Bridging the Gap: Creating a Gen Z-friendly Work Culture

A must-hear for employers, our conversation extends beyond the usual corporate-speak as we delve into the nuts and bolts of creating a work culture that welcomes Gen Z-ers. 

Listen in as Brad and Steve, tackle the myths and misconceptions about Gen Z in the workplace. The discussion kicks off with stories about the challenges and funny mishaps faced by young employees in their day-to-day work life. We explore the importance of setting expectations and providing proper onboarding and training for the younger generations. Plus, we dissect an article that highlights the need for companies to adapt to Gen Z if they wish to remain successful.

In the second part of our discussion, we explore how employers can shatter their preconceived expectations of younger workers. We stress the significance of a flexible working environment, like allowing employees to start their shift at 10am to help actually boost productivity and focus.

We also emphasize the importance of welcoming and encouraging employee input to create buy-in and progress. Lastly, we stress the need for introspection when considering the generational differences that have shaped the modern workplace. So, tune in and find out how to turn 'lazy and entitled' young employees into rock stars.

Highlights:

2:00 - Steve shares real-life examples of GenZ employees not using common sense.

7:41 - Steve's advice to companies on how to set expectations even when it comes to common sense. Brad also shares how to get buy-in from Senior Employees who might otherwise be annoyed with training the younger generation.

10:41 - Does it really take a year for a new employee to catch on? Brad challenges you to take another look at this way of thinking. 

15:34 - Steve challenges everyone to think about their part in creating the next generation. If look at how raised them it might make us more understanding. 

Mentioned

Article- Turning lazy and entitled employees into rock stars. 

Connect with the hosts: 

Steve Doyle:

Website

LinkedIn

Email

Brad Herda:

Website

LinkedIn

Email

Hey everyone, welcome back to this episode of Blue Collar BS with Brad and Steve. I am Brad and my cohost.

Steve!

are here today to bring you another fun-filled exciting episode of Blue Collar BS. And Steve, we talk often a lot in our intros and things with our guests about bringing solutions, right? Business solutions to blue collar businesses so that they can thrive and move forward. Today's topic is going to be one that many

Woo!

in the construction, manufacturing and trades world, they'll probably find out that you guys are full of shit. But it's about turning the quote unquote lazy and entitled young employees into rock stars and the misconceptions that are out there. And it's an article that came through on a smart brief that I subscribed to the link will be in the show notes from September of 28 talking about how to support that Gen Z and also help.

you as a leader grow and differentiate. So what are you seeing in your world first before we dive in the article with Gen Z? Because you're doing a lot of work out in the field. You're seeing things. You're seeing stupid things. You're seeing dumb fucker. You're seeing lots of shit. Are they are they learning? Are they growing? Are they gaining knowledge and that wisdom? What are you seeing?

Nope. Yeah.

So we've talked a lot about it on other shows where common sense isn't as common. So what we believe is common sense between us, when we look at the young generation, that's there, the Gen Zs, in the workforce, we just shake our head and we're like, how do you not know these things? Just break it down, for example, when we talk these things, so.

Some companies I work with, they provide vehicles for their employees to get from point A to point B on the job sites, things like that, with gas carts. Now, most of them have vehicle trackers in there. With that track speed, they actually have cameras in there.

Can't go to my girlfriend's house for whatever

Well, I mean, there are some things that you may or may not be able to do. Provided you don't do dumb shit. Again, provided you use common sense, and I'm gonna use air quotes, common sense, provided you're using common sense, which again, we've already established isn't as common with the different generations, their upbringing. So we've had examples or had situations that

Some employees have taken advantage of, they will, advantage of in a sense of use vehicles for taking them out of state on vacations over the weekend. And it's like, what are you doing using company gas card, you know, for those purposes.

Well, it's a benefit to me. It's in my wallet. I can use it. It's in my wallet. It's in my driveway. Why can't I use it?

Me dead.

