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Are you at a loss for how to manage and retain your Gen Z employees? Do their expectations seem unrealistic?

In this article, we’ll uncover what’s driving Gen Z’s expectations (it's not what you think), and how accommodating some of these expectations can lead to better results across all of your workforce.

Feeling overwhelmed with how to get your teams back on track? Don’t be. We’ll also show you how tools like employee productivity monitoring software can help you effectively manage and retain your Gen Z employees while boosting productivity.
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What’s Going On with Gen Z Workers?

If you’re concerned about your younger employees, you are one of many – 3 in 4 managers find Gen Z the most challenging generation to work with. Managers are increasingly perplexed about how to lead the newest generation of workers effectively.

The demand for high flexibility, dynamic work environments, and less hour-based performance metrics are just a few Gen Z expectations that employers are struggling to meet. Not to mention, 49% of managers point to a lack of motivation among Gen Z employees, which can make it harder to justify accommodating their demands. 

Gen Z is often perceived as disengaged, entitled, and resistant to traditional work norms. Yet they consistently report high burnout levels, so what is going on?

Gen Z and Burnout: Why It's a Growing Problem

While it's easy to label Gen Z as unmotivated, the reality is more complex. They often grapple with high job demands and economic pressures, leading to burnout.

According to our Focus at Work Report, a whopping 68% of employees have experienced burnout in the past year. According to the American Psychological Association, Gen Z adults reported the highest stress levels of any generation, with another survey showing 98% of Gen Z workers report burnout symptoms.

For Gen Z, this isn’t just about clocking long hours; it’s about dealing with constant distractions and stressors that make it hard to stay focused. This creates a vicious cycle: the more burned out you are, the harder it is to concentrate, which leads to more burnout.

However, it's not just work that's causing burnout; economic stressors also play a major role. Gen Z grapples with high levels of stress and anxiety connected to significant financial pressures, like student loan debt and high living costs. These stressors add to their mental load, making it even harder to maintain focus and perpetuating burnout further. 

The economic impact of this burnout is also staggering. In the U.S., burnout costs companies $3,400 for every $10,000 in employee salaries due to turnover and reduced productivity. For Gen Z, who are more likely to leave jobs due to stress, this translates to significant hiring and training costs for companies.

While it may seem counterintuitive to provide more autonomy and flexibility to employees who seem to be disengaged and demotivated, could it actually be the key to kickstarting your Gen Z workforce into gear?

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What Are Gen Z’s Expectations?

Emotionally intelligent leaders are catching on that these criticisms of Gen Z workers might just be signs of burnout. While Gen Z’s expectations for the workplace may at first seem unrealistic, it may be time to consider–are they really?

Let’s take a look at some of Gen Z’s preferences and expectations:
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• Flexible Work Hours: Harvard Business Review found flexible schedules boost performance by 13% and cut turnover in half. Our Focus at Work Report shows 43% of employees across generations believe flexible hours improve focus.
  
  
• Dynamic Work Environments: Owl Labs reported that 90% of employees said remote work improved work-life balance, and 75% maintained or improved productivity.
  
  
• Outcome-based Evaluation: Gallup found that this approach reduces burnout by 43% and enhances job satisfaction across all age groups.
  
  
• Autonomy & Independence: ​​According to the American Psychological Association, providing autonomy increases motivation, leading to higher productivity and innovation.

This data strongly suggests that these approaches aren’t just beneficial for Gen Z but all employees (and employers as well). For example, Gen Z isn’t the only generation struggling with rigid schedules, 80% of employees would choose a job that offers flexible work options over one that doesn’t. 
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3 Ways to Embrace Gen Z’s Work Style & Reduce Burnout

Here’s what you can do to improve focus, reduce burnout, and boost job satisfaction across your workforce: 

Offer More Flexible Work Hours

Gen Z prefers work schedules that fit their personal lives and productivity peaks rather than a strict 9-to-5 routine. Offering flexible hours allows employees to control their start and end times, which reduces burnout and improves focus by letting them work when they're most alert and engaged. 

Flexible work hours are a key strategy in fighting burnout for all employees, resulting in higher job satisfaction, increased productivity, and lower turnover rates.

Here’s how to do it: 
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• Set a Flexible Range: Define a range of hours, such as 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., during which employees can start their day. This allows them to choose the timing that best suits their needs.
  
  
• Establish Core Hours: Determine mandatory presence hours, such as 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., when all employees should be available for meetings and collaboration.
  
  
• Allow Daily Flexibility: Enable employees to adjust their daily schedules within the set range, ensuring they complete a full workday while accommodating personal preferences.

Another option to offer more flexibility is a compressed work week. Employees work longer hours for fewer days, such as four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days. This approach provides an extra day off each week, which can improve work-life balance and reduce burnout.

