Gen Z's Painful Etiquette Gap And How To Bridge It
31% of hiring managers prefer older workers over Gen Z candidates.
The problem seems to start during recruitment, with hiring managers reporting that Gen Z candidates fail to dress appropriately (58%), do not make good eye contact (57%), make unreasonable salary demands (42%), do not communicate well (39%) and don’t seem very interested or engaged (33%).
Then, once they’re hired, Gen Z workers tend to behave in an entitled way (60%) and are hard to manage well (26%), among other things.
But other challenges go deeper—things like Gen Z workers lying (reported by 21% of managers), lacking work ethic (57%), not getting along with coworkers (22%) and showing up late to work (34%) or meetings (25%).
Clearly, the etiquette issues are easier to train than the potential character issues. And that’s where hiring managers must hone their ability to read a young candidate. Let’s take a closer look at the Gen Z candidate bumbling their way through the interview and the early days of employment. Beyond the etiquette issues, do they have the core traits that mean they can change and grow? I’m talking things like teachability, willingness to receive constructive criticism, ambition, curiosity and growth mindset.
