Employers across the country are so desperate to hire and retain members of Gen-Z that they are offering all sorts of perks to young workers in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Generation Z typically refers to those born between 1997 and 2012. The generation accounts for more than a quarter of the world’s population and is the most diverse generation in American history.
A New York Times article published on Sunday mentions the new work environment a company like Lego has created to accommodate Gen-Z employees, including the company’s first female master builder, Danielle Ross.
Ross, 26, told the Times that Lego has embraced diversity by allowing employees to come to work with dyed hair, piercings and tattoos at their Legoland parks.
The politics are reflected in the types of builds Ross makes with the miniature figures.
She said, “I’ve built up people of every race and nationality and religion and everything I can think of because I want everyone to feel represented.”
Ross told the Times that she identifies as LGBTQ.
According to the Times, Lego has had these guidelines in place since late 2021.
The company is not alone. Healthy food delivery service Kencko is offering six free sessions with a therapist, not just for the employee, but for every member of their household.
Denver-based Sage Hospitality has launched a four-day weekly program for workers at specific locations.
GoodRX, a company that scours pharmacies across the country in search of cheaper prescriptions for patients, allows its employees to work anywhere in the US.
Healthy food delivery service Kencko is offering its employees six free sessions with a therapist
The Times reports that the four-day week applies to cooks, housekeepers and receptionists. The feature states that Sage found these roles the most difficult to fill in a post-pandemic world.
Sage President Daniel del Olmo told the Times of the impact of working four days: “Instead of having this negative feeling, I have to go to work because I have to make a living. All of a sudden, I want to work because I can combine it with my life, which I love.’
In addition, Sage allows employees to bring their dogs to work. Del Olmo said, “A team member takes care of the dog when a staff member needs to clean a room or show a guest something.”
In 2021, the BBC reported that trying a four-day work week in Iceland was a “resounding success”.
The network reported that many public sector workers in the country have switched to shorter hours.
The BBC report goes on to say that Spain was attempting a similar project, while in the private sector food giant Unilever had begun piloting a four-day-week-no-wage-cut program in New Zealand.
GoodRX, a company that scours pharmacies across the country in search of cheaper prescriptions for patients, allows its employees to work anywhere in the US.
Sage Hospitality, which operates the Oxford Hotel in Denver pictured here, has launched a pilot program that allows employees to work four days a week
They’ve gone so far as to employ a company that can build makeshift offices for employees anywhere in the country.
New York City-based communications agency Le CollectiveM began giving employees access to a home in the Hamptons in the summer of 2022.
One employee, Sydney Brodie, told the Times, “I’ve been so local to the company, but now I’m like, ‘Why would you look anywhere else?'”
In addition to the Hamptons’ home, Brodie says she’s also earned a membership at one of Manhattan’s most exclusive clubs, the Soho Club.
Brodie said: “My company sees what I need as a person. They give me the tools to excel personally and professionally.”
Despite the perks, a 2022 Career Builder survey found that the top priority for Gen Z workers was higher pay.
In comparison, a similar survey of millennials by Price Waterhouse Cooper in 2011 found that career advancement was a top priority for this generation.
In a section on recruiting Gen Z members on its website, recruitment agency Monster said 53 percent of the group prefer going to an office rather than working from home.
A 2022 Deloitte survey found that 40 percent of Gen-Zers would likely quit their job within the next two years, with pay being the primary reason. A third of them would be willing to leave without having a new job.
Micael Parmelee, deputy CEO and chief people and purpose officer of Deloitte Global, told CNBC that members of Gen-Z are “more empowered to ask for things.” They’ve always shown they’re ready to go… and they expect more.”
This Dollar Store in Bremen, Indiana, went viral in 2022 after posting a sign saying no Gen-Z members need to apply
Though not everyone is that keen on hiring members of Gen-Z.
In April 2022, a Dollar Tree store in Bremen, Indiana, went viral after posting a notice on its window that it would not hire anyone born between 1997 and 2012.
The sign read: “My two new cashiers quit because I said their friends can’t stand here their full shift. Don’t hire Gen Z. They don’t know what work actually means. JOIN NOW. Baby Boomers ONLY. Many Thanks.’
A 2021 Fast Company-Harris survey found that 36 percent of “younger Millennials” and Gen-Z had suffered from age discrimination in the workplace.
Although ageism can be an issue, a separate survey by Ten Spot found that sexism, racism, wage inequality and bullying are seen by members of Gen Z as bigger issues in the workplace than ageism.
In the United States, age discrimination laws only apply to people over the age of 40.