I’m Diana Sparacio, the baby of the Wheels Up team — a 25-year-old, TikTok loving, Gen Zer.
It’s time to welcome the next generation to the workforce. Don’t worry, I’m not here to bash on your side part or your skinny jeans. Instead, I’m here to help usher us all into a new era of multigenerational workforce collaboration. Scary, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be.
To help us all in the transition, I’ve taken a stab at describing what I think are some of the most stand-out attributes of my generation. You may find that this info can be applied to many situations and can help you:
Collaborate with Gen Z co-workers
Market your products more effectively to Gen Z consumers
Become the favorite aunt or uncle
What better way to get acquainted than to hear a perspective right from the source, right? Here are just a few of the key factors I think you ought to know about Gen Z: We value meaningful work
We don’t have that “a job is a job” mentality our parents may have had before us. If we’re going to spend the majority of our lives working, we’re going to make sure we’re doing something we enjoy and that we believe brings value. We’re normalizing taking time for mental health
There’s a cultural shift in mindset around mental health. Of course, the pandemic has played a part in normalizing this for everyone. Still, my generation is playing a significant role to make commonplace the discussion and prioritization of mental and emotional well-being. Gen Z openly talks about their mental health in everyday conversations; it's no longer a stigmatized discussion, and we aren’t afraid to take the time we need to put our mental health first. We value authenticity
As a whole, our generation is a bit more skeptical. Can you blame us? We’ve grown up in a time where fake news is the norm, and the generations before us played their cards much closer to their chest on social media and in interpersonal interaction. Because of that, we value transparency from our friends, family, co-workers, and brands, for that matter. We care about corporate responsibility and sustainability
A majority of our generation is concerned about climate change. We’re a generation that is holding corporations responsible, and we don’t want to support companies who aren’t embracing the adjustments needed for the sustained health of our fragile ecosystems. We care about work-life balance and personal well-being
We can thank our older siblings, the millennials, for leading the way on this. Gen Z is adding its own spin to work-life balance and personal well-being by assuming it to be a norm rather than an additional pursuit. We value our time spent outside of work with friends, family, and hobbies - our expectations of the culture and demands in the workplace will reflect that. We bring in a fresh perspective
Our generation constantly questions and challenges the norm. This makes for fresh opinions, new lines of questioning, and for workplaces, friends, and brands willing to entertain us, an incredible opportunity for informed innovation and cultural evolution. We are tough consumers
With an increased focus on sustainability and budget constraints, our purchases are more limited. We do our research before buying a product from a brand, and we’re not particularly loyal to specific brands either. In fact, we aren’t really brand loyal at all - our trust has to be repeatedly earned. Keep in mind that Gen Z, more than anything, is a generation of individuality. This list may not apply to every Gen Zer you know. So if you don’t earn that spot as favorite aunt or uncle with its careful implementation, don’t come at me. Whichever way this information can be of use, I hope you enjoyed reading!