If you are a fan of football, college or professional, like me, you would have noticed that there were some major changes to the league since the season came to an end. While the coaching carousel is an offseason standard, this year we saw the retirement of legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban and the parting of ways between the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick. As a NY Giants fan, I can hardly say that I felt the same level of pain at the hands of the Patriots’ dynasty, who won 6 championships and played in 9 Super Bowls between 2002 and 2018 as fans of other franchises, but I also cried no tears at hearing of the change, I couldn’t help but feel like this was the end of an era in the NFL. Wait, I thought this was a discussion in adapting to Gen Z in the workplace? It is, and while your office probably isn’t paying twenty-year-olds, who have garnered little experience and have not yet proven their ability to succeed, hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars you are suffering from the same plight as these legendary coaches that I can only speculate contributed to their retirement.
Unlike the NFL, the everyday workplace will likely have employees spanning at least three and in some cases four or five different generations and the things that are going to keep them happy could not be more different. You’ve just finished adapting Millennials, surviving the Pandemic, and now in 2024 Gen Z is set to overtake Baby Boomers in the workforce for the first time; with an anticipated 27% of the workforce comprised of Gen Z by next year.
Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z is gradually entering the workforce and while some Millennials (born 1981-1996) were among the last to grow up without the internet, DVR, cellphones, and Amazon, they also experienced the dotcom economic boom of the late nineties and government budget surpluses. Gen Z on the other hand has been shaped by experiences like the Great Recession and growing up in a world dominated by smartphones. This generation is built for innovation and instant gratification. Because they grew up with technology, Gen Z wants to be using the latest, best, and smartest version of it and while I agree that “analytics” should not be used to replace judgement and intuition, it is important to keep an open mind. There is a balance between automated processes and educated employees and if you can find it, you will be unstoppable. This applies to social media as well.
Where Millennials were the first to experience social media, Gen Z learned that not everything needs to be shared. They are not accepting that “follow” request from their boss. They value their security and their privacy. This generation has also perfected the art of sharing everything and nothing. They are adept at SEO and can help you to go viral and save on ad spend.
Gen Z is facing the highest level of student debt burdens and is conscious about financial security and when you couple that with the strong entrepreneurial spirit it means they often have a side hustle. It might not be the endorsements that Caleb Williams has, it might be taking advantage of the Gig economy, or it might be a startup that will help them retire at 40. Gen Z has realized that a single income stream is not the way to get where they want to. It also means that they want autonomy and a flexible schedule to accommodate the other things happening in their lives. Gone are the days of staying at your desk until your boss leaves. If I can work from home and meet deliverables, why should anyone care if it’s done Friday at 10am or Tuesday at 10pm? The post pandemic shift is creating real challenges as employers want the return to office, and employees are asking, why? For two years I did my job at home and didn’t have a problem. They broke up with their commute and rigid schedule and while there are benefits to being in the office together, maintaining some level of flexibility will keep your employees happy. Even NFL film study is on iPads these days.
If you thought Millennials pushed the boundaries of authority and workplace standard, Gen Z is going to break them. Gen Z workers have no hesitation in questioning authority “because this is how we have always done it,” is never going to be a sufficient answer. Where older generations would accept things as they were, Gen Z wants to make things better. It could be a green initiative, better work-life balance, or asking on an interview what your community outreach looks like. These things, however, do not mean that everything about Gen Z is going to feel like a change for the better. Older generations don’t embrace authority being challenged and while I am not implying that the young bucks would be brazen enough to ask Bill why it’s “the Patriot Way.” Like Bill your managers may also struggle to get the best out of team members if they can’t adapt. The players’ coach is the way of the future. Sean McDermott, Mike McDaniel, Kevin Stefansky are having instant success in a league that no longer functions under the iron fist of the “Do Your Job” mentality. What does this mean for your organization? A more collaborative environment. This doesn’t mean you let a rookie QB call the plays during a 2-minute warning red zone appearance but if they suggest a play design in practice, hear them out. It also means a lot of encouragement. It might not feel natural, but you will be amazed at how motivating a little bit of cheerleading will get you. Celebrate small wins. It could be something as small as a coffee gift card or an extra hour off but just acknowledging the wins when they come helps keep folks motivated. Don’t forget to remind yourself that just because no one did it for you, doesn’t mean it won’t work now.
Additionally, Gen Z doesn’t just want instant gratification from technology, they want it from themselves. Feel free to remind them that their workplace skills are like any other skill. They develop over time, they require investment and while they might not work for you forever, if they stay in the industry, they will need foundational skills forever so making the investment in themselves is where they need to focus. Plus, even the great Patrick Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith in his first year. If he can have patience to learn and develop, so can they.
Unlike older generations, Gen Z feels no obligation to stay at a job forever but don’t mistake this for a lack of loyalty. Think about it this way, did Nick Saban retire because he didn’t want to deal with recruiting in the age of the transfer portal or was the transfer portal born as a side effect of coaches fleeing to the NFL or a bigger school or a higher paycheck when the opportunity knocked? The younger generations are often resented for prioritizing their own needs over that of the company. Like it or not this is the new reality. They are loyal to themselves but also to the managers who inspire them. Invest in soft skills because the old expression those who can … do, those who can’t … teach still applies. Likely if you are promoting someone to management you historically only assessed them on their ability to do the job you hired them for. As you transition them into a new role, make sure they can learn to teach. Nothing is worse than losing employees you were planning on building your future with because middle management ruined the workplace for them.
As you head into your own draft season remember a few things. Different players value different things in a team but overall, you want players who all have a winning mentality. Don’t alienate your veteran staff members. Empower them to guide your rookies through the challenges of the workplace. If I’ve seen someone else who is succeeding in the system, I’m more likely to believe that I can too. Remember that unlike the NFL, the draft pool might be scarce so keep your compensation packages competitive and finally, like the salary cap, the environment is always changing. Make sure you change with it, so you don’t get left behind.
Kimberly Martinez
Director
Professional Experience: Kimberly joined the firm in 2023 as a Tax Director. She started her career at a boutique CPA firm and now has fifteen years of honing her skills in providing clients with tax planning and advisory services in a variety of industries. She also has spent time working in assurance services and brings the analytics skills she developed in that practice to her tax clients and uses them to advise on improving profitability and efficiency.
