How Millennials and Generation Z Are Changing Our Workplace

At the same time, it is becoming apparent that Millennials and Gen Z will fundamentally change the world of work in the coming decade, mainly due to their quantitative strength. Millennials alone will account for three-quarters of the global workforce by 2025.

Thanks to their digital skills, Gen Z is a popular target group for companies. Managers expect a breath of fresh air to flow through their organisation through the unconventional working methods of their young colleagues and the exemplary use of cloud communications services and collaboration tools.

With their ideas of a modern work and communication culture, Millennials and Generation Z are injecting momentum into the debate about the New World of Work. Some may have to say goodbye to their beloved habits in the workplace. Find out more about these habits.

There is no doubt that young generations are changing the working world like no generation before. Most of the major changes in the coming decade will be determined by Millennials and Gen Z. Let’s look at five examples which you can use today to prepare for the future.

Important roles and positions in your organisation that determine your company’s IT strategy and communications infrastructure are often filled by Millennial colleagues. They have grown up in a connected world based on cloud services.

Millennials and Gen Z transfer positive personal experiences with the cloud to the workplace and establish cloud services as a standard that we may soon no longer talk about specifically – cloud services become the norm, not the exception.

Conventional organisational structures and career models are largely based on age and length of service within an organisation. This approach is becoming less important as Millennials and Gen Z enter the working world, as they possess digital skills that previous generations do not have. At the same time, younger colleagues can benefit from many years of business experience that older colleagues have gained.

This results in cross-generational learning partnership: The new generation can help more mature workers become more proficient in using digital technologies. And conversely, more mature workers can coach their younger colleagues on tips and tricks in the workplace.

Whilst older colleagues are still waiting to receive approval for their suggestions for improvement, the new generation is already implementing the solution. The DIY (Do It Yourself) generation is simply not familiar with conventional top-down approaches in the workplace. They prefer to take challenges into their own hands rather than wait for hierarchy and bureaucracy to follow through.

Standardised processes firmly set in stone?

Supposedly unsolvable problems for which employees give up trying to find a solution?

It’s all a thing of the past. Millennials and Gen Z are used to tackling challenges independently. Using the trial and error method – and taking risks – means even the biggest problems can be solved.

Yet another month of too much overtime? Close your eyes out of gratitude for the good job you have. However, this unspoken deal that has crept in between organisations and their employees in recent decades will soon be over.

For Millennials and Gen Z, working overtime is nothing more than a symptom of inefficient time management. It is not being present that matters, rather its the results that mean something. For this reason, you can bid farewell to a culture of presence in the workplace and concentrate on much more tangible goals. Success is measured by what you achieve and not simply by being present.

Where older generations are satisfied with exchanging a few emails every day, making some phone calls and having a regular team meeting every week, Millennials and Gen Z embody an active communication culture. Communication takes place across channels – voice, instant messaging, social media and video.

Communication is purposeful and driven by demand: swift decisions can be made by a short message, yet for complicated topics they prefer to pick up the phone or invite you to a video conference. It’s all about flexibility in how we interact, which on the whole leads to more dynamics in teamwork and increased productivity.

It is not only the arrival of new generations that is leading to transformation in the New World of Word. The digitalisation of communication is also leading to new working models. Our ebook is a valuable guide to help you in the digital transformation of your workplace. Click here to download!