Gen Z Thinks Differently, 3 Ways Your PDS can Still Get Their Attention

Your system is open. Your people development system that is. Being an open system means that it is influenced by and therefore obliged to react to outside signals and influences. Some of those powerful influences include the mindset and motivations of generations of workers.

Randstad asked some Gen Z technology workers about their work preferences, finding some differences and a few similarities with other generations. Fortunately, the feedback provides useful insights for all employers as they consider how modern people development systems might need to evolve in the future.

This next generation of workers has different values, different ideas about work, and, like every generation before and after, will be needed in the workplace. Which means that the systems used to find, train, and retain them must adapt or at the very least, find some way to accommodate.

Knowing that these young workers are thinking about life and work differently, here are three ways to optimize your PDS to tap into their potential.

A grain of salt.

Don’t paint the entire generation with the same brush. There will be those that like to work with their hands, those that prefer to be in community with other workers, and those that are inclined to stay longer than a couple of years. Influences from other generations will still be seen in younger workers.

Optimize your people development system to tailor job postings that speak to them, job descriptions that inspire them, and recruiting methods that communicate clearly. Work on finding those outliers, they are out there.

Focus on growth.

The desire to learn and grow is not exclusive to this generation. What is different about their approach to work is their willingness to move quickly if they perceive that growth is limited. This is borne out again in Randstad’s survey results.

Reenforce PDS tools such as personalized development pathways and career ladders to communicate opportunities early and often. Augment these tools with strong onboarding practices, robust training initiatives, and focused performance management efforts.

Lean into technology adoption.

Gen Z has never known life without technology. They expect the workplace to maximize automation and all things AI. Industry and the marketplace are also driving adoption of technology, so the PDS has to do the same.

The optimized PDS will ensure that technology is used across all five of the functional areas of the system that supports all generations of workers. A workplace that utilizes generative AI and agentic AI will have a PDS that not only uses AI tools, but will teach people how to think about technology, how to think with technology, and how to use it safely and effectively. Outside influences are powerful forces that challenge PDS stakeholders to adjust and adapt. The system itself will need to change to attract and retain talented workers in Gen Z.

Image by Franz P. Sauerteig from Pixabay