Unlike previous generations who valued privacy, employees under 30 expect supervisors to recognize when they are struggling with mental health or burnout and to offer solutions. Two-thirds of this demographic expect this proactive support, forcing a fundamental shift in management style.
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Due to demographic shifts and a post-pandemic re-evaluation of work, employees now hold more power. This requires a fundamental leadership mindset shift: from managing people and processes to enabling their success. High turnover and disengagement are no longer employee problems but leadership failures. A leader's success now depends entirely on the success of their team, meaning 'you work for them'.
Today's leaders are expected to manage employee emotions and take public stances on social issues, roles for which their traditional training did not prepare them. This requires a new skillset centered on empathy and public communication to build trust with a skeptical younger workforce.
The founder's biggest challenge shifted from product to people as the company scaled. She learned to look beyond the surface of employee requests, understanding that a ask for a raise is also a request for validation, and a desire for career progression is a need for mentorship and development. This psychological approach is key to effective management.
Unlike previous generations who respected positional authority, Gen Z grants influence based on connection and trust. They believe the best idea should win, regardless of who it comes from. To lead them effectively, managers must shift from exercising control to building connection, acting as mentors rather than gatekeepers.
A slow job market has created a new burnout phenomenon: "quiet breaking." Unlike quiet quitting (doing the bare minimum), employees feel trapped in their current roles. They are burning out from working harder than ever in jobs they are unhappy with but cannot easily leave.
The common stereotype that Gen Z employees lack work ethic for leaving at 5 PM is often a harmful misjudgment. One example cited an employee who left on time to work a second job and care for a parent with stage 4 cancer. Leaders should get curious about external pressures before assuming laziness.
Gen Z employees often possess innate authority in modern domains like AI and social media, yet they may lack basic professional maturity and emotional skills, partly due to the pandemic's impact on their development. This paradox requires leaders to coach them on fundamentals while simultaneously leveraging their unique, future-focused insights. Leaders must listen more and coach more.
To give corrective feedback effectively to sensitive Gen Z employees, leaders must first connect before they correct. The ALEG method provides a four-step process: Ask questions to understand their perspective, Listen intently so they feel heard, Empathize with their situation so they feel understood, and only then Guide them. This approach earns the right to lead through relationship, not authority.
Leaders complaining about Gen Z's lack of social skills are missing the point. This generation lost two critical years of in-person social development due to the pandemic. The responsibility falls on leaders to coach these skills, not punish employees for a gap the company didn't create.
To create a truly safe culture, leaders must demonstrate vulnerability first. By proactively sharing personal struggles—like being a recovering alcoholic or having gone through trauma therapy—during the interview process, leaders signal from day one that mental health is a priority and that it's safe for employees to be open about their own challenges.
