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Your Guide...
"...generation Z has been shaped by the recession and is prepared to fight hard to create a stable future for themselves."

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Move Over, Millennials...

"Same-sex marriage...has gone from a controversial political issue to a constitutional right...the national first African-American president is less a historic breakthrough than a fact of life."

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Álbum Connect the Dots (2017) REVOLUTION 💪 Hiding under sheets with the news on repeat 'Cause the screams and cries are hard to delete While I'm trying to sleep, oh how could I sleep? Laying in bed, trying to empty my head All these acts of violence ripping this world to shreds While I'm trying to sleep, oh how could I sleep?

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Although Generation Z is seen as an anxious and distrustful group of individuals because of the time period we were raised in, those negative qualities can help lead to heroic action by making us vulnerable and passionate about pursuing positive change.

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"They are so diverse, they do not see diversity unless it is absent." -Jason Dorsey

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It's a crisp late-summer day in Tacoma, Washington, and Maya Makino has just started her sophomore year at the University of Puget Sound. She's 19, which puts her at the upper end of generation Z, whose members currently range in age from 5 to 20. Like many of her peers, she doesn't think of college as a relaxing period for self-discovery and navel gazing. She was 10 years old when the recession hit-just old enough to be aware of what was going on-and that has shaped her feelings about higher education.

"There's a lot of stress about finding a job after college and being able to support yourself," Makino says. "My friends and I are really focused on finishing up in four years and having a good career path. There's less time for reflection because there's that worry about whether you're going to be able to survive in the economy if you're not really directed."

"There's less time for reflection, because there's that worry about whether you're going to be able to survive in the economy if you're not really directed."

For the past several years, the media has been obsessed with millennials, the most studied group ever. But as Makino's generation grows up and gets ready to enter the workforce, corporations are paying more attention to this crop of young people born between 1996 and 2011. At 60 million strong in the United States, they outnumber millennials by 1 million. It would be easy to assume that they are just an exaggerated version of the generation that came before them, spending even more of their lives on social media, doing even more of their shopping online, and demonstrating an ever greater collaborative nicer nature. But generation Z grew up in a starkly different historical context than millennials, which has given them a distinct outlook on the world.

Millennials were internet pioneers. They invented Facebook, shopped from their smartphones, and smoothly transitioned from satellite TV to Hulu and Netflix. Generation Z, meanwhile, doesn't remember life without these basics of 21st century life. Millennials helped elect a black president and legalize gay marriage; many generation Zers see these milestones as the norm. Millennials came of age during a time of economic expansion and were shocked to find a diminished, unwelcoming job market after college; generation Z has been shaped by the recession and is prepared to fight hard to create a stable future for themselves.

Makino is fairly typical in this regard. She grew up in a solidly middle-class family in Arcata, California, with a professor father and an artist mother. At 19, she is responsible, mature, and financially savvy; she's taken on a work-study job at her college alumni magazine to help pay the bills and is always mindful of the cost of her education. "I was thinking about taking a gap semester to have a life outside of being a good student," she says. "But if you step off the treadmill for even a minute, you start accruing [interest] on your student loans. So I decided against it."

Since many members of gen Z have not even entered elementary school yet, it's impossible to draw definitive conclusions about what their habits, lifestyles, and world views will be. But as the oldest among them flood into colleges and start their careers, we're beginning to see trends emerge. Here's what we know.

Marketers have been carefully studying generation Z for many years now, observing their preferences as children and teenagers, and finding that they have a very different relationship with companies than their elders. "Compared to any generation that has come before, they are less trusting of brands," says Emerson Spartz, CEO of the digital media company Dose. "They have the strongest bullshit filter because they've grown up in an era where information was available at all times."

For decades, brands communicated through advertisements, so corporations with the biggest budgets could make the biggest impact on billboards, magazine spreads, TV, and radio ads. But with the internet, now people can dig into what brands really stand for, beyond the heavily photoshopped visions they try to project. Online reviews have made shoddy products easy to spot. Consumers immediately find out when a company has lied to them, such as when Volkswagen installed software that cheated on emissions tests or when the Honest Company included chemicals in its laundry detergent that it had previously denied using. Blogs regularly dissect-and skewer-companies with ugly corporate culture or poor working conditions.

