Gen Z flexing its power for more flexible workplace

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This article was published 30/12/2021 (1556 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Sam Stevenson pictures the future of work, she envisions a flexible workspace and hours.

The 24-year-old is among the majority of generation Z and millennial Canadians, according to a new survey by polling firm Leger.

“I really value my family time, and I really value being able to support my partner if he needs help,” Stevenson said.

“Instead of having to work my life around my job, (I’d like to) work my job within my life.”

The poll, which surveyed 3,015 Canadians between the ages of 15 and 39, found 57 per cent of respondents sought a flexible schedule in their career.

Stevenson graduated from Red River College Polytechnic’s Creative Communications program in 2020. Since then, she’s worked at two different companies — one remotely, one in office. It’s led her to believe a balance is best.

“A lot of people in this age group are saying that the 40-hour, five-day work week is becoming outdated,” she said. “It may be something that has to change.”

There were a range of responses about what flexibility could look like, according to Allison Watson, a senior research director with Leger. Some might work during the day with breaks in between and finish in the evening.

“There were even some that were like, ‘Let’s take away the eight-hour day completely. Say I have my 37.5 hours I need to work in a week, and I’ll make those hours up wherever I’m going to make them up,’” Watson said.

Being clear on how much flexibility a company can provide may be necessary when recruiting future hires, as some industries don’t lend themselves to such schedules, Watson said.

Leger’s survey — conducted from Oct. 19 through Nov. 10 — found 25 per cent of young workers said they want to leave their job within a year. It’s higher than previous years due to widespread labour shortages, according to the published results.

Sixty-six per cent of respondents said they thought they’d find a new employer easily; 64 per cent answered they thought their employer is more dependent on them than they are on the employer.

“Canadian youth workers are really seeing and kind of grabbing onto that shift of power,” Watson said. “They really feel that they’re in the position now that they’re of more value to an employer than an employer is to them.”

Julie Guard, a professor of history and labour studies at the University of Manitoba, interpreted the results differently.

“I don’t think that young people have really got much opportunity to negotiate with their employers,” she said. “If they could negotiate better with their employers, they wouldn’t be leaving their jobs.”

Uprooting and job hunting is inconvenient and goes against the ideal of starting with a company young and climbing the organization’s hierarchical ladder, Guard said.

“(If) they’re not going to get loyalty from their employer, they don’t want to give loyalty back,” she said, adding she thinks young workers see employment “almost entirely in transactional terms.”

During the pandemic, grocery store clerks and restaurant staff have been deemed front-line workers despite largely being paid minimum wage. Some must work several jobs to pay bills, Guard said.

“While our employers bemoan the fact that young people seem to have too much sense of entitlement, I think we should actually have more sense of entitlement,” she said, adding living wage, job security and flexibility are necessary for people.

Stevenson switched her communications job because she wanted a challenge and a pivot from fully remote work.

A good wage is also important, she said.

“If I can’t afford to keep a roof over my head and feed the people and the pets in my household, and put clothes on my back, then why am I working?” she said.

A good salary was the most sought-after benefit from respondents — with 75 per cent saying it’s enticing — followed by job security and benefits at 64 per cent.

Job satisfaction has been decreasing since the 1970s, according to Guard. It wasn’t on respondents’ radar in the survey, she noted — only 10 per cent gave import to seeking a company whose values align with their own.

However, workers want to make positive change, according to Leger’s Watson.

“They want to know they’re making a difference within whatever job they’re in,” Watson said, adding it’s beneficial for businesses to inform employees of how they’re helping support causes through their work.

Thirty-six per cent of respondents said they sought a healthy and supportive work environment.

“They want to be challenged, they want to grow, they want to know that there’s an opportunity for them to advance in an organization,” Watson said.

Fifty-seven per cent of Leger’s respondents said their employer pays them what they’re worth. Fifty-eight per cent said they’d consider pursuing a career with their current employer, and 75 per cent said they liked their jobs.

Fifty-five per cent of respondents said they don’t believe their personal finances will improve next year.

The survey results don’t have a margin of error because it was an online study, according to Watson.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com