Guess what – Gen Z is growing up. Many of them are no longer middle schoolers doing dance challenges on Tiktok but young aspiring professionals ready to start working. This generation is very ambitious – Zoomers list making money and having a successful career as their top two priorities. 69% of Gen Z find career pursuit very important – that’s 10% more than the same figure for Millennials: 

In the upcoming years, more and more companies will welcome Zoomers as the new generation of the workforce worldwide. 

As a manager or HR professional, you might be wondering what you can do to help your Gen Z workers be efficient and productive in the workplace. If that’s your case – we got you covered. In this guide, you’ll find 5 smart ideas to organically boost your Gen Z employees’ productivity.

What Should You Know about Gen Z Employees? 

Before we move on to the practical productivity tips, let’s take a closer look at what makes Gen Z workers unique and different from other generations of employees. 

• Competitiveness – Gen Z has been growing up in a very dynamic, success-driven social environment. It makes Gen Zers naturally competitive employees. They enjoy healthy workplace rivalry – it pushes them to be the best versions of themselves.
• Technological awareness – Gen Z is the most tech-savvy generation – they’ve enjoyed wireless Internet connections and smartphones since they were kids. That’s why Zoomer workers value modern technology as an essential part of the workplace.
• Independence – Gen Z employees don’t want to be constantly tutored or micromanaged at work. They want to establish their independence as professionals and find solutions to work challenges.
• Multitasking – Gen Zers are great at handling several tasks at the same time. While they have a shorter attention span, they can stay hyper-focused and switch between responsibilities quickly.
• Ability to learn quickly – Gen Z employees are eager to learn and grow in and outside the workplace.

All these qualities make Gen Z great workers that approach work with enthusiasm and dedication. And by tapping into these characteristics, you can help your Gen Z employees be more productive.

So without further ado, let’s get to it!

1. Tap into Modern Technology 

There’s nothing quite like smart technological solutions to boost Gen Z employees’ productivity. They are not big fans of manual work tasks or inefficient workplace processes – because Gen Zers know there’s probably some great software or tool out there to optimize those. 

So leverage technology relevant to your company’s operations – it will pay off immediately. Consider the following: 

• Employee communication/engagement software

This type of software helps you optimize communication and facilitates teamwork. Apps such as Slack or Workvivo can be utilized to chat with employees and get instant updates on any requests or work processes. Employee communication apps are especially useful if you have team members who work remotely – an option many Gen Z workers opt for.

• Project management software

It helps to boost workflow efficiency in many ways. You can make all the necessary assets accessible in one digital space, facilitate the task assignment process, track down working progress across several projects, etc. Many businesses choose ClickUp as their software of choice. 

• Time trackers

Automate time tracking to foster responsibility and productivity among employees. This is a great organizational tool for freelancers as well. You can try Toggl Track or Timely.

• Email management software

It helps to improve email productivity and save time for day-to-day tasks. Use it to automate your email communication, schedule emails, set email reminders, and many more. Use Right Inbox that works perfectly with your Gmail inbox.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of tech solutions you can implement for improved productivity. Ask your Gen Z employees about it! They might know a lot about digital business tools and suggest useful apps or software your company can use. 

Also Read: Tools That Enhance Workplace Productivity

Gen Z employees value learning opportunities in the workplace. It is an excellent way to motivate them to work more efficiently and stay with your company long-term. 

First and foremost, invest in quality onboarding for your Gen Z employees. It is essential to provide them with key resources and knowledge as early as possible to facilitate productivity. You can, for example, provide a step-by-step infographic job aid to explain a process to remind employees how to complete tasks. Improve your onboarding procedure to prioritize effective knowledge transfer. 

But that’s all you can do to foster productivity among Gen Z employees. Invest in employee training and education – young professionals are eager to grow and expand their skill set to work better. They especially prioritize leadership skills and soft skills.

Think of the courses, programs, and workshops you can organize for your employees. They will not waste these opportunities. 

Pro-tip: Consider learning opportunities outside your employees’ immediate skill set or expertise. You can throw in an occasional mental health seminar or even an oil painting masterclass. Events like this are a great form of team-building and employees’ morale boost.   

3. Set Goals in the Smart Way 

It’s no secret that proper goal-setting is key to a productive workplace. And Gen Z employees are very goal-oriented workers. 

Make sure you develop a clear workplace strategy for your young employees. Work on two types of goals:

• Stretch goals – These are long-term goals that can help your team understand the big picture of the company’s growth plan.
• Smart goals – Smart goals offer clear short-term action plans for employees. Ideally, smart goals help achieve long-term stretch goals – every employee should see how their performance contributes to this process.

Once again, technology can help you here. Consider using OKR (objectives and key results) software. It is designed to develop a professional growth strategy for every employee and engage them for more productive work performance. 

Pro-tip: Help Gen Z employees set their individual professional goals, too. What do they want to achieve in their role at your company? How can they best hit their KPIs based on their strengths and weaknesses? Sit down with your workers and assist them in creating an actionable growth roadmap. 

4. Establish Communication and Feedback Transparency 

Gen Z values direct, efficient workplace communication. Above all else, this is relevant to giving feedback. 

Develop a feedback strategy that will benefit your young workers and help them be more productive:

• Provide continuous feedback – Be consistent with this practice and address your employees regularly with your thoughts on their professional performance.
• Be concise and to the point – Don’t beat around the bush – your feedback must be focused on the important stuff. This is especially the case with negative feedback because Gen Z employees appreciate a straightforward approach to criticism.
• Help Gen Z employees address their performance weaknesses – Don’t just spill out your professional opinion on the worker’s progress/performance. Provide them with guidelines and strategies to fix mistakes and improve. They will use your tips right away.
• Communicate face-to-face – It facilitates trust and makes employees more attentive to your feedback. 

Pro-tip: Check out these useful feedback examples to help you start a conversation with employees. 

These tactics will help you create a more transparent and effective communication culture in the workplace and improve productivity. Besides, you’ll show your Gen Z employees that you recognize and respect them as equals. 

5. Celebrate Their Achievements

One more way to help your Gen Z employees be more productive is to celebrate their success in their role at your company. 

Make it a regular practice to praise their good work. You can do it individually face-to-face or start a regular branch/company event to celebrate the achievements of your team. 

Take it a step further than an old-fashioned “employee of the month” tradition. Think of new exciting ways to incentivize your employees. It could be a corporate perk, a subscription to a valuable online resource, or a coupon for online shopping on a popular eCommerce website – whatever you find relevant to your young workers. 

These additional rewards and incentives will not take much away from your company budget but they sure will motivate the employees to work harder and be more productive. Gen Z values praise and recognition – especially when it is hard-earned and well-deserved.

Conclusion  

Ensuring productivity among Gen Z employees does not require any extraordinary strategies. All you need to do is tap into their strengths: digitally savvy, competitiveness, independence, and eagerness to learn. 

Don’t be afraid to welcome Gen Z employees to your workplace. This new generation of professionals is sure to add value to your company and transform it for the better in the long run.

This article is written by David Morneau.

David Morneau is the co-founder and CEO of inBeat, a hybrid micro-influencer marketing SAAS/agency that helps brands scale their marketing efforts. He has helped over 200 DTC brands to date.