Spartz believes that because generation Z grew up amid the Occupy Wall Street movement, which portrayed big banking and corporate greed as public enemy No. 1, this has further aggravated their distrust of the behemoths. "Some of the anti-establishment sentiment has penetrated this generation," he says. "Big brands are the establishment and having a recognizable animal on the top right-hand corner of your shirt signals that you are part of the establishment."

There was a time when young people aspired to wear flashy labels conspicuously: Think the enormous polo player logo on Ralph Lauren shirts or the prominent label on Calvin Klein jeans. Millennials flocked to Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch. But kids are now showing some resistance to serving as walking advertisements, and as a result, many of the major apparel companies are faring poorly. "They're less brand-conscious and they are not spending as much as millennials do," says Kyle Andrew, chief marketing officer of American Eagle Outfitters, another brand that targets teens. (Unlike some of its competitors, American Eagle has seen sales and profits rise.)

According to Makino, this label-wariness is a part of everyday life on campus. "People here mostly dress in ill-fitting thrift store clothes," she says. "Even the few people who wear really nice clothes don't wear big logos plastered across the front."

"Even the few people who wear really nice clothes don't wear big logos plastered across the front."

Still, gen Z is hardly a lost cause for major companies. Spartz says that brands that are able to communicate with customers in an open, unfiltered way tend to do better with young people. Everlane and Cuyana, for instance, proactively offer insight into how products are made, and Warby Parker and Tom's make a point of explaining how they are trying to promote social good. "Authenticity and transparency are two ideals that they value highly," he says.

Gen-Zers also tend to trust individuals more than big institutions. As a result, many brands focused on them are partnering with social media influencers in an effort to appear more relatable. Companies might collaborate with an Instagram user who has a massive following, like Kaitlin Keegan or Susie Lau, paying them to feature a product or outfit on their account. "Generation Z is more willing to hear a brand's story when it is part of a narrative their peer is already telling," says Steven Lammertink, the founder and CEO of the Cirqle, a platform that connects brands with influencers. "This approach is not obtrusive."

Today's teens and young adults are not naive: Many are aware that Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube stars are paid to endorse products. (In fact, the FTC now requires influencers to disclose when they have been paid to endorse a product.) By and large, they trust that the people they follow on social media and respect are making a conscious decision about the brands they will work with. Lammertink says that he built his company so that influencers had to opt in to work with a brand, choosing to work only with brands they like. "We try and safeguard that authenticity," he says. "This is very different than the traditional method of brands reaching out to models or spokespeople and negotiating rates before agreeing to do a campaign."

Generation Z doesn't just stand out in terms of how they relate to brands; they're also spending their money differently. Today's teens and college students grew up hearing horror stories about how many millennials ended up living at home after college, sitting on a mountain of debt. So they tend to be financially cautious.

A survey by Lincoln Financial Group of 400 members of generation Z aged 15 to 19 found that they are saving far earlier than than older generations: 60% of them already have savings accounts and 71% say they are focused on saving for the future. Their top three priorities are getting a job, finishing college, and safeguarding money for the years to come. They rate these goals above spending time with friends and family, working out, or traveling. Jamie Ohl, president of retirement plan services at Lincoln Financial, says that we're seeing similarities between this young generation and the one that emerged in the years following the Great Depression. "When I think about the 'greatest generation' having gone through the Depression and how they taught their children, the boomers, to save, that's what this generation of parents is teaching generation Z," she says.

But while generation Z is realistic about the challenges ahead, 89% of them remain optimistic about their futures, which is higher than any other generation on record. "Part of this has to do with the natural optimism of youth," Ohl says. "But I also think it is important that they watched their parents come through the most recent financial crisis."

