Only 35 percent of Gen Z find suitable tools in the digital workplace

For employers, this means there is a need for action if they want to be and remain attractive to young talent. This is shown by a recent target group survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of Hirschtech and Haiilo among 501 employees aged 18 to 29.

Flexible working hours and models are most important for Gen Z

It is also clear that if they were allowed to design their own working environment, the most important thing for almost three quarters (71%) of 18 to 29-year-olds would be flexible working hours and models. For almost half (48%), meaningful and varied work tasks are particularly relevant, followed by a strict separation of private and professional life (32%). This suggests that the majority of young professionals long above all for flexibility in their working day. Companies in which remote working is generally possible should therefore establish hybrid working models in the long term and continuously develop them with employees.

The majority of young professionals consider intergenerational cooperation to be good

The assessment of cross-generational collaboration in the digital workplace is positive. 84% of 18 to 29-year-olds consider it to be good and only 9% consider it to be poor. Collaboration and knowledge sharing between older and younger colleagues therefore appears to be working well in the digital workplace for the most part from the Gen Z perspective.

Women and men rate their working environment differently

While 82% of young women consider flexible working hours and models to be very important, only 62% of men do. It is also clear that while over a third (36%) of male respondents want digital working environments that are tailored to different areas of activity and roles, this figure is only 20% for women. The desire for flexibility in the choice of work location and working hours therefore appears to be even more pronounced among young women than among young men. This suggests that for Gen Z women, working models that suit their respective phase of life, give them freedom and have a positive impact on their well-being are particularly important. Men, on the other hand, seem to be more often in digital or technical professions and have a correspondingly higher need for a digital working environment that suits their activities. 

"Due to demographic change and the labor shortage, one thing is more important than ever for companies today: attracting young talent in particular and being an attractive employer for them in the long term. However, Gen Z employees are still far from finding exactly the digital working environment they want everywhere. It is therefore important for companies to analyze their own work processes and corporate culture in detail, show a willingness to change and, above all, provide employees with a digital workplace that meets their needs, generates added value and saves resources and costs at the same time," says Khaled Thaler, Chief Sales Officer, Hirschtech.

"Any company that wants to reach young employees in particular and retain them in the long term should also offer them a real digital home. In short: Gen Z wants networking, wants interaction, wants to share knowledge and that's exactly why tools like a social intranet are needed. This way, every employee - no matter where they are and what device they are using - The company's employees not only always receive exactly the information that is important to them personally. Each and every individual can also play an active role in the company's activities, for example in virtual communities. In a hybrid working environment, all of this promotes loyalty and a bond with the company," explains Malte Witt, Vice President Sales EMEA, Haiilo.

Source: www.hirschtec.eu