How to Retain Gen Z Employees: Five Manager Shifts That Build Trust
How to Retain Gen Z Employees: Start by Being Painfully Specific
I wrote a guest article for Customer Experience Magazine on how to retain Gen Z employees, and the manager shifts that move the needle on their experience at work far more than another engagement survey ever will.
A lot of what managers read as entitlement or a skills gap has more to do with the economy Gen Z graduated into, the year they entered the workforce (many of them onboarded over Zoom, which explains more than people give it credit for), the communication norms they grew up inside, and what they watched happen to the generations just ahead of them. I broke that down first, because you can't solve a retention problem you've misdiagnosed as a character problem.
From there I walked through five shifts managers can make right now: getting specific about expectations instead of assuming they're obvious, building trust through consistent follow-through, understanding the lens each generation brings to work, giving people flexibility that means something to them, and investing in growth and skill building so staying feels like a smart career move.
I also got into the role empathy plays in leading Gen Z, including the part managers tend to push back on, which is that you don't have to agree with every perspective to take your employees seriously. Once you stop managing the stereotype and start managing the person sitting in front of you, Gen Z employees build confidence faster, contribute more, and can picture a future with your organization instead of refreshing LinkedIn during lunch.
Read the full article for all five shifts!