Gen-Z’s Great Expectations

BoF’s workplace and talent correspondent Sheena Butler-Young explains why managers in the fashion and beauty industries are struggling to balance their youngest employees’ expectations against the needs of their businesses. Background: The youth-obsessed fashion and beauty industries can’t get enough of Gen-Z talent: they believe they need to recruit more entry-level employees in order to maintain relevance and attract new customers. But the cohort is entering the workforce with big expectations — not only around salary, but remote working, too — that many companies feel unprepared to meet. “Gen-Z is entering the workforce amid a labour shortage… So that’s real leverage behind the demands they’re making,” explained Sheena Butler Young, BoF’s workplace and talent correspondent. Key Insights: Gen-Z is the latest in a long line of generations accused of impatience entering the workforce. A key difference between Gen-Z and its Millennial predecessors is that the job market currently favours job-seekers rather than employers — so their demands are more likely to be met. Fashion is finding demands surrounding remote work particularly hard to deal with given the collaborative nature of most jobs. Brands shouldn’t get caught up in stereotypes about young talent, but find ways to actually understand job-seekers’ desires. Often, the generation that hates being sold to and just wants transparency, honesty and open lines of communication about career progression. Additional Resources: What Will It Take to Make Gen-Z Happy at Work? What Fashion’s Class of 2022 Expects from Employers Solving Retail’s Labour Shortage Want more from The Business of Fashion? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here. Follow The Debrief wherever you listen to podcasts.