Companies have also noticed that young adults put a premium on getting good value for their money. Spirit Airlines, for instance, is preparing for gen Z to become the dominant group of travelers by rebranding itself as an ultra-low-cost carrier. The airline offers rock-bottom fares: It can cost as little as $151 to travel from New York to San Francisco, one way. But the ride comes with zero frills-no free checked bags or complimentary beverages on board. Spirit has found that this generation of college students, who are beginning to buy their own tickets for the very first time, is comfortable paying only for what they are using. "We're finding that generation Z is much more pragmatic around thinking about value," says Rana Ghosh, a revenue executive at Spirit. "It's not so much that they are price-conscious; it's about what they are getting for the money they are spending. As an airline, the draw is to get them from point A to point B safely and on time, so providing the same service for a fraction of the price appeals to them."

"It's not so much that they are price-conscious; it's about what they are getting for the money they are spending."

Cheryl Rosner, the CEO of Stayful, an app that helps people get competitive rates on boutique hotels by booking close to travel dates, has made similar observations. Rosner points out that younger consumers want to know what they are getting for the price, so they pay close attention to reviews of other people's experience and the extent of the discount. "You've got a group of people who have completely grown up on technology from the day they were born," she says. "They are very comfortable doing their research and finding things out for themselves, so if you're going to sell them on value, you really need to have your shit together. You can't just say that this hotel has the best prices, because that is not what value means."

And when it comes to technology, gen Z tends to be savvy about their approach to consuming electronics, resisting the allure of snatching up the latest, priciest products when there is a constant stream of new, inexpensive options. "Technological innovation is no longer an exciting, celebrated thing, as much as it is an expectation," says Sam Paschel, chief commercial officer of the headphone brand Skullcandy, which targets younger consumers. "Generation Z relates to technology as a tool, as opposed to an obsession." To keep up with the demands of today's teens, the company has invested heavily in scientists and researchers who work to improve the quality of sound. Skullcandy also just launched a line of wireless headphones to pre-empt the demise of the headphone jack in phones. At the same time, Skullcandy has avoided trotting these new products in an elaborate dog and pony show or even charging a premium for them. It strives for a subtler messaging that will speak to young consumers.

Given their focus on financial security, it's not surprising that generation Z is poised to be cutthroat when it comes to getting jobs and establishing careers. Jonah Stillman, a 17-year old from Minneapolis who, with his father David, wrote GenZ@Work, a book (due in March) about how his generation will fare as members of the workforce. The pair conducted two national studies of 4,000 teens about workplace attitudes and preferences. They've discovered that these young people are in "survival mode" and believe they will have to fight for what they want. They would feel lucky to get a job, which contrasts with the common perception of millennials as feeling entitled to a job. Sixty-six percent of gen-Zers say their number one concern is drowning in college debt, and 75% say there are ways of getting a good education besides going to college.

"Generation Z is a very independent and competitive generation, having been taught by our parents that there are definitely winners and losers at life."

"Millennials are the most collaborative generation, launching applications like Facebook and sharing everything with everybody," Stillman says. "But gen Z is completely different: They are a very independent and competitive generation, having been taught by our parents that there are definitely winners and losers at life. Millennials, on the other hand, were told that if you work together, everybody can be a winner."

But even though they see the workplace as a battlefield, they are inclusive and tolerant of difference. They grew up with a black man as the leader of the free world, with women in positions of power in the workplace, and with openly gay celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper, and Neil Patrick Harris. "As a whole, gen Z is a very accepting generation," Stillman says.

American Eagle Outfitters drew the same conclusion from in-depth market research of preteens and teenagers. "I felt really excited when we got some of this most recent data back," says Kyle Andrew, the CMO. "Honestly, they seem to be a lot nicer than other generations: They are not judgmental, they don't put people in boxes, and they don't seem to care as much about what you do, who you love, or what you look like. At least that is what they're telling us." As a result, the company has tried to incorporate these ideals into its marketing, with an e-commerce website and ad campaigns that are diverse, featuring models from a wide range of ethnicities, with a variety of hair textures and body types. "Generation Z seems to really care about engaging with brands that have values that align with their own," Andrew says. "You can't just make stuff: You have to stand for something. As a brand, we want to support and enable the freedom to be yourself."

