In more than 15 years of working in recruitment across the professional services sector, I have seen flexibility increasingly dominate discussions in the workplace. But if the flexible workplace was gently maturing pre-pandemic, Covid popped the cork to release its full potential. And now, with 18 months of everyone largely working from home, even staunch advocates of full-time office life wonder if things can ever really go back.

A hybrid future – mixing office and home working – seems a likely compromise. But even that will be shaped by a world that is already moving on, propelled by the growing influence of younger employees who have not lived the “norms” of previous generations.

Take Generation Z, born after 1996. They grew up during the 2009-2010 recession and then entered the workforce facing the unknowns of pandemic. Some of them will have only known the virtual workplace. This is an ethnically diverse, digital-native generation whose access to social media and portable tech shaped different priorities even before Covid struck.

What does this generation now want from their new working world? And how are firms responding to their needs in a world that remains in flux? The following sums up my observations.

Generational shift: The Gen Z phenomenon

At Totum, we have already started to see a tectonic shift play out as the sweeping changes wrought by Covid play into the aspirations of the young. I am working with many young candidates who want to pursue London job opportunities but see no reason why this should require them to live in the city. The pandemic has taught them that they can live anywhere if they can spend their weeks working some days from home and others from the office.

For a generation that prioritises work-life balance, they have been quick to absorb the lesson of Covid: workplace flexibility is entirely possible and reasonable. Consequently, when they come to us, it is to find the firms that will offer them a hybrid solution, and they are willing to leave or reject those that don’t.

These requirements are underpinned by deeper cultural traits shared by Gen Z. While inevitably generalising here, as recruiters we notice features that characterise many of our younger candidates. They are not afraid of their own voice. While their relative ease of opinion means they express a wide spectrum of hopes and dreams, time and again we see a keen shared interest in diversity, equity and inclusion, and sustainability. And they are vocal about agility within the workplace.

With technology blurring the work-life balance, Gen Z are determined to find equilibrium. They do not mind working long hours, but they expect that time back. Gen Z are fact finders, content consumers, they search out information – attracting them to roles can be difficult if faced with a regurgitated job description and a brand that shows little understanding of social media (think Instagram, Tik Tok, video, etc).

They are used to being sold to. Constantly and as passive consumers. They’re the generation of influencers, who advocate for brands via a review-based system of overt critique. They’re also used to the long game, often engaging with brands regularly without any official call to action. But they’re also the ‘buy it now’ generation of instant gratification – so when they do engage, they want the process to be quick.

Their thirst for knowledge fuels them to ask questions – they’re big believers in the two-way street and they’re not afraid to challenge. Equally they are the generation who do not want to be pinned down, they’re likely to ask about flexibility to keep up other interests/businesses on the side. They do not want to feel stifled by one income stream.

In addition, Gen Z are passionate about a people-first attitude, a personalised approach both internally and externally rather than a ‘one size fits all’ big splash marketing campaign. They’re the generation that are used to targeted ads, automatically personalised content, they like the personal touch and are keen for one-to-ones, final stage coffees and an in-person, human connection.

Given the economic, social and political uncertainties Gen Z has weathered in their young lives, they may need some reassurance as they progress their careers. But they are also strong advocates for the positive change they believe they can bring to their world. This is a powerful resource for employers to tap into, if they are willing to embrace new ideas as this generation increasingly populates the post-Covid working world.

How are firms responding?

I have seen professional services firms move fast to respond to these shifts. Most, led from the top, have moved to offer hybrid working going forwards – not only accepting that it is impractical to revert to ‘normal’ any time soon, but also embracing the idea that hybrid solutions meet next-generation requirements while offering many business benefits, not least cost-efficiencies.

But in practice there is a lot of ironing out still to do as firms seek to balance the needs of those who want (and need) to return to the office with the expectations of those who might struggle to understand why they can’t just continue to work from home full time (especially where they have done so successfully).

Firms have good reason for wanting teams to come together in an office: for young people particularly, there are few better places than the office to engage in training, receive mentoring/on-the-spot advice and get to know other people, often making important new friendships. But there is understanding that this can likely still be achieved alongside a good home-working policy. Hybrid can be the best of both worlds.

More difficult to manage perhaps is the response to deeper cultural shifts, exemplified by Gen Z. In this respect, we see some firms leading the way, responding proactively to the new landscape they see. They understand that the changes wrought by Covid are pivotal because they tap into deeper desires felt by all ages, but manifest among younger workers and those coming into employment for the first time.

These are the firms that are learning fast to take a more personal, human approach to business, that are branding their firms with the aim of engaging meaningfully and authentically through values that they live out in day-to-day practice. And when they hire new talent, they don’t hang about, but follow quick and efficient processes that meet the needs of an Amazon generation that’s never had to wait.

Not that success is all about giving younger generations everything they think they want. Years of experience have taught managers and leaders the best ways in which train, motivate, engage and inspire – which includes setting sometimes tough expectations, challenging assumptions, and pushing younger recruits beyond their comfort zones.

But in a hybrid world, the beauty lies in the meeting of minds. Along this middle way, at this unique moment in time, firms have the rare opportunity to pick the best of the old and new worlds and forge a better future for many generations to come.

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