Managers have plenty of complaints about their Gen Z employees. Some of their issues may relate to how they are supervising and communicating with these employees. Few employees enjoy having their every move monitored but being micromanaged may be exactly what Gen Z team members want.

Manager Concerns About Gen Z Team Members

In one study, managers point out that Gen Zers suffer from a lack of effort, motivation and productivity. They also state that these employees are easily offended and sometimes will challenge their supervisors. Industry experts point out that Gen Z team members came of age during the COVID-​19 pandemic.

As a result, their interpersonal skills may be lacking. An added challenge comes if a recently hired Gen Zer is also working from a remote location. In these situations, they won’t have the opportunity to interact in person with co-workers. 

The Politics of the Gen Z Workforce

Regardless of where employees work, interaction on some topics generates conflict. One trouble spot between Gen Zers and company leadership involves politics. Younger employees are often more liberal and activist than older team members.

A new survey finds that up to 40% of younger workers, Gen Zers and millennials, have very strong political feelings. They “would leave their company if the CEO expressed political views that they disagreed with.” This is not the outcome you want after investing time and money to onboard a new employee.

One way to continue the workplace harmony would be to discourage chat about politics. And CEOs should set the example by emphasizing details like the company mission and any charitable outreach they support. They can do this through casual conversation and during companywide meetings.

Focusing on those kinds of topics can increase unity.

The Desire to be Micromanaged

While workplace unity can improve outcomes, managers will need to address the motivation and productivity of their younger team members. Many Gen Zers have just graduated from college. Other employees in this age group might be coming into your organization with limited work experience.

The combination of their age and inexperience will generate some performance anxiety.

Most employees don’t want their supervisors hanging over their cubicle as they work, Gen Zers feel differently. One survey reveals that 20% of “recent grads prefer being micromanaged."

Let’s dig into what that finding means. These employees want to interact with their managers every day, sometimes more than once a day. They also need feedback.

Analysts attribute this need to the prior experiences of Gen Zers. If they went to college, they grew accustomed to specific instructions about their projects. And they also received specific feedback.

This process helped them learn what to do and how to do it. Before they went too far off their rails, they received guiding information.

Managers should take the feedback desire of their Gen Z employees as a good sign. These employees want to do a good job. They are anxious about whether their output measures up, so being micromanaged puts them at ease.

Over 40% of recent graduates check in with their managers every day. These check-​ins help the 27% of Gen Z grads who have anxiety several times a week.

Not all Gen Z employees are the same. Some of these team members want to work more independently. They may resent daily chats with their managers and prefer to immerse themselves in their projects.

Management Action

While you want to manage each team member effectively, it’s not enough to go with your gut instinct. Why? Because your intuition may be biased, based on your experiences with other team members.

Instead of guessing about the best way to manage your Gen Z employees, consult their psychometric assessment results. An employee with a low desire to be self-​reliant will naturally turn to their manager for guidance.

You may not need to offer as much support to the team members. Employees with a high desire to be self-​reliant and are motivated by money may only need a few guidelines. Being micromanaged will be a core need for some employees. For others, you should provide encouragement and regular feedback on their performance.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.