How younger workers are changing the workforce

Younger workers are beginning to take over the workforce, and as they do so, common work dynamics are shifting.

One major trend, as described by recruitment agency nrol’s director Jesse Shah, is work/life balance. Research shows that younger workers are striving for this more than their older counterparts.

“Gone are the days of last year [when] everyone was just looking for the big pay cheques. People have realised comes the big pay cheques, and to quote good old Notorious BIG, ‘More money, more problems’,” Mr Shah said.

“People have realised now that you get paid more, [which is] brilliant, but then the work expected from you is equal to the salary. So now people are more focused, rather than just the salary, on quality of life and living and work/life balance.”

The stance that young workers have is having a trickle-down effect on other parts of the business, said Mr Shah. As many younger candidates enter the workforce during and after the effects of the pandemic, ideals have shifted as the traditional business model has changed.

“We recruit in legal; it’s a very traditional sector. If you’re going to a law firm, even now, you’ll still see your libraries, you’ll still see your traditional desks of the corner offices. Every lawyer has their own private office in most cases nowadays, still very traditional, very old school,” he explained.

“So, COVID-19 made the principles of these law firms, and the decision makers realise they’ve got to make changes, keep up with today’s world and the younger generation if they want to attract that top talent of lawyer. So, the younger generation is definitely driving change for the better in most cases. It’s definitely driving positive change in terms of giving even the older lawyers more work/life balance.”

Hybrid and remote working have since become the norm for many businesses, a change that may not have been possible if not for the attitudes of younger workers pushing for it. In fact, studies have shown that Gen Z sees hybrid working options as a necessity when choosing a job. Employers are therefore having to adapt themselves if they’re to attract young talent.

Mr Shah continued: “I was with a national law firm yesterday for lunch with their HR team, and one of the things they said to me was pre-COVID-19, there were five days a week in the office. The partners, even coming back from COVID-19, were like, ‘Hey, we’ve still got to be in the office; we’ve still got to do this’.”

“But they saw that people are still being productive working from home. The younger generation is still being productive. So, the older partners now have adapted [to] that and changed their way of working and are loving being at home themselves. It’s amazing how things change so quick[ly].”

This new way of working was not an option in the past, but as the chaos of the pandemic happened, the workforce shifted, perhaps permanently.

Mr Shah concluded: “Back when I started joining the workforce, if I even mentioned work from home, it was like you’re trying to take a day off. It was very frowned upon. Any idea of working from home was very frowned upon.”

The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Jesse Shah, click below: