Skip to main content
Contact Sales Support Careers
United States (English)
Americas
  • United States (English)
  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • Mexico (Español)
Europe, Middle East & Africa
  • United Kingdom (English)
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland (Deutsch)
  • Nederland (Nederlands)
  • Other EMEA Locations
Asia/Pacific
  • India (English)
  • Australia (English)
UKG logo UKG logo
Search
Get started Get started
    • Solutions
      Solutions by Need
      People icon
      Human Resources
      Payroll icon
      Payroll
      Talent icon
      Talent
      People connected icon
      HR Service Delivery
      Clock with Person
      Time & Attendance
      Calendar day icon
      Scheduling
      Document check shield icon
      Compliance
      Chart bar statistics icon
      Reporting and Analytics
      Product Suites
      UKG Pro

      A culture-driven HCM suite designed to support your enterprise organization's needs.

      UKG Dimensions

      Workforce Management solution helping you redefine the work experience for your people.

      UKG Ready

      HR solution to help small and mid-size organizations focus on growth and making a difference for your people, every time.

      View all products
      Find the product that best fits your needs.
      Get started Get started
      get started
    • Customer Experience
      The UKG Promise

      With over 70 years of expertise with BOTH people systems and systems of work, no one knows people and how they work better than UKG.

      Our Promise
      Customer Experience

      We think you’re pretty special when you’re a UKG Customer. That’s why we build products designed to inspire your people — and your organization — to grow and thrive.

      Partner for Life
      Implementation
      Support Experience
      UKG Community
      Working Smarter Café
      Customer Stories
      Belle Tire

      UKG Pro streamlines and automates administrative and HR tasks, so that field teams and managers can spend more time with customers, and coach, train, and listen to their people.

      Eventide Senior Living Communities

      Eventide Senior Living Communities uses UKG to drive employee engagement and streamline workforce management and HCM, including cutting PBJ reporting time by 99%.

      See all customer stories
      Collaborate, learn, and get support for your UKG solution!
      Visit UKG Community Visit UKG Community
    • Resources
      • Research & Insights
        Research & Insights
        • By Business Need
        • By Type
        See all
        Growth icon
        Human Capital Management
        People icon
        Human Resources
        People connected icon
        HR Service Delivery
        Payroll icon
        Payroll
        Talent icon
        Talent
        Chart tree people icon
        Workforce Management
        Clock with Person
        Time & Attendance
        Calendar day icon
        Scheduling
        Document check shield icon
        Compliance
        Chart bar statistics icon
        Reporting and Analytics
        Lightbulb icon
        Product Info
        Video player icon
        Product Tour
        Article featured icon
        Analyst Report
        Document icon
        White Paper
        Book icon
        eBook
        Organization icon
        Industry Brief
        Chart bar icon
        Infographic
        News people icon
        Article
        Video player icon
        Webinar Replay
        Interactive
      Research & Insights
      • By Business Need
      • By Type
      See all
      Growth icon
      Human Capital Management
      People icon
      Human Resources
      People connected icon
      HR Service Delivery
      Payroll icon
      Payroll
      Talent icon
      Talent
      Chart tree people icon
      Workforce Management
      Clock with Person
      Time & Attendance
      Calendar day icon
      Scheduling
      Document check shield icon
      Compliance
      Chart bar statistics icon
      Reporting and Analytics
      Lightbulb icon
      Product Info
      Video player icon
      Product Tour
      Article featured icon
      Analyst Report
      Document icon
      White Paper
      Book icon
      eBook
      Organization icon
      Industry Brief
      Chart bar icon
      Infographic
      News people icon
      Article
      Video player icon
      Webinar Replay
      Interactive
      Events
      Tradeshows
      Conferences
      Webinars
      See all events
      Blogs
      The People Purpose Blog

      Your source for the latest life-work trends and ideas from UKG experts and leaders. Stay informed and put people first in all you do.

      Workforce Institute

      Think tank that helps organizations drive performance by addressing HCM and workforce management issues.

      Workplace Resources
      Great Place To Work
      Pay Equity Resources
      Human Insights
      UKG Developer Hub
      UKG Pro Ranks Highest in 2022 Gartner Critical Capabilities for Cloud HCM Suites for the North American Midmarket Use Case
      Get The Report
      Get The Report
      Reference Image
      UKG Ranks Highest in 2022 Gartner Critical Capabilities for Cloud HCM Suites

      Read the Gartner® Critical Capabilities analysis for UKG Pro®.

