The best way to conquer this divide is to find common ground, adapt our own thinking, communicate and collaborate.

Shannon Gabriel, Vice President of Leadership Solutions Practice, talks about how many leaders are struggling to navigate the expectations of Gen-Z. The disconnect and “we/them” attitude leads to conflict, assumptions and stereotypes: I often hear leaders say that today’s young people are lazy, don’t want to work or need too much handholding.

Considering a recent survey found that 28% of employees plan to quit their jobs in 2024, with Gen-Z and young Millennials being the most likely to quit, now is the time to begin the shift toward meeting Gen-Z’s expectations so you can increase retention and get ahead of increased quits this year.

Five low-cost or no-cost tactics that take very little effort but can make a very big impact.

  1. Close the empathy gap
  2. Give them a voice
  3. Be flexible
  4. Train leaders to interview Gen-Z
  5. Create multigenerational task forces

As leaders, we need to acknowledge that our way of doing things isn’t always right. Gen-Z deserves to build the future they want to work and live in. After all, the future is theirs, not ours, and that means we must adapt to their needs, not vice versa.

 

Read More About These Tactics on Forbes →