Gen Z isn’t looking for a dream job. This from a CEO’s experience, Paul Hudson is the CEO of Sanofi.

_{Summarized from https://www.fastcompany.com/90772850/gen-z-isnt-looking-for-a-dream-job-heres-what-they-want-instead?partner=feedburner&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feedburner+fastcompany&utm_content=feedburner&utm=newsletters}

Born as digital natives with personal agency and facing a labor shortage, record class stratification, and untenable living costs, Gen Z has significantly shifted their concept of a career.

Top-tier talent is saying: “I’ll bring from day one my experiences, and I’ll help you be a better company. But I will leave at some point, and you should not be concerned by that. I will leave it better than I found it, but I will also leave better than I arrived.”

Employees want to feel like they are working for a company that aligns with their values and brings real breakthroughs to the populations it serves. Gen Z ethos of values, work-life balance, questioning the status quo, and seeking fulfillment and worth.

Gen Z, millennials, and others are demanding more from their employers: They want transparency, respect, empathy, sustainability, and support for continued growth and development.* They also expect real action from leadership on diversity and inclusion. This is the most diverse generation thus far in the United States, with only 52% identifying as white non-Hispanic, and 99% of those surveyed by Tallo rating workplace DEI as important.

There are four things business leaders at all levels need to keep in focus when encouraging their Gen Z employees:

Communicate early and often

Provide stretch assignments

Use automation and AI to support growth**

Create a listening culture

From this blogger’s experience, communications, stretch assignments, and listening are foundation blocks of great leadership, not new to the conversation; not to say those things are in the majority of many leader’s methodology. And automation and meaningful use of AI certainly can enhance challenging assignments, and professional experience and contribution.

***** S&E *****

* Describes a work environment sought after by those with ambition, talent, and runway. Not so new.

** Instead of having someone crunch numbers in an Excel grid, it’s better to designate that task for AI so the employee can spend more drawing insights from the data and creating solutions instead of handling menial, repetitive tasks.