Having stepped foot on Planet Earth in 2001 I am clearly a part of Gen Z without any doubt as Gen Z consists of individuals born between the late 90s and early 2000s. Personally, I like to call it the 'Harry Potter Generation' because it is during this timespan that all of Harry Potter Books and Movies were published and released.
I believe that we Zoomers are like icebergs an inch to the eye but go deep within.
Getting to know our values, mindset and aspirations - is certainly a good way for the workplace to get ready to attract and retain our talent. To make it visual - also check the videos of Zoomers Explained.
We have so much to ourselves which the other generations might have a hard time figuring out. For starters we on one hand question all the conventional practices that are being followed for hundreds of years and how much does it all make sense but on the other, we talk about Cultural Relativism and being open to all kinds of people and understanding their roots and not being judgmental about it as to however impractical it may seem to oneself.
Gen Z are 'Digital Natives': they have been born with at least one cell phone in their homes, fiddling with it to having discovered games like the Snakes, Brick Breakers or Pacman. Growing up, most of them were fond of phones and learning new tricks on the phone every day made them stay true to the term i.e. 'Digital Natives' assigned to them. Now as they start high school, college or as the early ones seek job, all of them have become so tech-savvy, they cannot last a day without their computers and phones. It has become as important to them as any other survival essential.
We together are a very pragmatic generation in all aspects of life be it monetarily, education, career, love life or any other situation, we always try to be as practical as we can be weighing the pros against the cons. At the same time, we are risk-takers and are thirsty for new adventures which at times sends out our practicality for a toss and makes us do stuff which we wouldn't have otherwise intended to.
Generation Z is the most populous generation on Earth constituting around 30% of the total population. There are 2 billion of us and certainly, companies cannot afford to ignore how we are like.
As most of us have already started to occupy positions in workforces all around the world and will continue to do so for the upcoming several years there is a lot which employers from the previous generations should be aware of because certainly with a new generation entering the workforce unforeseen things are bound to take place. The Zoomers (or Generation Z as we call them) aren't just concerned with their salaries but having to enjoy what they do is a very important criterion for them while picking a job or even when deciding to continue. Other concerns include perks and holidays the company offers and also the ideals of the company. If the Zoomers don't resonate with the company's ideas, it is very likely for them to bail or question the ideas. Even though pay is not the only criterion but being paid according to what they deserve is important to them. Getting to know our values, mindset and aspirations is certainly a good way for the companies to get ready to attract and retain our talent.
Though we are extensively different from other generations we have a lot of diversity amongst ourselves. While some might be very practical, others would be the complete opposite i.e., very emotional. While some would love art others would enjoy playing with numbers. While some would love using social media others would run away from it. This generation definitely has a lot of exceptions which makes everyone so curious about them, their mindsets, their future goals and their whereabouts.
Prasidhi Poddar
Digital Communication Associate
We publish weekly videos on YouTube on self-development, learning and well-being.
Check out all the parts of our GenZ series - Zoomers Explained on our channel!