Gen Z perspectives are different from Millennials'

A panel discussion on Generation Z at the Global Islamic Economy Summit has highlighted the characteristics of the generation after Millennials. Gen Z individuals have not experienced a time without the Internet or mobile phones, and other than being more technologically savvy, also have clear differences in outlook.

“The group is increasingly on the radar of governments who are beginning to question whether the existing education and employment ecosystem can cater to their expectations,” said Sunil John, CEO, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller. John quoted from the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey 2016, which found that most young Arabs – 58% – want to further their education, and that more than a third of young Arabs – 36% – want to start their own businesses. Traditionally, young Arabs have looked to the government to provide them with jobs.

“These findings are really interesting in terms of the Gen Z effect,” he said. “If you really look at it, these are very positive findings. Government will see light at the end of the tunnel. They will see a young generation that has a hunger to be successful; people who have an appetite for education, and who want to start their own businesses.”

John added that change will not be gradual. While 95% of nationals in the UAE for example work in the public sector today, depressed job markets and unemployment rates in countries such as KSA mean that the public sector cannot continue as the main employer for long.

Marcie Merriman, Executive Director, Growth Strategy and Retail Innovation at Ernst & Young contrasted Generation Z and Millennials. Millennials, she said, expect companies to do the heavy lifting, and patronise firms they respect in terms of environmental and sustainable practices.

“When I talked to Generation Z, however, who I originally thought of as young Millennials, I began to see something very different: they immediately talked about what they were doing about the environment, as opposed to what the companies were doing.

“The key difference between these two groups, apart from age, was their self-awareness. Gen Z see themselves as having responsibility for their ecosystem, whereas Millennials were looking at others to do things.”

Commenting on their choice of employers Merriman said: “Gen Z has seen what has happened with Millennials. They say this isn’t going to happen to us, we’re not going to let other people tell us what to do. We’re going to take charge of it. And that’s what underlies the entrepreneurial spirit. They have nothing to lose.”

Amani Al Khatahtbeh, founder of Muslimgirl.net, a US website for Muslim women and herself a Millennial, agreed. “For Generation Z, a lot of industries are outdated. They want to be disruptors. They want to flip these institutions upside down, and that gives us a lot of hope.”

LinkedIn explores the new norms @Work around the world in new study

Source: LinkedIn.

Professionals in Singapore have become more confident about speaking up and are becoming more assertive at work, according to new research by LinkedIn, the professional network. LinkedIn’s New Norms @Work study* shows that 58% of professionals would now challenge their colleagues by voicing their opinions compared to when they first started their career. 

One in every two professionals surveyed also disagree that they are “yes employees” — someone who does as he/she is told and is not likely to question authority. Compared with their peers in Malaysia – where 64% of those surveyed said they are “yes employees,” Singaporean professionals are more vocal but trail behind those in Indonesia (37% are “yes employees”).

In Singapore, professionals aged 25-34 – or the millennials – appear to be the most eager to please. Over half or 55% say they consider themselves as “yes employees”, compared to 43% of professionals in the 55-65 age group, suggesting that the confidence to speak up come with more work experience.

“The diversity of opinions in any organisation, if harnessed effectively, goes a long way towards strengthening the quality of decision-making. It will also help to enhance Singapore’s attractiveness as a key regional business hub,” said Cliff Rosenberg, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand at LinkedIn. “Employers need to create an even more conducive environment for employees to feel comfortable about speaking up. Professionals can also share their wealth of expertise on platforms like LinkedIn to benefit a broader group, and to build their professional brands at the same time.”

Some other interesting findings include:

Dressing

While many workplaces have implemented more liberal and casual dress codes, professionals still dress to impress. First impressions do count and close to half (48%) of professionals surveyed in Singapore say that they will dress up more for meetings held during the workday,

Women feel most pressured to impress in the workplace, with 37% believing they get judged more for what they wear at work (the global average is 25%), while men believe they will appear more professional by dressing smartly (46%). Men, however, tend to look for a more prescriptive approach than their female counterparts and prefer an environment that has clear norms of work attire. Overall, there is a clear idea of what constitutes appropriate work wear with 39% of males and 47% of females maintaining separate work and home wardrobes.

Reputation

LinkedIn’s study also suggests that a blemish-free professional brand is extremely important to professionals in Singapore, with some indicating they will go to great lengths to protect their reputations, even if it means being dishonest. One-third (34%) of professionals in Singapore reported that if they were fired from a job, they would make it look like they left of their own accord; 24% wouldn’t mention it at any cost while 1% would even lie about it. Between the sexes, males (34%) are more likely to be upfront and completely honest about the situation, compared to females (27%).

Online profiles

Reflecting the digital savvy of professionals in the country, the online profile photo is now an opportunity to make a good first impression. This is especially so for professional networking sites; 35% of those surveyed in Singapore say they think more carefully about their profile pictures on LinkedIn compared to other social networking sites. Conscious of the need to establish and protect their professional brands, 43% of Singaporean professionals say it is “very important” for them to keep their professional and personal social media profiles separate.

A global comparison of the 19 countries that participated in the study finds that the value placed on one’s professional brand is similar from country to country with some differences across markets:

· Across markets, one quarter of all respondents agreed that women get judged more for what they wear at work.

· In India, one quarter of full-time working professionals reported wearing a suit or formal dress to work the most frequently, compared to only 3% of their counterparts in Sweden.

· Indonesia professionals are the most image-conscious, with the highest number (51%) of professionals there saying they think most carefully about their professional profile picture, compared to only 4% in Japan.

· Professionals are speaking up globally. When asked the one thing they would do now compared to when they started their careers, over half of professionals worldwide reported that they would challenge their boss by voicing their opinion, challenging ideas, etc.

Next steps?

LinkedIn encourages professionals to join the New Norms @Work conversation by sharing their #WorkSelfie on LinkedIn and across social media channels. Visit a blog post for tips on how to take a great work selfie and to learn more about the New Norms @Work global study.

*In April 2015 LinkedIn partnered with Censuswide to survey more than 15,000 full-time professionals around the world. Respondents between the ages of 18-66+ were surveyed in 19 countries including theUS, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the UK to unearth mainstays in office culture and gain a better understanding of how full-time working professionals view themselves and are reshaping their professional brand for the modern workplace.

LinkedIn shares top 10 buzzwords for Singapore profiles in 2014

LinkedIn has announced its annual list of the most underwhelming words and phrases in LinkedIn profiles for 2014 in Singapore.

Being "motivated", "passionate" and "creative" are now so overused that they have become meaningless, the company said.

The top 10 words to avoid in Singapore are: 

Source: LinkedIn infographic. View the global infographic here.

Other tips LinkedIn provided to get people discovered include:

• Profiles with photographs get viewed 14 times more often.
• Summaries of 40 words or more turn up more often in searches.
• Focus on accomplishments.
• Ask others to vouch for you.

For tips on how to refresh your LinkedIn profile for a 'brand you year', read the LinkedIn Blog post here.