Creating an inclusive culture is essential to maintaining and growing a diverse workforce, especially when it comes to attracting and retaining top Gen Z talent. When choosing an employer, 83% of Gen Z candidates say that an organisation's dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion is important to them.
According to a 2021 Consumer Culture Report by 5WPR, Gen Z is prioritizing electronics, technology, health, and wellness. Conversely, Millennials and those from older generations prioritize travel and experiences, home goods, and furniture.
Interactive content is a good strategy because Gen Z love to be involved and interact with the world around them.
'Devastating – economically, socially and much more'
In the short term, Gen Z's stress is leading to ambivalence and withdrawal in their professional lives. According to 2022 data from Gallup, they are the most disengaged group at work. They also report more overall stress and work-related burnout than other cohorts.
68% of all Gen Zers use TikTok, and 81% of Gen Zs use TikTok to find funny or entertaining content, and Gen Zers have high affinity for humor. Considering Gen Z is the most stressed demographic, it's no wonder they seek lighthearted content.
Provide clear career paths, mentorship programs, and training to help attract Gen Z to your company. These programs can prove to Gen Z candidates that you value them for the long-term potential they bring to your company, not just for their ability to fill an entry-level role.
Passion Points are the activities and areas of life of deep interest to consumers. They are the “things” that people prioritize when spending their time, money, and attention.
It starts with what values are important to Gen Z'ers and moves into what brands and products they rate. “Teens feel that being cool is about just being yourself, embracing what you love, rejecting what you don't, and being kind to others.”
Gen Z consumer characteristics
Gen Z'ers consumer characteristics tend to reflect their pragmatic approach to money and education. Other key influences are their affinity for technology, their belief in social causes, and a strong individualistic streak.
Like Millennial Pink, Gen Z colors favor the eye-popping Cyber Lime (forecasted to be big in 2024) and Digital Lavender, also aligned with inclusivity. “[Cyber Lime] can speak to all, which Gen Z is very sensitive to,” said Guilbert.
In summary, a typical Gen Zer is a self-driver who deeply cares about others, strives for a diverse community, is highly collaborative and social, values flexibility, relevance, authenticity and non-hierarchical leadership, and, while dismayed about inherited issues like climate change, has a pragmatic attitude about ...
Unlike previous generations, Gen Z has little to no memory of a world without the internet, smartphones, and social media. Technology is a substantial part of their life. Being continually connected can also result in self-esteem issues and feeling pressure to conform.
And it looks like Gen Z is indeed shaping up to be a homebody generation as well: Looking at their favorite activities by age, 13-18-year-olds are the most likely to say they “go out with friends” for fun in an average night, but playing video or mobile tops their list, followed by watching TV or movies.
The Implication: Gen Z can prioritize friendship and invest time in inviting people for coffee, meeting up and hanging out with colleagues and people outside of work as well. Others can support Gen Z by reaching out and creating relationships with them, offering a listening ear, advice and companionship.
Feelings About Dating in America
More than 30% of the survey's Gen Z respondents said they're not looking for a relationship at all, and almost 20% said they'd like to date like cats do—more on that later. Overall, 79% of Americans feel like finding the right partner is harder than finding the right job.
They're impulsive. Another weakness of Gen Z is that they can be quite impulsive. With instant gratification being so easily accessible, this generation has difficulty waiting for anything. They want what they want and they want it now!
Having a deep emotional connection has taken centre stage in their relationship dynamics. Gen Z is open to mixing friendships, romantic relationships, long-term commitments or "situationships" and creating the perfect balance to meet their emotional and physical needs.
Gen Z has revived a slew of long-dormant trends, resurrecting brands and styles that were last popular in the 1990s and 2000s. Low-rise jeans, maxi skirts, baguette bags, and Ugg boots are just a handful of the trends seeing a 2023 resurgence.
Gen Z TikTokers aren't just downloading and absorbing content. They're creating it. 83% of TikTokers have created a video themselves. Since the platform makes it so easy to create, with intuitive in-app features and a simple interface, it's no wonder Gen Z are ready to put their content out there.
It's no secret that every single generation has endured horrible trauma of one variety or another. But Generation Z is likely the most aware of (and most openly vocal about) the concept of trauma, its lasting mental health aspects, and mental health conditions in general.