Right, right. There is the, sometimes there could be some general fuckery going on where a couple people are screwing around in the vehicles, kidding around, they're young, nobody's around. The excuse is, well, boys will be boys, or there's just some things they're gonna have to learn on their own going on.

Well, there's some truth to that about maturing and being able to go through opportunity and gaining that. You know, the stove is hot, so I'm only going to touch it once type scenario.

Mm-hmm.

Yep, yeah, I'm gonna stick that fork in that light socket. You know, everybody's like don't do it and I'm like, no Let's watch what happens Let's watch for a minute Hang on

Right. And let's see. Hang on. First, before you do that, let me get the, uh, let me just get the wood two by four so I can pull you away without hurting anybody else.

Exactly. So we see some of those more often than not with the younger generation of things that you'd be like, seriously, didn't your parents teach you these things from what we assume to be common sense, like common courtesy, hey, this is this is a company, this isn't your personal vehicle, you're not driving around with this vehicle like it.

Like it's yours, it's company property that's a privilege. Well, that is a privilege that, you know, the company has the right to take it away. And so now there's some, you know, with the younger generation and some things that have happened with them, with some of the Gen Zs, those privileges have been removed and they've had to learn the hard way. And it's like, well, my vehicle's in the shop. You're gonna have to figure something out.

drive it like you stole it.

because this vehicle is no longer available to you because you didn't use it within the guidelines that were similar that were established.

Right. So setting expectations is very, very important, um, to understand that. And we take for granted those work assumptions in the workplace that everybody just knows and that, that extra 30 minutes of onboarding, that extra training, that extra don't, don't just go on the job training with Joe or George. Um, because they're not going to know all the things along the way. They're going to get you in trouble without that same.

Mm-hmm.

Right?

frame of reference. So let's get to the article. So one of the things that I love in this article that I'm reading right the problem is that the business world doesn't have the luxury of misreading Gen Z for long. Young people are cashing in their choice chips. They don't have to stay put at a company that doesn't understand them and refuses to learn. The key here is the company refuses to learn.

Hmm.

Hmm... yes.

So how have you supported your clients in helping them learn to adapt to Gen Z? What are some of the things you have done? What are some of the solutions you have provided your clients or others to be successful in adapting to Gen Z and as painful as it was for the Gen X owner, boomer owner, even millennial owner to adapt because it's just irritating. What are some of the things you've implemented?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, so several things that we've implemented in the hiring process is we're actually bringing along behavioral assessments in the hiring process so we can actually have a better understanding of how we communicate with these new hires right off the bat. Then we bring them in and we introduce them as part of the team and we show them how they fit in with how they communicate, how they're motivated.

The other thing that we talk about, right from the get-go when they're brought in, is that quote unquote, common sense. This is what is considered common sense for the company. So we kind of reestablish, what we as a company believe is common sense.

See something, say something, might be something to start with.

Mm-hmm. So those are a couple things that we actually start with. Just we try to keep it very simple, very matter of fact. And then from there, we can actually learn, you know, how everyone is actually different and how we as, whether they're leaders, they're different crew members, it's the office staff versus the staff that's out in the field. It's how do we need to adapt ourselves so that we can better understand

Okay.

and communicate with the other people. So those are some very quick things that we implemented earlier.

Yeah, that's the opportunity, right? The company has to adapt. I have a networking partner who's in the HVAC world. They hired four Gen Z service techs in a very short period of time. And the senior technicians were pissed off about it to start because they're like, you're slowing me down. You're doing this. You're doing that.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, there's the Oh, these kids are gonna be on call. Really? I don't have that. I don't have that phone on my bedside at 2am just waiting for a call when I'm on call for that particular day or week or weekend. Oh, yeah. So helping the tenured employees understand the value of bringing in young talent as well as is really important. And it's allowed them to create that knowledge transfer faster.

Mmm, yes!

Mm-hmm.

