by Peter A. Arthur-Smith

“Gen Zers – those born between 1996 to 2010 – spend six months less than that and are the most job-hopping generation ever tracked,” Wall Street Journal Review article, March,2023, entitled ‘You’re Already Moving to Your Next Career.’

The above quoted article compared Gen Zers to millennials, where it referred to recent research by CareerBuilder.com: “Millennials spend an eye-blink average of just two years and nine months at a job.”  Could it be that, quite apart from their increasing socio-economic pressures experienced since the Great Recession of 1986-87, Gen Zers and millennials don’t become fully attached to their place of work owing to the way they are managed or led? It is a well-known view that: ‘People don’t normally don’t leave their jobs, they leave their managers or toxic work environments.’

Manager is an apt title, since these are individuals who are often systems and process fixated; whereas leaders are usually people and progress oriented.  That means managers are often obsessed with numbers produced through those systems and processes, whereas leaders focus more on having the right people and fundamentals in place to make effective progress.  Progress is accompanied by breakthroughs and passing challenging team milestones in pursuit of particular venture journeys and destinations.

When you have leaders, they involve and treat millennials-Gen Zers with respect and appreciation… and then those people stay with them. They will feel challenged and be given opportunities to learn and contribute. It’s an extension of their academic experience, where they’ve taken on projects, researched those projects and then implemented those projects. That is, they were empowered to figure out their assigned journeys – with access to advice where necessary. Their mentors ensured they had the minimal resources necessary, and then empowered them to pursue their specific journeys. Ultimately they received due recognition for their efforts.

With managers they too often expect their younger staff members to proceed/execute toward meeting certain numbers. Managers too often prefer just lackeys to meet immediate tasks without asking too many questions. They often don’t need their “employees” to research or properly position assignments before they implement what’s required. For these reasons, managers are often inclined to reward their employees to the least “numerical” level they can get away with. Maximizing profit is more important than teeing-their-people-up to maximize their full potential. When people work at their true potential and are well led, they usually produce more than is expected and are happy to remain as part of any team.

Allowing people to unnecessarily job-hop is a tragic waste of time, talent and human potential. Most people ought to remain in their role for at least 3-5 years to maximize their return on investment. Less than that and it’s like having a loss-leader. For those ventures that cannot retain their people over such a window, they should take a cold hard look at the way they value, appreciate and respect their people. Are their people being exposed to challenging assignments, where they can perceive gainful journeys toward greater contribut-ions and success?  Or are they just asked to fall-in-line and pick up any bones that may be thrown their way?

I’ve just completed a conversation with a Country General Manager who cannot say enough about two young talented people that recently joined his team. However, he gives them the rope they need to run with. They brainstorm what needs to be accomplished and take-on their assignments and run with them because they experience much pleasure in meeting what’s required. Is that happening in your organization or are your people job-hopping because they’re “managed” to meet “grunt” assignments? 10-20 years ago people were still relatively comfortable to be managed and meet their rather structured and limited job descriptions.

Today they seek personable leaders, who can inspire them to accomplish more than what they thought was reasonably possible. Take a look around you at the sports records that are still being broken, new products/services that are coming to market, breakthroughs that are being made, and theater performances that are still often astounding. Chances are that many of these are being accomplished by younger people who have been empowered to realize their full potential.

So, instead of grieving over and encouraging undue job-hopping, why don’t you:

» Take greater account of Gen Zer-millennials’ academic experiences that involved stimulating projects, vital research and practical applications – not just wrote and theoretical learning.

» In our media-age-plus; Gen Zers and millennials have access to extraordinary amounts of information and data. They know how to access it faster than you or prior generations.

» Note that Gen Zers-millennials have Thymotic desires, just like you; to be seen, respected and appreciated.

» Since Gen Zers have been conditioned by their earlier academic studies; that is, greater socialization – either in-person or virtual team activities – they will be particularly open to working in “pairs.”

» Beware of treating Gen Zers-millennials like traditional apprentices or do-nothing lackeys, otherwise they will spurn you. Treat them more like willing adults by giving them challenging assignments.

» Don’t just throw numbers at them as the “be-all and end-all” without sharing the decisive, fundamental factors that propel those numbers.

» Spend time to brainstorm their options for accomplishing a particular project, do your best to provide the necessary resources, and then let them run with it.

» Then take the time to acknowledge their successes, or the parts that went right. Celebrate those successes in a prudent, thoughtful way!

» If you follow these prior eight pointers, there’s every reason to expect Gen Zers and millennials will stay with you. And then consider giving them greater responsibility when they seek or are ready for it.

Let’s get started!