Finally, employers must remain conscious that, for all its potential benefits, the process of integrating an entirely new generation is unlikely to be completely frictionless. 

This may become evident when it comes to engagement and retention. 

For instance, the ‘work to live’ (rather than ‘live to work’) mentality is one that courses through Gen Z in particular. Candidates therefore have far greater demands when it comes to balance and flexibility, and may also view benefits as often being more important than salary.

Naturally, this puts more pressure on businesses to design workplaces that attract the right people.

Loyalty is another area where this tends to manifest. A combination of skills shortages (meaning that candidates now come at a premium) and the connectivity of platforms such as LinkedIn mean that employees are difficult to tie down, and can often find new opportunities with relatively little effort.

COVID-19 has once again impacted this quite significantly. The advent of remote working has meant that a much greater number of jobs are within their reach geographically and, likewise, that the talent pool from the employer’s perspective is much greater.

Finally, staying on the theme of pandemic-era working, employers may find themselves with a dilemma when it comes to Gen Z candidates and remote or hybrid models.

Interestingly, research suggests that 77% of London’s younger workers (aged 18-34) are eager to return to the office, compared to half of staff aged 35 and over. This may be down to a number of factors, including wanting the ‘buzz’ of the office, a desire to establish strong social and professional relationships with colleagues, and even just a lack of suitable homeworking space.

Given the difference in preferences between different age groups, and the more general shift to increased remote working, employers could find themselves in a situation whereby Gen Zs are working in a separate location to more senior staff, many of whom are opting for hybrid or flexible working arrangements. 

Whether both parties are working from home or one remains office based while the other is remote, it must be made clear to managers that they have a responsibility to manage their time around the needs of their team. Gen Zs will also require more one-on-one support and training from managers to help them get to grips with the company and role.

All of this will require a new breed of managers – ones who are not only technically competent but also skilled people leaders who can keep staff, particularly younger workers, engaged and productive despite the barriers of remote working. In this way, organisations should not only focus on the wants and needs of this next generation of workers, but on how this impacts their workforce as a whole.