Because if the kid that came in can handle the call all by himself, no worries. If the kid can't handle it, guess who's still getting the call at 2 AM? The senior technician, right? So for them not to get the call, they got to figure out how not to get the call. So, so having the owners understand that it's important to make that knowledge transfer so that they can be, that senior tech can be in a better space and have a good night's sleep.

Right?

Absolutely.

Yeah, absolutely.

was awesome.

Mm-hmm.

So step one here in this throw the assumptions out the window. Okay. So what assumptions do you believe everybody makes?

What do we believe everybody makes with the Gen Z?

What assumptions do you believe people are making? And this article points it out too, and people can read the article. What are the assumptions people make about that 26 and younger crowd?

So some of the assumptions, and some of them aren't actually in here, the number one thing is that they are quote unquote lazy. Like they just don't quote unquote wanna work, which we know that again, that assumption is wrong. They're not lazy. We just have to behave differently and interact differently with them. So we, yeah, go for it.

Yeah, that laziness is a, hey, guess what? Um, I can be at the job site at sunrise. Sit around for four hours before I can start my work and pick around on my phone or do something or not. What, whatever. I'd be completely unproductive and that's acceptable. Or I could show up at 10 o'clock when work's supposed to start. And I can use that four hours for my own productivity and I don't have to worry about it. And that's the big differences.

Mm-hmm.

We don't have to be in the parking lot in order to bring value to an organization, which ultimately, if you think about it, if you're willing to pay them to sit around to do nothing, why would you not be willing to pay them to do nothing? Not while not being there.

Right.

Because it's essentially the same thing, right? You don't have to change, the wage doesn't need to change because they're not gonna show up. So why would you not pay them the same, but take away a safety risks, take away other issues that may exist to provide that flexibility and allow them to work with a passion while they're there versus not feeling valued.

Absolutely. So let's look at the number two thing on that list, where we blow up expectations. So when you've been with some of your clients, what are some of the expectations that they initially had with the younger workforce? That they kind of had to...

The one that drives me crazy, the one that drives me the most crazy is, oh, it's going to take a year, a year and a half for them to get up to speed, to know our business, to know what's going on. Like that's bullshit. At the end of the day, you do the same thing over and over and over again. The scope of work changes, right? I mean, not every day when you're on a construction site, it's all going to be the same, but the functionality of your business is pretty much very routine and knowing when they should be asking.

Mm-hmm.

questions and where to put things in. That's a very, very short learning curve for most young people because they pick up pretty quickly on what's going on and they can pick up pretty quickly and what shit you're throwing out there if it's real or not and decide to stay or not stay and it's for me that biggest thing is oh it's gonna take forever for them to learn. No, be prepared to give them if you give them a list that you think is gonna take them eight hours be prepared that's gonna be done in four and it's probably better than your expectations were ever expected.

Mm-hmm.

Right, absolutely. And I've seen that on some of the job sites and actually some of the office staff that one of my clients has hired where all the expectations just had to go out the window from how they wanted a role to be set up, what they expected the person to do. Once a person got in there and actually started understanding, hey, what are this person's capabilities, all the initial expectations for what they wanted this person to do, gone.

and things had to change, and now you actually have a better producing employee because you allowed that change, that expectations to happen, and you're able to establish them and leverage the employee's input. It's just weird when you do that.

Yeah. Oh, employee input creates buy-in and, and progress. That's weird. I know. Weird, weird when the new guy comes in and says, Hey, let's try this. And you say, ah, that'll never work. Cause it didn't work 15 years ago. Well, why won't it work today? Instead of saying, right, free yourself to think of alternatives, which is the next thing. How do you think about your business differently? How do you allow them to bring in technology, new sources, new ways of doing your thinking?

What? Weird. That's really freaking...

Mm-hmm.

to solve problems because they are some of the best problem solvers out there today. They may not have the same wisdom and knowledge or application of knowledge that's out there, but they're really good at finding alternatives and solutions to current situations to bring freedom to explore that you may never have stumbled across if George was doing it on your behalf.

