What Gen Z really wants in the workplace

Stereotypes exist for every generation: Gen X is cynical; millennials are entitled; and boomers can’t, for the life of them, remember how to convert a word doc to a PDF.

Gen Z gets typecast in the same way—times 1,000—since everyone wants to understand the latest generation to enter the workforce. Even though we should all know better—no generation is a monolith and it’s problematic to group so many people together based solely on birth year—clichés abound. (Gen Z is lazy, they’re on their phones 24/7 . . . you’ve heard them all before.) 

While it’s tempting to ban any sort of generational tropes, there’s a reason people want to categorize each generation. It’s only natural to want to understand how to best lead Gen Z employees, market to them, and work with them in a way that is mutually beneficial. 

Fast Company recently asked more than 100 people—many of whom were born between 1996 and 2010, but also C-suite execs—about what is actually true about this newest generation of workers. The result is a deeply comprehensive 142-point guide that looks at everything from how Gen Z prioritizes authenticity, to how they think about mental health, and what they want in a boss. 

If you’re a manager, read on to learn about why Gen Z (mostly) wants to return the office, how the first truly digitally native generation thinks about communication, and why you really should ditch the corporate jargon when speaking to Gen Z.