with the aim to improve both organisational and individual performance, and ultimately increase the company’s success. Whilst doing so, as an employee myself, my goal is to undertake a job role where I can enrich myself and reach my potential within the business. Various motivational techniques that employers either implement or cultures and environments that they create to improve employee morale and job performance, include intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Such extrinsic rewards often refer to pay or financial bonuses, whereas the alternative of intrinsic rewards refer to social status and verbal encouragement.

My previous employment experiences of part-time summer jobs varied in terms of remuneration, social factors and ultimately motivation. In one particular job role within the service industry, I was being paid very well for my age which in turn made me want to keep the job, but did not exactly motivate me to work harder. If I had received a bonus on top of this as a means of increasing my productivity, I think this may have resulted in me being more motivated, but only for a short-period of time. This is due to the fact that I did not feel a sense of ‘belonging’ or inclusion within the group of team members of the small, family-owned business. I did not enjoy the work environment as I constantly felt under pressure and fairly isolated, consequently resulting in me leaving the position.

By contrast, I had another part-time role in the hospitality industry in which I was receiving less pay, but thoroughly enjoyed. I was part of a large team within a fast-paced environment, where the majority of the staff members were in my age group. With my colleagues and even management team being of a similar age it was much easier for me to relate to them, allowing me to feel comfortable and confident within the workplace. Tasks were delegated equally among staff members which kept an upbeat and positive workforce, as this showed that the management team understood the power of teamwork and fair distribution of responsibilities and workload.

Yet, other factors such as the job itself and company culture are equally as important, because if a person does not feel as if they are being fulfilled and supported throughout their job, then it is unlikely that they will enjoy it and be motivated to achieve success for the company. When I have asked my peers about their work experiences to date they have described many roles they have had as ‘dull’ and ‘repetitive’. Perhaps due to our age and experience, are low-entry jobs the most we can hope for at this point in our career? Personally, I think finding a balance between staff members receiving a fair amount of pay for their job title and creating a supportive and productive workforce would be the most beneficial for any company.

 My top 5 tips to motivate younger people/Gen Z’s in the workplace:

1. Create a supportive working environment/workforce for employees
2. Provide encouragement and regular feedback
3. Allow the workplace to be interesting and upbeat – not mundane
4. Recognise accomplishments – Provide rewards e.g. Bonuses
5. Set unusual specific projects/Offer opportunities for skill progression
6. Be the best employer you can possibly be, it will pay dividends, literally!

Ultimately, every individual is motivated by different aspects of a job. Content theories acknowledge this, assuming that every person has a certain set of needs, and that the ‘content’ of work can be designed to meet said needs. Psychologist Abraham Maslow, proposed the idea of human needs in a hierarchy ascending from physiological, to acceptance and ending at the need for self-actualization. This framework incorporates all types of motivating factors, exploring the relationship of employee engagement levels suggesting that extrinsic rewards are more of an incentive at the beginning, whilst intrinsic rewards become more significant higher up Maslows pyramid, and further into the job role. This is of course assuming that the individual’s safety, social and psychological needs are being met.*

*Ie. An individual is less likely to be intrinsically motivated at work if they’re having domestic or personal issues outside of the workplace.

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Engage & Prosper is a UK based privately owned Employee Engagement Consultancy and Social Enterprise, on a mission to help organisations develop a highly productive and fulfilling workplace culture, with their people, through enhanced employee engagement strategies, fabulous and effective internal communications platforms and tailored reward and recognition programmes.

For more information on Engage & Prosper or to discover how we can help you achieve your organisational and people goals please call +44 (0) 330 223 0464 or find out more at www.engageandprosper.com