Over recent years schools have tried, and often struggled, to understand how to work effectively with the 'millennial' generation. Now a new, and very different, generation is entering the workforce.Generation Z, GenZ or the iGeneration, have grown up in a time of crises; whether financial, social, political or medical. But they have also been brought up and educated during a period of unprecedented technological development. These factors have shaped their understanding of the wider world and, consequently, their expectations of the workplace.This presentation will examine the factors and experiences that have shaped Generation Z and some of their perceptions about work. It will look at the ways in which schools can attract and retain Generation Z and the opportunities that their understanding may provide.

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GENERATION Z
HAVE ARRIVED.

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About Me -
Background
• Director at Deira International
School / Chief Education Officer of
Al Futtaim Education Foundation
• 10th year at Principal / Director, in
two Dubai schools
• Currently researching an EdD
looking at organisational culture
within schools

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Collaborative Comfortable /
Collaborative
Contrived
Collegial
Toxic Fragmented Balkanised
The Culture
Spectrum

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Caveat 1
What follows are, inevitably,
generalisations & trends
Not about anyone in particular
However,
We are all a consequence of our contexts
Different generations grow up at different
times
They are, therefore, different - generally

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"A pernicious excitement to learn and play
BLANK has spread all over the country ...
Young People
And Gaming
Understanding
Millennials :
A Caveat
BLANK is a mere amusement of a very inferior character,
which robs the mind of valuable time that might be
devoted to nobler acquirements, while it affords no
benefit whatever to the body.
BLANK has acquired a high reputation as being a means
to discipline the mind, but persons engaged in sedentary
occupations should never practice this cheerless game;
they require out-door exercises-not this sort of mental
gladiatorship."

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"A pernicious excitement to learn and play
BLANK has spread all over the country ...
Young People
And Gaming
Understanding
Millennials :
A Caveat
CHESS is a mere amusement of a very inferior character,
which robs the mind of valuable time that might be
devoted to nobler acquirements, while it affords no
benefit whatever to the body.
CHESS has acquired a high reputation as being a means
to discipline the mind, but persons engaged in sedentary
occupations should never practice this cheerless game;
they require out-door exercises-not this sort of mental
gladiatorship."

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"I've come up with a set of rules that describe our
reactions to technologies:
Are we all just
getting old?
UnderstandingMillennials:
ACaveat
Anything that is in the world when you're born is
normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of
the way the world works.
1
Anything that's invented between when you're 15
and 35 is new and exciting and revolutionary and
you can probably get a career in it.
2
Anything invented after you’re 35 is against the
natural order of things.”
The Salmon of Doubt
3
Douglas Adams
(1952-2001)

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Different Generations

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Who are the different generations?
Boomers Gen X Gen Y Gen Z
Born 1946-1964 1965-1981 1982-1995 1996-2010
Nicknames Me Generation
Love Generation
The Gray Ceiling
Slackers
MTV Generation
Millennials
Echo Boomers
Trophy Generation
The iGeneration
Generation C (connected)
Digital Natives
Characteristics Hardworking, loyal, confident,
cynical, competitive
Anti-authority, highly
individualistic, self-reliant, family
focused
Confident, digital thinkers,
sense of entitlement, needy
Realistic, creative, hyper-connected
Why they are
the way they
are
The wealthiest, healthiest, largest
generation of their time. Brought
up to pursue the ‘post war’
dream
Children of workaholics and
divorce, the arrival of cable tv and
computers. Raised to be self
sufficient
Micro-managed by their
parents, technology, always
rewarded for participation.
Raised to be high achievers
Raised in a culture of fear, mobile
technology, helicopter parents, social
media
Communication
styles
Prefer detailed dialogue in-person
or via phone. Appreciate
meetings. Believe no news is good
news
Prefer close, concise
communication – not over
explaining, clichés or corporate
jargon. Prefer email
Prefer frequent feedback and
problem-solving via technology
instead of phone calls or
meetings
Prefer visual communication via
technology instead of in person
meetings. Expect to be able to
communicate whenever and wherever
they want
Problems they
are now facing
Dwindling retirement funds, job
dislocation, rising health care
costs or inadequate health care
coverage
Debt, caring for young children
and aging parents, balancing life
and career, stuck in middle
management
Debt, unemployment,
difficulty in transitioning from
college career, negative
stereotypes, being taken
seriously
Finding an indentity, lack of job
opportunities, the falling apart of the
‘post war’ dream, being taken
seriously
Flaws Have a ‘been there, done that’
attitude, not always open to new
ideas
Have difficulty committing. Tend to
have a ‘wait and see’ approach.
Have short attention spans and
high demands and ask ‘what’s
in it for me?’
Need for structure, over confident in
their knowledge, lack interpersonal
skills, expect quick results

