What Employers Can Learn from Entrepreneurialism and Gen Z

In the past few years there’s been a massive increase in influencer and self-made businesses on social media. Five-year-old to 80-year-old social media users have become viral internet sensations able to secure advertisement deals with the emergence of apps like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Twitter. Social media influencers have also formed a connection with the music industry allowing more recording artists, singers, rappers, and producers to blow their music up on top of having a large following on social media due to collaborations, advertisements and streaming checks. 

I mean if you're 14, you see a fellow 14-year-old such as “Baby Santana'' blowing up from his music, working Lil Tecca, performing at Lyrical Lemonades Summer Smash, and making a ton of money, what's stopping you from trying to do the same? Our generation is able to see the possibility of making money as entrepreneurs using the power of the internet. When the alternative is working for a corporation which often means working hours that you don't agree with, getting paid below what you're worth, and doing what feels like going down a path of unhappiness – kids today aren't interested in working a job when they have an alternative of independence. 

A lot of workplaces don't make proper accommodations for our generation that would make us want to work or even apply there. There are many jobs where the manager isn’t representative of our culture and has an old fashioned mind consisting of microaggressions, slight or outright racism, sexism, and a lack of respect for mental health. Since the pandemic we’ve seen firsthand how important health and wellness is, and we are going to prioritize our health above a corporation's interests. We know that we will work to maintain our mental, emotional, and spiritual health, so companies should be prepared to showcase the same level of investment in us that we have in ourselves if they want to win our loyalty. 

They can make the workplace feel safe, comfortable, and accommodating to their employees. On top of adequate payment, thinking about how to enrich their employees' lives is a must. We know we provide value and we believe in our ability to thrive autonomously, so we need our company to recognize and promote our skill sets. Allow us similar advantages like we would have working for ourselves; give us the opportunity to affect real change, show us how our effort is directly related to our advancement, give us equity in the work we’re doing and the autonomy to accomplish our work in the way we feel is best so long as it’s completed on time. The flexibility to work in the way that respects our needs as whole people is what my friends and I are looking for. 

For instance, our generation is dealing with a lot of mental health issues especially after the pandemic started and most jobs still don't accommodate. There's been a recent twitter trend of people quitting their jobs via text due to jobs requesting they come in on their day off at the very last minute, being rude due to the sole fact they have power over that employee by threat of termination. This itself has said a lot about the state of the workforce. This entire movement has been dubbed “The Great Resignation” and we’re here for it. 

“...provide us with the ability to create a culture that is comfortable for us”

Also thinking about how fragile all of these careers are is nerve wracking. Most of us have a story or have seen a story of someone being fired or let go and it makes it difficult to invest in a career when the career isn’t investing in you. This combination leaves young people with the choice of taking a risk and being their own boss, or trying to navigate their way in an uncomfortable and insecure workplace. Realistically, the only way I can see people joining the workforce is reconstructing the workforce allowing accommodations for many issues such as feminine rights, mental health, and racial sensitivity. If companies are open and transparent about their actual environment, and provide us with the ability to create a culture that is comfortable for us, we’ll be more likely to work for that brand. 

The Takeaway

We see many non-traditional possibilities for our lives, and that makes us less likely to settle for bad careers and unhappy situations. We believe in ourselves and our ability to succeed, so any employers must share that same belief in us. It can’t be faked, if it’s real it will show in how we’re treated and compensated. Only hire us if you’re prepared to value us.