The Transition from Generation Y to Generation Z in Business Life

Years ago, an advertisement aired in India about Generation Z babies. In the commercial, a newborn baby took a phone from the nurse’s hand, snapped a selfie, and then went online to look up how to cut its own umbilical cord. After that, it took care of the task all by itself. Moreover, the baby already had a social media account from birth. This actually shows us Generation Z in all its reality. This assessment, made by Bahar Fincan, Human Resources Manager at Kervan Gıda, based on the commercial, is one of the clearest descriptions of Generation Z.

Generation Z includes those born in the mid-to-late 1990s. In other words, this generation—often classified as the “iGen”—has now begun entering the workforce, even if only as interns in many cases. In Türkiye, the population that falls within Generation Z is close to 18 million. Therefore, in a country like ours, where the proportion of young people is so high, understanding Generation Z and being able to communicate effectively with them is of critical importance. Research conducted so far suggests that this generation is often perceived as disloyal, impatient, and difficult to communicate with. Regardless of such opinions, companies must understand the dreams and expectations of this generation, as they will become both the employees and the customers of the future. To achieve this, it is first necessary to examine the roots of these negative perceptions.

Having grown up in the shadow of rapid technological advancement and easy access to information, this generation’s tendency to be impatient is often regarded as a natural characteristic. They want everything, everywhere, and immediately. Unlike Generation Y, they have become accustomed to downloading, accessing, and using whatever they are curious about within seconds. While previous generations had to spend time learning, understanding, and adapting to these technologies, Generation Z began life with these tools already integrated into their daily experience. They have come to regard unlimited access and the ability to reach anything, anywhere, at any time as completely normal. As a result, it is clear that learning patience may take longer for them compared to Generation Y. There is also a broad consensus that this generation, which tends to be more focused on the individual self, has a lower sense of loyalty than previous generations. The main reason for this is their seemingly endless appetite for change. Their tendency to become bored quickly makes it much more difficult to retain them. Compared to previous generations, they have been able to obtain what they want much more easily, and as a result, they are often perceived as placing less value on what they already have. One of the best ways to address this challenge is to communicate with this impatient generation—accustomed to expressing themselves in 140 characters or less—through shorter and clearer messages. Alternatively, rather than relying solely on face-to-face conversations, it may be more effective to use the communication channels they know best and engage with them through online social networks. When approached in a healthy way, these three traits of Generation Z—which are often perceived as negative—can make a positive contribution to the workplace. So, what needs to be done to ensure this change has a positive impact on the workplace?  How can we get more out of them? The experts’ advice is clear: create a more enjoyable and open-to-risk environment.

This generation places far greater importance on work–life balance than Generation Y. Although they are just as eager to achieve career success, being happy in their personal lives is significantly more important to them. The reason for this may be their age or the changing conditions of the era in which they grew up, but the new generation, even when working very hard, does not want to give up having fun. Leading companies around the world have already begun to adopt this approach. Firms are redesigning their office environments in line with this perspective. For example, they are creating spaces where employees can socialize with pleasure and feel comfortable even while being in the office. They also try to organize fun activities in the office at regular intervals. In this way, they take a useful step toward helping this generation—accustomed to individual thinking—adapt to teamwork. Their more distant attitude toward hierarchy compared to older generations has also contributed to the rise of more democratic management styles.

Bahar Fincan, Generation Y’s current feeling of fatigue and exhaustion with existing working models also influences Generation Z’s perspective on working life, she argues. She notes that for Gen Z, corporate life and traditional employment structures are not inherently attractive. Fincan states: “If possible, they look for ways to earn money without ever entering those environments. For Gen Y, the idea that ‘you have to work in a corporate job to earn money’ has, for Gen Z, turned into ‘you need to be an entrepreneur.’ Fincan, noting that as Gen Z members enter the workforce, workplaces will feature more screens, with a significant decline in paper and procedures, an increase in flexible work models, the emergence of many new roles, and a shift toward environments resembling film sets, said, “Departments will be replaced by project groups, temporary teams, and international team members. People from diverse backgrounds—different cultures, genders, and beliefs—will begin working together in a momentum moving toward gender equality,” she said. Bahar Fincan, Human Resources Manager at Kervan Gıda, says, “Just as companies need Generation X’s problem-solving skills and Generation Y’s creativity, they also need Generation Z’s quiet demeanor and ability to keep pace with rapid technological change.” Noting that with this generation, communication styles in business life will also change significantly, Bahar Fincan said ,“This generation, who during their education and upbringing have held tablets more often than books, will not like or prefer concepts such as paperwork, physical documents, or filing systems in business life. In fact, rather than sending emails, they will prefer messaging and file-sharing applications via social media accounts or internet-based communication tools, and I believe they will build systems that run all processes through network-based structures.” Fincan says that the question young people from this generation—who prefer to juggle multiple tasks rather than focus on just one—hear most often these days is, “What’s next? I’ve finished the task you gave me; what else can I do?” She also emphasizes that the determination and ambition they possess may eventually require assigning them multiple job roles in the future.

One of the sectors currently employing the largest number of Generation Z workers is tourism. Burhan Başar, General Manager of Kervan Gıda, says:“Generation Z is extremely important for dynamic and fast-paced sectors like ours. The fact that we live in a digital world and that our industry is increasingly developing on digital platforms is the key factor connecting Generation Z with the tourism sector. They are eager for knowledge. They are also a generation that enjoys being online and having fun, but most importantly, they never seem to get enough of traveling and learning.” Murat Akgün, Deputy General Manager of Human Resources at Boyner Büyük Mağazacılık, says that they have been able to clearly observe the distinctive characteristics of Generation Z, especially among interns and recent graduates: “They are a very different generation compared to the Millennials (Generation Y). The way these young people perceive communication and the speed at which they operate are markedly different. At the same time, they are highly engaged with social issues and closely follow topics that affect society.” Murat Akgün adds that Generation Z is more sensitive to environmental issues, technological progress, economic developments, social injustice, and inequality. Meanwhile, Sertaç Yiğit, Senior Director at PageGroup, notes that Generation Z tends to be more oriented toward individual performance in general and therefore is often considered less inclined toward teamwork compared to previous generations. Sertaç Yiğit emphasizes that young people from Generation Z are capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously while still giving each one the attention it deserves. He says, “They stand out for their analytical intelligence and are able to view the same situation from multiple perspectives. One of their most important contributions is their ability to express themselves in a very direct and straightforward manner. I believe that Generation Z has played a major role in making the concept of feedback increasingly important in our business world. There is also much we can learn from them when it comes to their aptitude for technology.”