Many companies have fired Gen Z workers just months after hiring them and several business owners said they are hesitant to bring on recent college graduates due to concerns about their work ethic, communication skills and readiness to do the job, according to a new survey.
Six in 10 employers said they have already let go recent college graduates this year, while one in seven said they are inclined to refrain from hiring new graduates next year, according to a survey conducted by Intelligent.com.
Close to 1,000 business leaders participated in the Intelligent.com survey, the results of which were first reported by Newsweek.
“Many recent college graduates may struggle with entering the workforce for the first time as it can be a huge contrast from what they are used to throughout their education journey,” Intelligent’s chief education and career development adviser Huy Nguyen said in the report.
Nguyen said business owners were wary of hiring those born around the turn of the century because they were “often unprepared for a less structured environment, workplace cultural dynamics and the expectation of autonomous work.”
“Although they may have some theoretical knowledge from college, they often lack the practical, real-world experience and soft skills required to succeed in the work environment,” Nguyen said.
Unlike their older counterparts, Gen Z suffers from the public perception that they are chronically limited by short attention spans, a habit of laziness and insistence on a robust work-life balance — a byproduct of growing up in a digital world.
Younger workers are also seen as more likely to be “triggered” and galvanized by social media-driven political and social campaigns that could disrupt the workflow and create headaches for their bosses — particularly in light of the national turmoil witnessed in recent years.
In the survey, 75% of companies reported that some or all of their recent college graduates were unsatisfactory.
Half of employers said Gen Z workers were most likely to display a lack of motivation, while 39% said they lacked communication skills, the survey found.
Nearly half (46%) said Gen Z workers showed a lack of professionalism on the job.
Some experts placed the blame on the education system for “not preparing students for real-world work.”
“Education today emphasizes theory over practice. Sure, learning Greek mythology is fascinating, but unless you’re teaching it, how does that prepare you to communicate effectively in a corporate meeting or demonstrate professionalism? It doesn’t,” HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek.
Others said these generalizations about Gen Zers are misplaced.
“Most of these stereotypes are ingrained in culture about each generation and the short stick torch is passed every 20 years,” Jessica Kriegel, chief strategy officer of workforce and labor at Culture Partners, told The Post.
Kriegel said millennials — those born in the early 1980s and who came of age just before the advent of smartphones — were considered “problem children” not long ago.
Now, Americans “have turned their collective judgment into the next target,” Kriegel told The Post.
Instead of fixating on prospective employees’ date of birth, business executives should dig deeper, according to Kriegel.
“In reality, what makes a great worker is not their generation but a series of other values and beliefs that we derive from our lifelong experiences,” she said.
Scott Baradel, the CEO of Dallas-based B2B digital marketing firm Idea Grove, told The Post that he has hired many Gen Z employees.
“I don’t get the hesitation around Gen Z workers,” Baradell said.
Baradell said he wasn’t at all put off by the perception that Gen Z was too demanding.
“If anything, their desire for flexibility and purpose makes them more engaged and driven,” he said.
“They don’t just want a job — they want to make an impact, and that’s a huge advantage for any business.”
Baradell said businesses that shun Gen Z employees “are missing out on the next generation of talent that can push them forward.”
Karla Trotman, owner and CEO of the Pennsylvania-based electronic contract manufacturing firm Electro Soft Inc., agreed with Baradell, telling The Post that businesses ought to accommodate Gen Z workers by offering perks such as tuition reimbursement, flexible paid time off policies, hybrid work environments and health care coverage that encompasses both their physical and mental well-being.
“Manufacturing specifically needs to hire Gen Z workers to survive, and we shouldn’t hesitate to hire them, but we do need to appeal to them properly,” Trotman told The Post.
