Elodie Gentina is a teacher-researcher in management sciences at the Iéseg School of Management and author of several books on generation Z, which refers to people born from 1995. Among these works, Generation Z: from Z consumers to Z employees (Dunod, 2018), for which she conducted a study with 2,300 young people on their perception of the company of tomorrow.
How are the aspirations of the young generation expressed today in the labor market?
You have to understand these young people in society to understand their relationship to work. They are looking for missions rather than a job because they are very short-term oriented. Many young people refuse permanent contracts, they need flexibility and freedom. They find it difficult to project themselves, hate routine and constantly want to learn. Team spirit is important to them and, even if they were born digital, people are fundamental. It is therefore a generation in search of meaning, the crisis due to Covid-19 has shaken them and awakened a sense of urgency vis-à-vis the social, the environment. They are looking for a company that corresponds to their values, in a relationship that is more emotional than rational… They are looking for specific projects, and can change them regularly.
How can this requirement be explained, particularly in terms of working conditions and autonomy?
Previous generations came into the business and stayed there, it gave them status and work was everything. Today, young people no longer build themselves solely through work, they want to quickly succeed in life. They will allow themselves to have demands, it may seem surprising in the face of unemployment, but they have always experienced the economic and societal crisis. They have experienced uncertainty and are not afraid to say no to a permanent contract. There is no more loyalty and duty of loyalty to the company, a young person who is not happy will not stay.
So there is no longer any desire to “make a career”, but rather to do work that excites?
When we talk about a career, we are talking about a relationship to time. To the question “Where do you see yourself in five years?” », they know less how to answer than before. The expression “career plan” will not speak to them. They don’t know where they will be next year. They evolve in a society of instantaneity and, to engage them, they must be offered concrete jobs in mission mode, project mode, or in an intrapreneurial mode. [comme s’ils étaient un entrepreneur au sein de l’entreprise].
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