Which, she acknowledges, is not easy when teens no longer rely so heavily on mass-market brands to help them express their identity to the world. In the past, kids wore labels that channelled that they were preppy or rebellious or sporty. But the internet has multiplied the number of clothing companies they can choose from, which has had a part in making them less brand-loyal; social media also offers them another platform to craft a public persona. "They are creating their own personal brand," Andrew says.

Volcom, an apparel company associated with the skater and surfer kids of the 1990s and early 2000s, says that it has to evolve to keep up with generation Z. "When Volcom was founded in 1991, there was more of a united counterculture," says Ryan Immegart, the company's marketing VP. "Punk and action sports was a really cool movement, and people felt that our brand was a way for them to be part of that. Our brand represented rebellion and nonconformity from what was happening around young people at the time."

But today's teens no longer need a company to create a community. On the internet, they can befriend like-minded people and join social movements. "There are so many different countercultures today," Immegart says. "For us, we have to grow and figure out the next chapter in our story." What that looks like, he's not ready to say.

Volcom isn't the only brand with millennial appeal that's now rethinking its strategies. Two years ago, for instance, Skullcandy launched a line of headphones that came in a range of "feminine" colors and were specifically designed to accommodate the physiological differences in women's ears. They were a hit among millennials who felt that the consumer electronic industry tended to focus on men's needs, but the response from teens was lukewarm. "Generation Z is much more gender-neutral when it comes to everything-clothing, style, conversation, bathroom choice," says Sam Paschel, the company's chief commercial officer. "Launching gender-specific products in the face of a generation that is thinking more gender-neutral is fascinating to observe."

It's one of the many ways companies are trying to keep up with the demands of generation Z. "The rate of change in society is increasing exponentially," Spartz says. "The world is changing more in 10 years now than it used to change in 100 years. So that means that the difference between someone who is born 20 years after someone else is going to seem like oceans of separation when it comes to shared experiences."

Good thing there's the internet to help bridge the gulf.

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Your Guide To Generation Z: The Frugal, Brand-Wary, Determined Anti-Millennials

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It's a crisp late-summer day in Tacoma, Washington, and Maya Makino has just started her sophomore year at the University of Puget Sound. She's 19, which puts her at the upper end of generation Z, whose members currently range in age from 5 to 20.

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What do we know about the generation after millennials? | Jason Dorsey | TEDxHouston

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A lot of what we believe about generations is wrong. The research Jason's team has been working on highlights the ways technology and culture are converging, and how the generational dynamics will be more influenced by technology than by time.

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Move Over, Millennials, Here Comes Generation Z (Published 2015)

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Hear the word "millennial," and plenty of images spring to mind. There's Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, in his hoodie, earning his first billion by the age of 23. There's Miley Cyrus, preening for the cameras in a flesh-baring act that recalls a Snapchat sexting session.

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For basically a decade now you haven't been able to spend five minutes online without coming across some sort of post or opinion piece on the characteristics (and/or failings) of so-called Gen Y, aka the millennials. Those roughly aged between 20-35 have been dissected and discussed ad nauseum.

But what about their little brothers and sisters?

Born between 1995-2015, the first of this next cohort, sometimes dubbed Gen Z, are now becoming adults. Growing up fully wired and in the shadow of 9/11, what sort of mindset has the next generation to hit workplaces developed? If a new, in-depth investigation by the UK's Guardian newspaper is to be believed, the answer is a pretty dark one.

Here are some of the most startling findings from the paper's polling and interviews with young people as reported by economist and author Noreena Hertz.

They're pessimistic about their prospects: by a huge majority they believe their lives will be more difficult than those of their parents. 79 percent worry about getting a job while 72 percent worry about debt.

They're hugely anxious: and why not given the constant stream of horrors on the news? 70 percent are worried about terrorism. Symptoms of depression and anxiety are way up among this generation. So are reports of self-harm.

