What Gen Z is missing, says Zoom’s HR chief

All those years of unconventional instruction—with Zoom lectures and dropped SAT requirements—have certainly made students more receptive to change, unpredictability, and a willingness to go with the flow.

On the other hand, however, those years of tight labor markets and missed opportunities for internships or entry-level jobs may have left them hopeless when it comes to assessing and mastering company culture. And as many leaders have long argued, soft skills are often far more important than tasks that can be taught to anyone during onboarding.

That’s the view of senior management, anyway. Almost half of HR managers say that Generation Z is the most difficult group to deal with – a view that even Generation Z bosses agree with. “It’s completely understandable that students who have had to forego in-person activities during COVID are now stronger in certain areas, such as working independently, and less confident in others, such as presenting to groups,” Ian Elliott, HR head of PwC’s UK business, said recently.

Even if group presentations aren’t part of the job description, it’s important for new entrants to the workforce – no matter what field or position they’re in – to know exactly why they were hired and what they need to do to maintain their reputation. That’s what Matthew Saxon, Zoom’s Chief People Officer, said in a recent interview with Assets.

“Young Silicon Valley newbies really need to understand how to create value, especially customer value,” Saxon said Assets. “Even if you’re in a support role that may be a few steps away (from the customer), you should still be clear about how you can add the most value.”

Zoom, the pandemic-era darling of the video conferencing industry that remains a household name, conducts a quarterly check-in with each member of its workforce, Saxon says, focusing on three main pillars. The first: what are the priorities for the coming quarter and how can you help achieve them? The second: celebrating successes while considering where you can improve. The third: asking how you can grow, both in your current role and potential future roles.

“That’s really the model for setting someone up for success,” Saxon said. “Understanding the customer’s value chain and knowing what role you play in it.”

Fortunately for Saxon—and for leaders across the workforce who may be confused by Generation Z—it turns out that the youngest workers, more than any of their forebears, care about connecting with their work and seeing how it improves the world around them.

“Generation Z values ​​jobs that ‘directly help others’ more than previous generations,” says Jean Twenge, psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of Generations: The real differences between Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers and Silents – and what they mean for America’s future, wrote for Assets recently. Generation Z also shows more empathy than Millennials their age and seeks jobs that are “more valuable to society.”

This is a fact that Saxon knows well. He said Assets He sees his job as a human resources leader as three-pronged: looking after the company, the team and the individual. “HR leaders and HR departments have to look through those three lenses too,” he said. “It’s about how you build connections across the company and how you execute on vision, mission, strategy, values, philanthropy, DEI – all of those things.”

Fostering these meaningful connections – both with each other and with work – is critical for any company, he added. “I think sometimes HR leaders tend to focus on the top part, so the corporate level, and maybe traditionally not so much on the individual level.”

With their courage and desire for a job that reflects their values ​​and their need for a work-life balance, Generation Z could finally restore balance on a permanent basis.