The professional resume-building website surveyed 1,344 managers and business leaders online working at companies with more than 10 employees on April 14.
Respondents found that 74 percent of respondents believe Gen Z is more difficult to work with than other generations, about half of whom said they find it difficult to work with Gen Z all the time or most of the time, and just 4 percent of whom said they almost never find it to be difficult.
Among the various reasons cited as reasoning for the difficulty in working with that specific generation were that they lack technological skills (39 percent), effort (37 percent), and motivation (37 percent).
Other reasons cited were that the cohort of Gen Z are “easily distracted,” “easily offended,” or “dishonest.”
Pandemic Impact on GenZ
Another 34 percent said they prefer to work with millennials, with more than 40 percent believing this group to be more productive and have the best technological skills.Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at Resume Builder, says that the COVID-19 pandemic and shift to remote education may have played a part in the GenZer’s mindset when it comes to work, noting that “it’s possible that GenZers lack the foundation to be more successful than older generations in entry-level positions.”
“We know that with remote work and education, communication skills do not develop as well and people tend to work more independently. Hiring managers need to be cognizant of this when interviewing GenZers for positions. This generation may need more training when it comes to professional skills,” Haller said.
While many managers say they’ve had to fire a GenZer, a separate survey from LinkedIn published this week found that many Gen Z professionals are increasingly happy to quit their jobs to work elsewhere anyway if the values of that company do not align with theirs, despite the current volatile economical climate.
Gen Z Becoming More ‘Socially Aware’
Josh Graff, managing director for EMEA and LATAM at LinkedIn, told CNBC’s “Make It” that the COVID-19 pandemic and a population focusing more on issues such as social justice and equality are some of the driving factors behind GenZers placing a priority on company values.“Younger generations, in particular, want to work for companies where they can ... where they can evoke change, where they can make a difference,” Graff said. “And at the same time, certainly over the last few years, I think all of us, but in particular younger generations, are more politically and socially aware.”
Although millennials currently make up the majority of the U.S. workforce, Graff noted that businesses will need to take into consideration the expectations of Gen Z professionals going forward.
“Values will be a survival issue for many companies over the next decade,” Graff said.