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Gen Z are coming…

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Gen Z are here

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Time of
change on
all fronts
• Social / political / financial
• Old ‘norms’ no longer valid
• Watched adults lose jobs
• First generation who will
earn less than their parents
• 46% fear ‘drowning in debt’
• Financially cautious
• No longer clear what ‘success’
means
• No longer clear what a person
is
• Combined with social media –
cult of the celebrity
• Significant cause of anxiety
• In 1979 60% of teens held a
job.
• By 2024 will be less than 25%
• Child labour laws,
automization of roles,
competition for grades all
impacted
• Gen Z very little experience of
work before their first career
• But they have (unrealistic?)
expectations
• When they, finally, got
to start work, it was in a
completely different
paradigm
Gen Z Growing up

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Ethics
• More ethnically and racially diverse
than any previous generation
• Globally minded
• Environmental concerns
• Equality
• Health conscious
• Financially prudent

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Technology
‘Technology is more than just a
tool—it is a part of who they are.
Their ability to use technology to
expand their minds and fuel
societal change is empowering to
them. It defines who they are and
why society needs them. To Gen Z,
their gadgets and profiles are
simply extensions of themselves.’
(Sladek and Gradinger, 2017)
• Use social media – do not distinguish between virtual and
real world
• Both personal and professional lives dominated by tech
• Communicate via voice notes / pictures and video
messages
• No longer Google – YouTube

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Stress
• They have been brought up to believe in competition in
everything
• Their online existence ranks them in all they do
• Traditional support mechanisms no longer exist
• Impact of the pandemic
• Role of employers to support them hugely increased
Gen Z will be the most stressed
out generation in history
“

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Perceptions
of work
• Prefer transparency, self-reliance, flexibility and personal
freedom
• Expect to be informed, to be allowed to retort, and to have
their responses heard and acknowledged.
• Never lived in a world without a smart phone or an iPad.
They expect not to lose all these appliances when going to
the office
• Favour in-person or face to face communication and people want to take them seriously.
• Views should be less about age and more about ideas and contributions.
• Want to work for an honest leader and want them to be open and not hide information from
them because of their young age or title

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• The most important characteristic surveyed is feedback from someone who delegates tasks to
them (72%).
• Involved with transformational rather than transactional activities.
• Value mentoring, learning and professional development
• Encourages their entrepreneurial skills
• Sociable and allowance for flexible schedule / approach (Dress code?)
• More committed to long term employment than Gen Y
Culture of feedback

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Gen Z - Employees
in schools
• Empowered, consumer oriented,
technologically savvy
• Well organized – using tech
• Creative and multi-tasking entrepreneurs
• Future leaders
• Modern communicators
• Skilled at solving real world problems

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• Gen Z is poised to lead. They grew up in a time of
turmoil: Gen Z will take charge, create constancy, and
keep everything in line.
• Millennials are restrained by their need to “do what
they love”. They are particularly good at taking tests
and bad at figuring out what they like. Gen Z will fill the
gap and simply tell Millennials what to do. Gen Z will
give meaning to work in a way that Millennials have
talked about but has been incapable of achieving. Work
will be about creating a sense of stability.
• Gen Z will develop modern communication. This will be
the age of verbal communication rather than written,
and Gen Z will shine.
• Millennials’ obsession with travel is rooted in their
acute need to feel special. Generation Z is over the
photography thing already. They will keep Gen Y more
rooted in reality

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Gen Z - How can
schools adapt?
• Manage expectations: Recruitment, onboarding and
induction crucial – transparent and open
• Explicit respect for diversity, equity and inclusion
• Culture of mentorship / coaching – from arrival
• Wellbeing support structures
• Technologically fluent schools
• An environment where staff have their voices
meaningfully heard and play a role in the direction of
the school
• Appropriate communication systems which reflect
their strengths
• A culture which plays to their strengths –
entrepreneurship / creativity

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Thank You