7 Ways to Talk to Gen Z

After 30 years in luxury travel and a front-row seat to generational change, I have come to realize that the next generation is not the risk. Not being ready for them is. 

Gen Z (born 1997-2012) grew up during 9/11, COVID, the great recession of 2008, and a completely digital world. By 2034, they will make up the majority of your workforce. These seven strategies are where I would start.

1. Be Authentic and Transparent

Because they are digitally native, they consume content differently and they recognize when that content is fake or overly constructed (think influencers, etc.). They are not naive about performance. And that is exactly why they can spot it in a leadership meeting. They will forgive imperfection. They will not forgive pretense.

Try This: The next time you don’t know the answer in a meeting, own it. Admit you don’t know, but you will find out.

2. Provide Continuous Feedback

The days of only getting feedback in an annual review are over. Gen Z wants to find out how they are doing. Think of it as a continuous news cycle, real-time feedback. According to Gallup, employees who receive regular, meaningful feedback are nearly 4x more likely to be engaged. Gen Z will leave a job over silence faster than they will leave over difficulty.

Try This: After a presentation or project, don’t wait for the scheduled check-in. That same day (or at least the next day), try asking three questions: What was a win? What was hard? What do you need from me?

3. Double Down on Inclusive Language and Respect Pronouns

Inclusive language is not a political statement. It is a professional one. Gen Z notices when they are not being addressed respectfully, and it costs you their trust before the conversation even begins.

Try This: Add your pronouns to your email signature today. It signals safety before a word is spoken.

4. Connect Work to Purpose and Social Impact

Gen Z wants more than just a paycheck. They want to know their work means something or to someone, not abstractly. When you explain “who does this help?” or “the impact this task has on a larger goal” when you assign a project, you are leading them, not managing them.

Try This: Before your next assignment, spend 60 seconds answering: what will actually change because of this work? Say it out loud to them. 

5. Embrace Speed, Brevity, and Visual Communication

Reframe your thinking. Rather than thinking they have short attention spans. Instead, realize they have mastered relevancy. Gen Z grew up on platforms built around speed and brevity. So, if your message isn’t earning their attention in the first few seconds, they will never tune in and they have moved on. 

Try This: Replace your next long email with a short message. And even more radical thinking, how about you start with the point, not a preamble.

6. Mental Health Awareness Is Critical

Given the world events that this generation has experienced, they worry about what bad thing is happening next, and as a result, have higher rates of anxiety and seek psychological safety. That gap is on us, not them. Creating psychological safety isn’t a nice-to-have; it is the price of entry for their best work.

Try This: Ask, “how are you really doing?” in your next one-on-one, and then actually wait for the answer and actively listen. Engage.

7. Time Management

71% of Gen Z want a hybrid work environment. They crave socialization and interaction. The pandemic had a huge impact on them. But, even more important, they want flexibility built on trust, not an idea of surveillance. When you mandate office time without explaining why, you are not building culture. You are probably building resentment.

Try This: At your next all-hands or team meeting, tell them why you want them in the room. Not just when.

Why This Matters

Gen Z’s average job tenure is 1.1 years compared to 2.8 for Gen X. You are probably thinking they are job hoppers. Again, reframe your thinking. They are not job hoppers, but rather growth-hunters. They will leave over values misalignment and silence before they leave over hard work. Give them a reason to stay and they will.

By 2034, 80% of the workforce will be Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha. The organizations figuring out how to communicate with them now won’t just retain talent. They will inherit the market.

What Gen Z Is NOT

The stereotypes are wrong. Gen Z is not lazy, entitled, or unprofessional. They are redefining what work looks like. Their communication style isn’t unprofessional, it is efficient. Their boundary-setting isn’t weakness; it is self-awareness. The soft skill gaps many leaders see are not a character flaw. They are a context gap, and closing it is a leadership opportunity.

Ready to Go Deeper?

This is a starting point, not the full picture. My proprietary GENERIS Method is a complete framework for leading across all five workplace generations and the organizations that master it don’t just retain Gen Z. They build cultures every generation wants to be part of. Ready to go deeper?

Full workshops cover:

• The Three Bridges Framework (Communication, Motivation, Flexibility)

• Cross-generational strategies for all five generations

• Recognition and motivation programs that work across ages

• Workplace flexibility models for multigenerational teams

• 30-day action plans with measurable outcomes

Founder & CEO

Keep Wondering Why (KWW, Inc.)

914-380-0801 |  kimberly@kwwinc.com

www.kwwinc.com

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Sources

Deloitte. (2023). 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey. Deloitte Insights. Covers Gen Z values alignment with employers, purpose at work, and mental health in the workplace. www.deloitte.com/genz

Gallup. (2023). State of the Global Workplace Report. Source for employee engagement rates globally (23% engaged) and the link between engagement and profitability (21% higher). Gallup also finds employees receiving regular meaningful feedback are nearly 4x more likely to be engaged. www.gallup.com/workplace

LinkedIn. (2023). Workplace Learning Report. Source for Gen Z prioritization of skill-building and soft skill development in the workplace. learning.linkedin.com/workplace-learning-report

McKinsey & Company. (2015, updated 2020 and 2023). Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters. Companies in the top quartile for diversity are 35% more likely to achieve above-average financial returns. The gap between leaders and laggards has grown with every subsequent report. www.mckinsey.com/diversity

Mind Share Partners. (2021). Mental Health at Work Report. Gen Z is the generation most likely to report a mental health condition and most likely to have left a role for mental health reasons. Significant gaps remain between those who want to discuss mental health at work and those who feel safe doing so with a manager. www.mindsharepartners.org

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Employee Tenure Summary. Source for generational tenure data. Median tenure for workers ages 25–34 is approximately 2.8 years; for the youngest workers entering the workforce, tenure is shorter. www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm

Owl Labs. (2023). State of Remote Work Report. Source for hybrid work preferences across generations, including Gen Z preference for hybrid over fully remote models. owllabs.com/state-of-remote-work