12 Ways to Attract and Retain Gen Z

Older generations have always thrown up their hands and said, “Kids these days!” However, employers seem to be encountering unique difficulties with Gen Z: one-third of hiring managers say they avoid hiring Zoomers when possible. 

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This isn’t a sustainable strategy. Today, one in five employees belongs to Gen Z, and many more will soon be entering the workforce. Employers need to learn to attract, work with, and retain top Gen Z talent, and in this article, we’ve collected best practices on how to do it.

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1. Create a positive image of your brand. Social media is a good tool for both attracting and retaining Zoomers. Making videos and telling stories about your company will give young potential employees an emotional connection with the company. One company that does this well is IKEA. 

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2. Emphasize the importance of your company’s mission and values. Gen Z is looking for meaningful jobs, and since 49% see work as central to their identity, they need to see that your values align. Talk about your mission and values in job postings and interviews so young candidates know that you care about something bigger than profits.

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3. Invest in digital technology. It's important for Zoomers to feel they work for a technologically advanced company. They’re called “digital natives” for a reason: they grew up in a world already saturated by the internet and understand technology better than other generations. Show them that you’re on the same page.

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By the way, Zoomers often go into tech: the number of young workers in this industry is growing 20 times faster than in others.

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4. Increase your flexibility. 74% of Zoomers prefer telecommuting, so consider switching to a remote or hybrid format and working asynchronously. If you do this right, it’ll benefit the company, too: employees can choose a schedule convenient for them and work when they’re most productive. 

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5. Offer competitive pay and benefits. For many Zoomers, salary is the most important factor when choosing a place to work. They often have loans to pay off, high living expenses, and a desire to enjoy life. However, given the choice of a boring but highly paid position and an interesting job with a lower salary, half of young people would choose the second.

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6. Show respect for Zoomers’ values, especially social responsibility and diversity. They want to work for a company they won't be ashamed to tell their friends about. 

75% say they want their employer to be environmentally responsible. A good example of a business that has introduced sustainability into its processes is IKEA, which uses renewable energy and sources sustainable materials. 

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7. Look after your employee’s well-being. 70% of Gen Zers in the U.S. say maintaining their mental health is their top priority, so companies can appeal to them by offering psychological support and creating a comfortable working environment. 

Work-life balance is a high priority for 77% of Gen Z. Don't overload your staff with work on the weekend, and schedule messages for the morning instead of writing late at night.

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8. Create an environment for teamwork with a generational perspective. Gen Z values collaboration and teamwork. They grew up joining fandoms and sharing their obsessions with others: K-pop sensation BTS has its Army, Beyonce has her Beyhive, and Taylor Swift has her Swifties. Now, Zoomers also want to feel team spirit at the company they work for. If you have a lot of Swift fans in your company, arrange a friendship bracelets exchange — they'll appreciate it.

Employers have already started adapting their vacancies specifically for fans to get more attention. For example, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum even opened five special vacancies for “Superfan Advisors” such as an “encyclopedia of Emojis” and “a connoisseur of Crocs.”

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9. Strengthen your company's culture of learning and development. Personal and career growth is important for 61% of Zoomers, while 37% say learning new skills is a priority. Gen Z is focused on rapid career advancement, with 70% wanting a promotion in the first 18 months on the job. A nurturing environment will encourage employees to stay with your company. Without support, 44% of Gen Z employees are likely to quit after six months. 

However, you don't need to hold Zoomers’ hands at every step: they need the freedom to make their own decisions. With their strengths — their knowledge of technology, their ability to use social media and their desire for connection — they can deliver results that will surprise you, and they'll be involved in the company's work processes. 

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10. Develop mentoring programs. Deloitte identifies mentoring as its own stage of engagement with younger employees, between attraction and retention. Create a program to allow professionals of different ages to share their experience and knowledge with each other. Gen Z employees will be able to pass on values that are important to them even as they learn from older colleagues. This will speed up knowledge sharing within the company and build more closely-knit teams.

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11. Gather feedback and communicate with Zoomers. Keeping the lines of communication open is a good idea for many reasons. For one thing, Gen Z especially values trust; for another, 62% of younger employees say they’d like to have more career conversations with their managers, but their managers are too busy. More than half of Zoomers (56%) say they would openly tell their managers if they felt stressed or anxious, so reciprocate that openness.

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12. Look for Zoomers on social networks, not job boards. Zoomers are very active on social media: more than half use it as a primary search engine for brands, products, and services. TikTok has the highest engagement rate among Gen Z users and is even replacing Google for some! 

Gen Z also uses social media to find jobs — 68% of young professionals say they do. Run HR and marketing campaigns and engage Zoomers using TikTok and Instagram, and keep your eye on LinkedIn for suitable young candidates.In 2024, recruiters were impressed by Baron Leung, who posted a self-presentation video on TikTok, then reposted it on LinkedIn — and got hired by a recruiter from the advertising agency Zenith. 

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Source: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7056680770249129984/

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Zoomers make special demands of their employers, but if you’re able to attract and retain the right young professionals, you’ll get digital natives who are used to teamwork and share your company's values. 

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