They're deeply distrustful of the government: only one-in-ten trusts the government to do the right thing. The number among millennials is a slightly rosier 20 percent. It will come as no shock that they do love Bernie Sanders, however.

Their opinions of business are even worse: a pathetic six percent of Gen Z trust corporations to do the right thing. The number for adults in general is 60 percent. "When asked what comes to mind when they think of global corporations, they typically volunteer words such as exploitative, selfish, arrogant, greedy, cheating and untrustworthy," reports the Guardian.

They think the system is rigged: "This generation does not believe that life is a meritocracy. In fact, not one teenager surveyed agrees with the statement that 'society is fair and everyone has an equal chance'. Instead, they believe that it's the color of their skin, their sex, their parents' economic status and their social standing that will determine their future. Depressingly, the data bears this out," the Guardian notes.

They're not as selfish as sometimes feared: 92 percent believe that helping others in need is important. 70 percent say inequality worries them greatly.

How can you sum all this up? Perhaps one of the most telling details in Hertz's article is the name she chooses for this generation. Eschewing the consensus pick, Gen Z, she goes with Gen K. Where does the 'K' come from? "Katniss Everdeen, the determined heroine of the Hunger Games. Like Katniss, they feel the world they inhabit is one of perpetual struggle--dystopian, unequal and harsh," she writes.

For those looking for actionable insight rather than straight up gloom, the article goes on to talk about how this generation values authenticity and connection, and also delves into their identity as makers. It's well worth checking out in full for basically anyone curious about what's coming down the pike for employers, marketers, and citizens in general.

Of course, it should be noted that this is all coming from a British paper. Could American teens and very young adults be more optimistic than their counterparts in the UK? Possibly, but other research suggests that's pretty unlikely. Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, has collected vast quantities of data on the mental health of young people. The verdict is pretty grim. Her work "indicates a lot of suffering," Twenge told Quartz, recently.
What's gone wrong to make young people so unhappy and anxious? And what needs to be done about it?

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Gen Z Is Anxious, Distrustful, and Often Downright Miserable, New Poll Reveals

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For basically a decade now you haven't been able to spend five minutes online without coming across some sort of post or opinion piece on the characteristics (and/or failings) of so-called Gen Y, aka the millennials. Those roughly aged between 20-35 have been dissected and discussed ad nauseum.

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Image credit: Shutterstock

Just as business leaders were finally getting comfortable with millennials, Generation Z candidates (born mid-1990s to early 2000s) began to slowly make their way into the workforce.
Related: Why 'Gen Z' May Be More Entrepreneurial Than 'Gen Y'
Considering that it took years for employers to adjust to millennials' specific traits and expectations, it's crucial now that they take a step back to understand how they can adapt to this younger wave of talent.

"We must seek to understand Gen Z in order to maximize their talents," Jennifer Kochilaris, regional vice president of Adecco Staffing in Sarasota, Fla. told me via email. "Not long ago, I hired a Gen Z-er and had her desk all decked out with goodies for her first day at work. The first thing she said was, 'Is this laptop for me? I prefer a tablet.'"

How would most leaders react to this?

Many would have formed a bad first impression, with low hopes for this Gen Z-er's future at the company. However, knowing she showed positive potential, Kochilaris said, she decided to give her new employee a chance to redeem herself.

"Today, she's a top performer and one of the most creative brains on my team," Kochilaris continued. "She sees technology differently than I do, but there's no progress if we only hire people like ourselves."

Employers who take the time to understand how Gen Z's perspectives, perceptions and expectations differ from those of their slightly older millennial peers will be the first to find and keep this valuable new talent.

Here's how millennials and Gen Z differ in the workplace:

1. Independence

Millennials are known for being more independent. They always want feedback about their performance, but they prefer to work alone. Generation Z, on the other hand, is used to "crowdsourcing" problems, so they are more at home working in an environment centered on community.
Related: 10 Ways to Appeal to the Next Wave of Workers: Generation Z
Liz DelSignore, CEO and developer at LD Productions in Las Vegas, said she was surprised when she found a Gen Z-er taking the initiative to crowdsource.