    • About Us
      About UKG

      Learn more about UKG and how our HR solutions inspire workforces and businesses around the world to drive people-focused results.

      About Us
      Why UKG
      UKG Leadership
      Newsroom
      Awards & Recognition
      UKG Ambassadors
      Culture
      Our ESG Program
      Partners
      UKG Marketplace
      Analyst Reports
      Careers

      Look to your future. If you're interested in working for a company that truly invests in their people to create a culture of belonging and innovation, we want you on our team.

      Careers at UKG
      Early Career & Internships
      Benefits
      Life at UKG
      Featured Locations
      FAQs
      Experience awesome at work.
      Search jobs at UKG Search jobs at UKG
    Contact Sales Support Careers
    United States (English)
    Americas
    • United States (English)
    • Canada (English)
    • Canada (Français)
    • Mexico (Español)
    Europe, Middle East & Africa
    • United Kingdom (English)
    • France (Français)
    • Deutschland (Deutsch)
    • Nederland (Nederlands)
    • Other EMEA Locations
    Asia/Pacific
    • India (English)
    • Australia (English)
    Find the product that best fits your needs.
    Get started Get started
    get started
    Search Get started Get started
    Employee Experience

    What Motivates Gen Z in the Workplace

    July 18, 2023
    Motivating Gen Z in the Workplace
    • Share
    See all blog stories See all blog stories
    Stay up to date with The People Purpose Blog
    Subscribe via email Subscribe via email
    Subscribe via RSS

    Written By

    Carol Ballou
    Carol R. Ballou
    Sr. Manager for Healthcare Marketing

    Carol is a results-oriented marketing professional with 10+ years experience in the rapidly changing healthcare IT industry. Carol focuses on creating content and experiences that inform and drive customer engagement.

    Featured Resource
    Gen Z in Healthcare
    Healthcare Playbook for the Gen Z Workforce

    What does it take for Gen Z to be fully engaged and productive in the workplace? For this generation, it isn’t just about wages; there are multiple incentives that healthcare providers can offer to appeal to Gen Z employees. Download this white paper to learn how you can focus policies and practices on the five motivations of Generation Z, in tandem with programs that meet the motivations of multigenerational employees.

    Download now Download now

    Topics

    Multigenerational Workforce Multigenerational Workforce Employee Engagement Employee Engagement Gen Z Gen Z Future of Work Future of Work HR Technology HR Technology Burnout Burnout

    The stats are staggering: 61 million Gen Z professionals are entering the workforce and by 2030, Gen Zers will compose 30% of the workforce. For these professionals, working is about more than wages: 70% prefer to do something meaningful rather than make a lot of money. There are multiple incentives that organizations can offer to appeal to Gen Z employees to improve employee engagement. 

    Here are five ways organizations can motivate Gen Z employees in the workplace. 

    Download Now: Healthcare Playbook for the Gen Z Workforce [Free White Paper] 

    1. Work-life balance  
     

    We’ve entered a time in society where much value is placed on the time spent outside work. Although Gen Zers desire to make a difference in the workplace, these employees strive to follow their passions outside work as well. 

    To deliver this valued work-life balance, organizations must offer adequate paid time off and make it easy for employees to use that time, and managers must lead by example by taking time off themselves. Gen Zers want to feel valued as people. Convey this message by encouraging employees to take time off to reduce burnout, providing self-service tools that allow shift swapping when needed, and giving them access to their schedules as far in advance as possible. Offering benefits that support work-life balance will help foster an employee-centric culture where people feel valued. 

    Gen Zers want to feel valued as people at work.

    2. Technology 
     

    On average, a Gen Zer will use five screens a day. This generation doesn’t remember or know life without a cellphone or high-speed internet. Technology has enabled them to receive information instantly through search engines and digital information, and thus they expect immediate answers to their queries. It’s no wonder Gen Z students’ attention spans are an astonishing 8 seconds, 4 seconds less than those of millennials.

