September 17, 2018 | Category: Employee handbook, Employment

According to a recent study by Bloomberg, people of Generation Z or Gen Z, will outnumber members of the millennial generation by 2019. Millennials are the current dominant age demographic across the world. Members of Generation Z were born after 2001 whereas millennials were born between 1980 and 2000. Just as Baby Boomers and Gen Xers were getting accustomed to the challenges of employing millennials, they must soon prepare for the challenges of employing Gen Zers.

What Nevada Employers Need to Know About Gen Z

Members of Gen Z have never known a world without internet technologies. As members of this generation turn 18 years old in 2019, they will gain the right to vote as well as the right to work for many employers.

Despite Gen Zers growing up amid constant war and financial strife, experts suggest that this group of people remains statistically more optimistic when compared to millennials. Further, these budding adults are thought to be more self-aware and less self-concerned when compared to millennials (Bloomberg).

How Are Gen Z Employees Different From Millennial Employees?

Are vape breaks required by Nevada law? Graphic.Nevada employers can glean general insights about how to manage employees based on age, but employers should always keep in mind that any two individuals are likely to work differently regardless of age.

For example, it would be unfair to suggest that all millennials are prone to insubordination and entitlement. It might be fair to suggest, though, that millennials on average prefer collaborative work environments more so than strictly autonomous work environments.

Following are some observations about Generation Z characteristics that may better inform Nevada HR professionals and employers.

  • Because Gen Zers grew up in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States, this demographic is likely to hold measures that ensure workplace safety in very high regard.
  • Gen Zers have also witnessed more school shootings than any other generation. As such, discussions of gun freedom and gun control in the workplace may be more divisive topics for Gen Zers when compared to older generations. Revising your employee handbook to address divisive topics of discussion at work may serve you well. NAE can provide that guidance.
  • Members of Generation Z have witnessed social policy changes in the United States such as the legalization of gay marriage, legalization of recreational marijuana in some states, and public condemnations of sexual harassment and assault. These major ideology shifts may make certain Gen Zers more inclined to call out behaviors at work that fall outside social justice trends.
  • Gen Zers engage on social media platforms more so than any other generation. Potential consequences of this behavior include heightened multitasking capabilities as well as prominent digital self-representations (Forbes).
  • Though there has been a decline in traditional uses of tobacco such as cigarettes and chewing tobacco, the rise of vaporized tobacco is especially prominent with Gen Zers. Smoke breaks might soon be a thing of the past, but requests for vape breaks may be on the horizon (NPR). NAE is available to council members on Nevada laws concerning mandated break times.

Every generation develops common behaviors based on the circumstances surrounding the formative years of the generation, but again, we at the Nevada Association of Employers wishes to stress that every person should be treated as an individual with unique hopes, desires and working-styles. Our team of HR professionals is happy to assist NAE members with amending their employee handbooks to accommodate changing times and changing work-styles.

Do you know all your obligations as a Nevada employer? The Nevada Association of Employers (NAE) is here to help. Our staff of HR professionals is equipped with the knowledge and experience to assist employers in navigating the often-complex world of employment-related statutes and regulations. Contact NAE today!

For more information about NAE and what we do for Nevada employers, visit our website. If you are a Nevada employer interested in membership, please contact membership@nevadaemployers.org or join today!