As DelSignore told me, "I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed when I encountered someone who was only 19. He wanted input from business owners and executives on his resume, so I decided to respond. With someone like that showing so much leadership and change potential, it made my heart happy that I got to influence him just a little bit."

DelSignore's encounter perfectly describes the way Gen Z will affect the workplace. As a result, Haril Pandya, principal and director of Asset Strategy and Repositioning CBT in Boston, envisions a not-so-distant future of community-based working spaces with no cube or corner offices.

"They will want more 'huddle rooms' and 'touchdown spaces' where there is an element of pop-up team gathering; and they are able to gain everyone's knowledge first before taking on a project," said Pandya.

Takeaway: Gen Z is new to the real world, so give them space to discover who they want to become as employees. Keep collaboration open, and offer mentors willing to stay connected with them, both in person and through texting, intra-office messaging or video chat.

2. True digital natives

Whether they want to admit it or not, most millennials remember a time when they called their friends from land line phones and when social media didn't even exist. The same can't be said for Gen Z, whose first baby steps were documented on Facebook.

Bryan Yackulic, assistant director of the Chartered Leadership Fellow (CLF) Program and adjunct professor of management at The American College of Financial Services in Philadelphia, told me: "Understanding the most effective way to communicate and interact with this new generation will be a major challenge for organizations. By the time Gen Z is given an official nickname, they may very well be known as 'The Notification Generation.'"

With so many forms of workplace communication being thrown at employers every day, it's challenging to know what will work best for Gen Z.

Jeff Corbin, CEO and founder of APPrise Mobile in New York, suggested, "You need to think about the nature of the content you are creating and distributing. Think picture and video, think short; and think about how the content and messages you want to get across to your employees will be rendered on a small screen."

Takeaway: To know how new employees communicate best, simply ask them. Perform trial-and-error tests with various apps and processes until you find that certain something that makes them more productive and motivated.

3. Impact, not dreams

Millennials are all about following their individual professional dreams. Generation Z, on the other hand, wants to make an impact for the greater good. They want to know they are contributing to something besides their personal ambition.

In order to retain millennials, company leaders have shown them how they can reach their personal goals and where they can grow within the company. But Cristina Hermida, co-founder of InsideCrowd in Miami,said she sees Gen Z employees as having a different outlook. "It's important to show [Gen Z] that their work creates an impact for your organization or a mission in general," Hermida said. "They are not necessarily driven by financial gain, but more often want to see what they are capable of."

Hermida continued her observations, noting that Gen Z needs to feel empowered, but that micromanaging isn't necessary.

Takeaway: Offer clear goals that tie directly back to your company's mission and values, then let Gen Z-ers take it from there. However, for employers who are unsure if Gen Z's personalities will fit into a company's pre-existing culture, use an assessment tool like Tratify to gauge how these young people will work with the current team.

4. Flexibility vs. freedom

Millennials love flexible work options that allow them to choose between going to the office or working from home. Gen Z-ers, on the other hand, who are used to having access to the internet wherever they are, don't see the reason for being tied down to an office. They want complete freedom, not just flexibility.

Ajay Chopra, founding principal of Echo Design + Architecture in New York, said he's observed that Gen Z can get work done anywhere with just a wifi password and pair of headphones.

As Chopra told me in an email, "In the design industry, we've found that that difference has opened the door for more dynamic workplaces that sacrifice actual office space for library nooks, small group seating arrangements and private phone booths for heads-down work."

Takeaway: Have areas where employees can put on their headphones and focus, as well as places where everyone can join in on brainstorming and helping one another.
Related: 6 Ways Gen Z Will Change the Tech World
Something more: Gen Z employees like taking a breaks to work from coffee shops or the library, so set aside a few hours a day where they can branch off and work in their preferred environment.

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Bashing the Stereotypes: What You Need to Know About Gen Z

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Just as business leaders were finally getting comfortable with millennials, Generation Z candidates (born mid-1990s to early 2000s) began to slowly make their way into the workforce.