    Gen Zers expect technology to continue to be a part of their everyday life both inside and outside the workplace. Almost all (98%) own a smartphone, and nearly 23% expect text messaging to be an essential part of workplace communication. Gen Zers use technology to perform most daily tasks in their personal lives. To maximize engagement with this generation, it’s crucial that workplaces provide modern technological tools for their workers. 

    3. Empowerment
     

    With Gen Z, organizations are working with highly skilled individuals who are looking for a sense of purpose, managerial recognition, and continuous feedback on performance. 

    In addition to managerial feedback, Gen Zers also value the recognition of their peers. Organizations can implement peer-to-peer or team member programs geared toward building connections and trust between employees. These initiatives empower Gen Z workers to drive positive change in their performance and for the organization. It is also important to grant employees the opportunity to contribute their input. Creating space for the employee voice will allow people to feel valued and appreciated. 

    4. Career growth 
     

    Gen Z wants to see clear career pathways and opportunities for growth. A recent study of younger nurses found that 43% claim the opportunity to grow professionally through career advancement was a crucial factor impacting the work environment.To address this motivation, work environments can provide training opportunities, as 36% of younger nurses chose career advancement training as the most helpful type of employer education.

    Performance reviews are especially critical for this generation, as Gen Zers thrive on receiving feedback. Many are joining the workforce directly from an environment where they received it constantly—school. Transitioning from an educational setting to a position where opportunities to make measured improvements may only be provided annually could be discouraging. Keeping the lines of communication between managers and employees open can help. 

    A recent study found that 60% of Gen Zers want multiple check-ins from their manager during the week; of those, 40% want the interaction with their boss to be daily or several times each day. Implementing technologies that automate feedback provides an opportunity to grant this feedback with ease. Providing mobile communication tools to the workforce is also vital, as they keep them connected to their managers, each other, and the organization. 

    5. Visibility and insight 
     

    It’s difficult to empower employees without giving them visibility and insight into their work. While employees of every age want to know how the work they do makes an impact, that’s especially true for younger generations. They work long hours and want to see the results of that work via performance indicators. Visibility is critical to providing those insights. Visibility into real-time data can also help with the performance management of employees, not to mention talent management and retention. 

    Fueling the Future
     

    Gen Zers will play a large role in shaping the transformation of the workplace. Their comfort level with technology, emphasis on work-life balance, and focus on personal and social values are factors that will have a significant impact on the future of work. It will be important for organizations to understand and respond to the unique perspectives and needs of this new generation. This is a critical step to remain competitive.

    Download Now: Healthcare Playbook for the Gen Z Workforce [Free White Paper] 

    • The People Purpose Blog
    • What Motivates Gen Z in the Workplace

    Related Stories

    Transparent leader
    The People Purpose Blog

    How to Be a Transparent Leader (With Examples)

    Transparent leadership starts with trust. Learn six ways to be a more transparent leader. 

    Group of employees meeting in a warehouse
    The People Purpose Blog

    5 Keys to Maximizing Employee Productivity in an Economic Slowdown

    Accomplish more during leaner times by improving employee productivity and the employee experience simultaneously.

    Employee Autonomy
    The People Purpose Blog

    3 Ways to Improve Employee Autonomy at Your Organization

    Providing your employees with autonomy is a critical part of humanizing the workplace. Here are three ways to improve employee autonomy at your organization.  

    UKG logo

    Footer menu

    • Human Capital Management
      • Human Resources
      • Payroll
      • Talent
      • Reporting and Analytics
    • Workforce Management
      • Time & Attendance
      • Scheduling
      • Compliance
    • Product Suites
      • UKG Pro
      • UKG Dimensions
      • UKG Ready
    • Customer Experience
      • Implementation
      • Support Experience
      • UKG Community
      • Customer Stories
    • About Us
      • Why UKG
      • Culture
      • Our ESG Program
      • Leadership
      • Newsroom
      • Careers
      • Privacy and Security

    Sub Footer

    • Modern Slavery Statement
    • Accessibility
    • Cookie Choices
    • Cookie Notice
    • Terms of Use
    • Trademarks
    • CCPA Notice
    • Licenses
    • Privacy Notice
    © 2023 UKG Inc. All rights reserved.

    Kronos SaaShr, Inc., a UKG Company (NMLS ID#1698726) provides money transmission services on behalf of UKG Inc. customers and in connection with certain UKG products.