Implementing flexible scheduling isn’t always a walk in the park, but with the help of remote working solutions, you can make it manageable and effective:

How do I coordinate flexible work schedules❓

Coordinating flexible schedules can lead to misaligned availability and missed collaboration. Tools like Insightful offer real-time monitoring and integration with project management platforms, making it easier to track team activities and align schedules. This way, teams can collaborate during core hours, even with varying employee start times.

How do I maintain oversight of flexible teams❓

With flexible teams, it's easy to lose track of performance and engagement without the right tools. Monitoring software provides detailed productivity analytics and real-time reports, allowing you to monitor performance and intervene when needed, ensuring accountability without constant supervision.

How can I prevent burnout in flexible work environments❓

In flexible work environments, employees can overwork or become stressed without clear boundaries, defeating the purpose. Tools like Insightful track workloads and provide customizable alerts for excessive hours or stress indicators, allowing you to redistribute tasks and keep workloads balanced to prevent burnout.
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Embrace Dynamic Work Models

Dynamic work models help fight burnout by letting Gen Z choose the best environment for their work. Being able to switch up where they work allows them to balance life and work better, reduce stress, and avoid the constant grind. When work adapts to their lifestyle, they stay more energized, focused, and satisfied.

The future of work no longer relies on the traditional in-office work environment. Here are some of the work models to choose from, depending on what’s most suitable for your operations: 
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• Remote Work: Employees are remotely working from home, eliminating the need for a daily commute and providing the ultimate flexibility in managing their work environment and schedule.
  
  
• Hybrid Work: Employees split their time between working remotely and working in the office, allowing for a blend of in-person collaboration and remote flexibility.
  
  
• Work-from-Anywhere (WFA): Employees can work from any location, whether at home, in a different city, or even abroad, as long as they maintain productivity and meet work requirements.

Implementing dynamic work models isn't always smooth sailing, but with the help of work from home monitoring software, you can navigate the challenges effectively:
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How do I know remote teams are productive❓

How to know if remote employees are working is a common concern when it comes to dispersed teams. Advanced monitoring systems provide visibility into remote work and allow you to analyze productivity patterns in different settings, helping you optimize your hybrid or remote work policies. Monitoring employee internet usage can also help you pinpoint and address any digital distractions that may impact productivity.

How can I manage teams across multiple time zones❓

Managing employees across different time zones creates challenges like inconsistent communication, difficulty in tracking work hours accurately, and unbalanced workloads. Monitoring software addresses this by offering real-time monitoring, automated time tracking, and workload management, ensuring teams stay connected, productive, and properly managed no matter their location.

How do I ensure compliance and prevent burnout❓

While remote work can help prevent burnout, it can have the opposite effect without proper oversight. Tools like Insightful provide real-time monitoring, automated time tracking, and detailed productivity reports to keep teams compliant and healthy. It also tracks work hours and engagement, alerting you to overtime and high workloads, allowing you to redistribute tasks and promote healthier work habits.
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Encourage Teams to Focus on Results, Not Hours

Gen Z prefers to be judged by the results they deliver, not the hours they spend at work. They value efficiency and getting things done over just putting in time. 

Rather than just track work hours with a time tracker, try incorporating a Results-Only (ROWE) approach, focusing on what employees achieve rather than when or where they work. This boosts focus, reduces burnout, and lets employees work when they're most productive, which cuts down on stress and maximizes performance.

Again, it’s not just a Gen Z preference either, 74% of employees believe that performance should be evaluated based on the quality of their work, not the amount of time they spend on it. 

Shifting to a results-focused work environment might seem daunting, but remote work software can make the transition smoother:

How do I ensure accountability and fairness in a results-based model❓

The challenge with results-based models is ensuring consistent accountability. Monitoring tools help solve this by providing detailed productivity reports and real-time monitoring, helping track performance objectively and fairly.

How do I support self-motivation in a results-driven environment❓ 

In a results-driven environment, employees may struggle with staying motivated without the structure of hours-based work. Productivity tracking software helps by offering clear productivity insights and tracking progress, allowing employees to see their impact, set personal goals, and stay engaged with their work.

How can I support data-driven performance evaluations?❓

The trouble with performance evaluations is that they can often be subjective and inconsistent, leading to unfair assessments. Tools like Insightful provide real-time productivity data, detailed reports, and clear performance metrics, so you can make objective, data-driven evaluations based on actual work patterns and outcomes.

Take Digital Estimating as an example. They saw productivity soar from 78% to over 90% within weeks by using detailed behavioral insights and objective performance evaluations to eliminate inefficiencies and enhance work quality.

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Empowering Your Multi-Generational Workforce

Flexible schedules, dynamic work models, and results-focused approaches create an environment supporting diverse work styles and generational preferences. It’s easy to do with Insightful’s insights on how to monitor employees working from home through real-time analytics and productivity tracking. 

Sign up for your 7-day risk-free trial of Insightful today (no credit card needed!)

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