Yeah, absolutely.

Um, yeah, as a, so one of the things was as a bit, here's their paragraph as a business, we've challenged the typical ways of working. Uh, we have a small team with diverse wants and needs. We got a baby boomer and wants to continue to contribute, but not have to do it full time. We got a millennial who's. Is the mother of a young child. Uh, when he was an infant, it was vile for her to spend more time. Now that he is older, she's open to more opportunities. We have another team member who prefers to work close to home versus traveling. Um,

understanding what your team needs for employment as we go back to that Maslow's hierarchy of need is really important to provide that opportunity to think about your workforce differently. It's no longer eight to four have your car in the parking lot that that's not the way of the world anymore particularly for the support roles in manufacturing construction trades for sure. Direct labor different story but you also need to rethink your direct labor and how you handle that.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Right.

Yep. So I like this last point where in the article where it's talking about celebrating some differences that have been created and we all have to look in the mirror because we helped create the Gen Z's, whether they're my kids, your kids, maybe somewhere in the, you know, the younger millennial could be Gen Z. My kids definitely fit into the Gen Z. And we as parents, you know, their charades actually exist because how we

actually raise them. You know, we want them to have more freedom, be able to thrive. I'm not a millennial, no, I'm Gen X. Pure, proud Gen X, for sure. Still get those digs in, we'll still take them. So when we look at, you know, the generation that we helped create and help frame the Gen Z's as much as the things that we don't like.

Hang on, I think you said you were a millennial, Steve. I think I heard you say that, didn't you? No. I just...

I try.

that they are doing, we've actually helped ingrain that and helped instill that. We provided that quote unquote common sense for them to say it's okay to throw out the rule book and to take some chances, take some risk for some freedom so that they can actually do the things that they are quote unquote passionate about, they want to do.

So we have to be able to accept that because we helped create that monster.

Absolutely and it's great when they don't have responsibility or authority when they're you know on the soccer fields or on the hockey Rinks or wherever they are participating, but when they join the workforce. Oh, yeah, that's right. They will join the workforce We created the opportunity and we reap what we sow and it's very important to accept and celebrate the things that they bring and change and It's okay. And how do we do it differently? Let's figure it out

Mm-hmm.

And we've talked about this before about the opportunity to fail. That runway has gotten shorter and shorter and shorter in the, in the, uh, employment world and something that we need to accept and understand. Everything can't be the sky is falling moment. Sometimes it's just, yep, it was a mistake. And if you look at the mistakes that are made on your, in your facility, in your factory, on your job sites, and it was done by a young person and if George

who's been there for 15 years, had a bad day and did the same thing, what would your reaction be? Ask yourself that as the business owner, or the foreman, or the crew leader, or whatever it is. If somebody that was senior made the same mistake, what would your reaction be if they had a bad day? Versus the young kid who may not have that same knowledge and wisdom made the mistake because they didn't know.

Mm-hmm, absolutely.

Ask yourself that question as part of your business and just take that step back and think about it before you react.

What?

So we will post this article in the show notes so that you guys can read it. And we've talked about on the show numerous times, gen Z is the future of the blue collar world and we have to accept it and embrace it and figure out how to bring more in because the numbers don't add up, we cannot allow all the boomers, all the gen Xers to retire or have their bodies broken down because we didn't work hard. We, we worked hard, not necessarily smart, right? We didn't.

have the, we didn't have the battery pack crimping joints for plumbing and things like that. We were all up in there with their all over the places. I just take your Milwaukee tool crimper and go, Oh, done. Okay. Packs all that fun shit that wasn't there. Um, these kids have solutions and we need to allow them the opportunity to shine. So Mr. Doyle, thank you for again, for being on this episode of blue collar BS and providing some solutions to our listeners. All right. We'll see you soon.

Thank you.

I don't know, he did not.

Yes, thanks, Brent.

Thanks, Brad.