Young employees are causing problems in the workplace, with seven in 10 employers admitting they struggle to manage them.
Research by HR technology provider HiBob revealed that managers are having problems with Generation Z workers, who are aged 18 to 24 years old, because of their attitudes towards authority (41%), emotional intelligence (38%) and levels of professionalism (34%).
The findings show almost a quarter (24%) of those polled would choose to replace all young staff if given the chance – but 70% of people prefer to work with or employ them because of their creativity and adaptability, which they say are hard to find in other generations.
According to the research, the biggest challenges posed by Generation Z are their work-life balance demands (62%), pay (58%) and benefits expectations (44%).
Two in five managers (40%) believe HR should deal with the problems caused by younger employees and almost all of those surveyed (95%) think HR should be represented on an organisation’s executive team. Three in four (73%) believe HR should have a strong influence on company strategy.
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Toby Hough, director of people and culture at HiBob, said: “The role of HR leaders in organisations has been undervalued for a long time, as the C-Suite focused on business-critical issues that didn’t used to involve employee wellbeing or demographic societal shifts.
“Today’s research clearly identifies Gen Z as one of leadership teams’ biggest challenges. That said, each generation brings their own unique set of challenges and opportunities to the workplace and the HR function is critical to getting the best out of all generations. To maximise their potential in today’s intergenerational workplace, UK businesses must appoint HR leaders to the C-suite.”
Among the Generation Z employees polled, 40% say incorrect pay would cause them to struggle paying their bills, while 22% would lose sleep worrying about finances and the same percentage would think about finding a new job.
Younger workers were found to be the most likely to carefully check their payslip to ensure its accuracy and 13% admitted they think about their rate of pay daily.
Incorrect pay was found to affect all generations, with 43% of 25 to 34-year-old employees saying it would shake their trust in their employer and 40% claiming it would make them feel undervalued and disrespected. Two in five 45 to 54-year-olds (40%) believe it would be a frustrating administrative headache.
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