'The worst challenges are time management and staying off their phone'
Managers in the United States feel like they're "babysitting" Gen Z employees amid their lack of foundational workplace skills, according to a new report.
Findings from a ResumeTemplates poll showed that 68% of managers compared supervising Gen Z employees to parenting. Another 54% said managing Gen Zs feels like babysitting.
"It has been exhausting. Most of the time I feel like a babysitter trying to teach children lessons they refuse to learn," said one manager in the poll's open-ended question.
According to the poll, about 41% of managers said they consistently have to remind their Gen Z employees to put their phones away, and 38% frequently encourage them to make eye contact during conversations.
"The worst challenges are time management and staying off their phones," said one manager.
More than four in 10 also said they have to remind Gen Zs to arrive on time (48%), to complete assignments on time (46%), to respond promptly to messages or emails (47%), as well as to communicate professionally (41%).
In addition to these workplace basics, managers said they've had to teach Gen Z employees foundational workplace skills.
Among these skills are accepting feedback without taking it personally (59%), interacting properly with clients and co-workers (46%), and multitasking effectively (45%).
"Gen Z are like children who were not properly raised, so they do not know how to function properly in society," said one respondent.
Why is Gen Z like this?
This is not the first time that employers have aired their concerns with Gen Z employees' work ethic.
Previous findings, also from ResumeTemplates, revealed that Gen Z employees have also been getting complaints from customers because of their behaviour at work.
Another report from Intelligent.com also revealed that employers have issues with Gen Zs being frequently late to work, not dressing professionally, and delivering poor-quality work.
Julia Toothacre, Chief Career Strategist at ResumeTemplates, attributed the problems to Gen Zs' entrance to the workforce, which was different because of the pandemic.
"Many had to take classes or internships online, so they missed out on receiving in-person training, experiencing casual learning opportunities, and observing basic workplace norms," Toothacre said in a statement.
"On top of that, many companies have cut back on onboarding and early career support due to reductions in human resources staff."
But she warned that leaving managers to teach Gen Zs foundational workplace skills can affect the whole team.
"Organisations need to do more to support managers, otherwise they risk burnout, frustration, and disengagement," she said.
"One solution is better group training, so managers share in the workload. Additionally, college prep courses and internships can help prepare Gen Zers."
