Young, Gifted, And Black: Recruiting And Retaining Top Talent
The Pew Research Center asserts that the youngest generation in the U.S. is entering adulthood as the country’s most racially and ethnically diverse generation and is on its way to becoming the best educated generation yet.
And this generation is now entering the workforce.
In fact, in just five years, Generation Z will consist of almost a quarter of the workforce. Raven Solomon, a global diversity, equity, and inclusivity thought leader, led the conversation at our Courageous Conversation on this topic. As she stated, “it is so imperative to know what Gen Z are looking for in a job and also what is important to them as they use their buying power.”
Companies who want to be successful in this environment of diverse expectations need to prepare their company culture for Gen Z. Raven described what makes up Gen Z, as understanding this is the first step for companies to prepare for and manage the upcoming Gen Z workplace.
“Gen Z desires, demands, and values equity,” Raven says. What does this mean? Gen Zers are looking for jobs where not only are they valued and appreciated, but everyone on the team is valued and appreciated. Gen Z expects equity to be the norm, not a “perk” nor a “nice to have.”
Here are some statistics that really put the importance of the value of equity as it relates to Gen Z in perspective:
77% of Gen Z say a company’s level of DEI work affects their decision of whether or not to work there.
51% of Gen Z say they respect a company more if the company supports racial equality.
We heard this directly from a panel of Gen Zers who are beginning the process of entering the workforce.
This generation, being well-educated and valuing important global issues, can identify conflicting information quickly and they aren’t afraid to call companies out on hypocrisy. Our panel highlighted three things companies can do to show their commitment to DEI.
Representation matters at all levels. In other words, “you can’t be what you can’t see.”
Operationalize what it means to be seen, so that everyone within your company feels that they have a voice and feel seen.
Demonstrate your commitment to DEI and make sure it is visible and prominent. Being socially responsible and culturally aware is critical.
The panel ended by saying they “want to contribute to companies and be a part of the true and positive change that needs to happen.”
Gen Z is the workforce of the future, and someday, they will be our future leaders. Let’s take a stand with them and make equity for all a reality.