Fully connected and innovative, creative and agile, but at the same time anxious and somewhat resistant to hierarchies and criticism. The new generation is open to the current world's polarization – and participants – and concerned about their environment – they don't accept offers just for money and value a brand's purpose more than high positions in a company. They prefer flexible hours and are much more likely to become entrepreneurs and create increasingly virtual working relationships.
If you're struggling to deal with this new generation, or just want to prepare yourself to handle it in the not-so-distant future, this article can help you understand and better manage the new generation in the job market!
What are the main characteristics of the new generation in the job market?
Because they come from a reality that was until then “unprecedented” – as they are people who grew up in a technological world, with fast and super current information – the young people of this new generation have characteristic aspects and peculiar behaviors within the work environment. Among many of these, we can highlight a few such as:
Immediate
This generation seeks immediate results in everything they do. These young people don't always have patience for lengthy processes and constantly look for more practical ways to solve problems. This also applies to career development.
This stance makes tasks more dynamic, which can shock other generations that are more accustomed to a different pace of production and development.
Entrepreneurial behavior
A strong characteristic present in professionals of the new generation is the interest in creating and building their own working conditions. Thus, we can highlight that this generation has a behavior much more aligned with entrepreneurship than previous ones. This is a very interesting aspect for companies seeking independent individuals, capable of creating and proposing ideas, and developing projects.
There is also a trend towards the home office operating model. “Remote” work is increasingly present, with flexible hours and, consequently, more freedom for the employee to work in the way that is most convenient for them.
Detachment
Prone to being more individualistic, this new generation doesn't prioritize the premise of “wearing the company's t-shirt.” The main commitment of these young people is to the development of their own career and lifestyle, and this can lead to a lack of engagement and difficulties in working towards the organization's purpose.
With a much more energetic learning capacity, they are not prejudiced against diversity and possess the advantage of globalized thinking. It's part of these young people's “DNA” to desire to continuously change and innovate things.
What does the new generation expect from the job market?
Young people of this new generation don't handle frustration very well, as society and families have, in some ways, changed how they deal with children, creating protective barriers against any and all possible frustrations.
This protection has made this generation more fragile for the job market, with a lot of academic qualifications but little resilience to withstand reality and its consequences. Young people expect the world to work in their favor, or for their superiors to act like parents, sharing responsibilities, protecting, and offering benefits rather than exhortations. But we know that reality is different. Here, we first bear the consequences and then receive the benefits.
In addition to improving processes, you can go further and equip these professionals with data and goals to engage them with the company's objectives, implementing a Visual management. It is also possible to gather valuable information such as hours worked, task completion, and individual performance.
Conclusion
It's important to offer an infrastructure capable of accommodating this new generation. But more than that, create an environment that allows these new professionals to increasingly reveal their full potential.
We hope this article has helped you understand more about the new generation that is active in the job market. And, to further expand your knowledge, check out How to motivate and prepare the Millennial generation and how to maintain team motivation in the workplace.
