The Cross Boarder Innovation Conference has come to an end and Amadeo and Arno had several breakout sessions on the topic: „Future Workforce – The Workplace of Tomorrow“. In this blog article, you will read about the challenges, opportunities and best practices they presented at this event focusing on the Generation Z.
Opportunities within the future workforce
The future workforce, or Generation Z, is active in various positions within the company: As apprentices, employees or future leaders. Our expertise shows that these target groups bring a multitude of opportunities for companies:
- Technologically and digitally skilled
- Brings innovation and challenges existing processes
- Driving forward the topics of social responsibility and sustainability
- By involving this target group, a dynamic and future-oriented corporate culture can be developed
Challenges for companies related to the generation Z
- The dropout rate of apprenticeships are rising
- Short-term absences are rising sharply among 18-35 year-olds (CSS 2023) compared to 2021
- Skills shortage problem: More baby boomers, i.e. experienced employees, are now retiring and younger employees are replacing them – there is a risk of a significant loss of knowledge and companies are no longer able to find young talent
- Mental health is an issue: 38% of young people surveyed are affected by mental health problems and 17% have tried to take their own lives.
Our study with Swiss Skills shows how important the working environment is for the younger generation when choosing a company: 91% of respondents cited the working environment, the team and their colleagues when choosing a company. The participants were also given a handful of best practices on how to attract, retain and develop the future workforce.
Five measures which are particularly effective in attracting young talent
- Corporate culture should be brought to life through targeted events on the employee journey
- Conscious organisation of possible points of direct contact (where do potential talents have a touchpoint with my company, where can I reach them?)
- Simple and fast application process
- Offer a „you“ culture and use gender-neutral communication
- Show opportunities for participation and career development
Four measures which you can further develop the Gen Z
- Espresso meetings instead of standardised employee appraisals
- (Re)organisation of leadership roles within the company
- Rapid further career development within 24 months
- Resilience promotion programme and raising awareness of mental health
Four measures for the long-term retention of young talent
- Building internal communities that promote an intensive exchange of knowledge and strengthen the sense of unity within the company.
- Further development of the corporate culture and the alignment of corporate values (…according to the motto: „Retain top people instead of finding new people“)
- Programme for internal mobility including mentoring
- Introduce appreciation rituals
If you would like to book us for a key note on these topics, feel free to contact us on +41 79 575 44 08 or subscribe to our newsletter. At Kitoko People, we help to understand, develop and retain the future workforce.
