Discontent with Gen Z workplace has been simmering for a
while, culminating in well publicized dismissals of early career Gen Zs this
year. In fact, a staggering 6 in 10 companies surveyed by Intelligent.com
had fired a college graduate they hired last year. Hiring managers indicated on
the survey that recent college graduates are “unprepared for the workforce,
can’t handle the workload, and are unprofessional”.

Our research garnered from interviews with managers and
third-party survey data showed that there were indeed some behavioral shifts
from norms with Gen Z such as struggles in cross-functional projects, balancing
priorities and growth expectations not consistent with performance delivery. Some
of these could be chalked up to coming of age during some unprecedented
circumstances.  A pandemic that resulted
in extended periods of isolation and a nation divided on socio-political lines
might have stunted Gen Z’s responsibility ownership and ability to collaborate effectively.

However, what we have seen is that these behavioral issues are
nowhere near as widespread as the 6 in 10 dismissal rate above would indicate. There’s
something else going on and our analysis indeed suggests that there is at least
one other major catalyst responsible for Gen Z’s success (or failure) early on
in their job.

The post-pandemic workplace model’s impact on the new
hire learning curve

Hybrid work environments have taken off with more and more
employees enjoying productivity benefits of splitting the work week between
in-office and working from home.

Employees have demonstrated successfully that they are more
productive in a hybrid work model, predominantly by saving time not wasted in commuting
and other logistics when working from home. The days they are in-office allow
them to build in-person team connections, live training and networking beyond
own team, while working from home is utilized for tasks needing focused
attention, individual contributions or regular status meetings and
collaborations.

This seems like a win-win for both employees and employers.
There’s one issue though.

Humans instinctively learn better by observing and imitating
and observational learning is more important for young adults. Observational
learning has been a key enabler for accelerating new hire learning curves in
traditional work environments. This includes behaviors such as popping over to
a coworker’s cubicle when you are stuck, job shadowing and informal on-the-job
training by peers. In the bifurcated home vs in-office schedule structure of
hybrid work models, skilled employees who would traditionally coach new hires
may not have as much time to provide hands-on guidance to new hires. Training
is largely through larger group sessions or training video content and at least
in the instances we see, it has not provided the same impact on the new hire
learning curve as the old-school over-the-shoulder learning model. Amazon CEO
Andy Jassy hit upon this in his famous post
from February 2023- “It’s easier to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our
culture when we’re in the office together most of the time and surrounded by
our colleagues. It’s especially true for new people…”.

Your Gen Z hires may not be failing because of poor work
ethic or preparation; they are likely failing because of gaps in your new hire
training created as your workplace model evolved.

How do we fix this?

First, this is not a knock on the overall hybrid work model.
It is here to stay. Companies that are advocating 100% return to office are
missing the big picture and are throwing the proverbial baby out with the
bathwater. With the proper use of collaboration technologies and value-based productivity
metrics, hybrid work environments can provide significantly higher productivity
as in-office. And you have the added benefit of happier employees with better
mental health (there are ample studies correlating commuting stress with
anxiety and poor mental health).

The gap created by hybrid work models in observational
learning modes for new hires will not be fixed by regressing back to 100%
in-office.

Employers need to invest in innovation for creating a
future-proof workplace that combines the employee welfare and productivity
benefits of a hybrid work model with leveraging observational learning to
accelerate new hire learning curves. Programs such as offsite skills immersion
bootcamps and buddy coaching led by second- or third-year associates who are
incentivized on new hire skills advancement are table stakes. To these, add a
transparent goal-setting process that leverages cascading balanced scorecards
that draw a clear relationship across goals for your Gen Z hires, managers,
cross-functional groups, division and leadership. This will not only help your
Gen Z hires understand how their work fits in with the broader deliverable but
also help managers differentiate skills gap issues vs. new hire training gaps.

But a future proof workplace needs to go beyond these. It
requires tapping into Gen Z tech savvy by leveraging innovations such as AI
enabled virtual assistants powered by Large Language Models that are trained on
internal training content, communications and trouble-shooting documentation. Explore
collaboration VR technology for spatial or immersive skills training where
appropriate.

These emerging training trends will likely continue into Gen
Alpha, who are even more so digitally native. What seems like new-fangled or
far-fetched now could be early indicators of the future. Companies can either lead
a more holistic workplace evolution and be a destination for talent or be stuck
in outdated patterns, struggle for talent and cede market-share.

Also, don’t forget to give your Gen Z hires a voice at the
table, you may be surprised with what they chip in to make your workplace
better.  

The future is secure only if we nurture the present.