I am an Xer who manages a small but crucial team at my workplace (in an EU country). I had a lady resign last week, and I have another who may be about to resign or I may have to let go due to low engagement. They are both Gen Z. Today it hit me: the five years I’ve been managing this department, the only people I’ve lost have been from Gen Z. Clearly I do not know how to manage Gen Z so that they are happy working here. What can I do? I want them to be as happy as my Millennial team members. One detail that might matter is that my team is spread over three European cities.
Happy to provide any clarification if anyone wants it.
Edit. Thanks for all the answers even if a few of them are difficult to hear (and a few were oddly angry?) This has been very helpful for me, much more so than it probably would have been at the Old Place.
Also the second lady I mentioned who might quit or I might have to let go? She quit the day after I posted this giving a week’s notice yesterday. My team is fully supportive, but it’s going to be a rough couple of months.
This post seems ridiculous to me. If you would like to know why your employees are unhappy then why would you ask random strangers on the internet why they are leaving your company? If your (or anyone’s) workplace culture discourages employees to air grievances then you aren’t entitled to know why they would like to switch companies. Most likely, I think that young people don’t wish to be percieved or talked about as whiny (or any other words you can use), in the event that they raise issues which management or colleagues view as unimportant or inconsequential for the company. I’m also curious as to how you know that your Millennial team members are happy, as opposed to working just because they need the money and don’t see better opportunities elsewhere.
I don’t think you got down far enough to the place where I explained I did ask them and got a bs answer. Or how I know my Millennials are happy with the job (mostly, there’s always something that could be better). And I did get them a lot more money last year, risking the wrath of every other member of senior management.
Talking down to anyone at my workplace is a huge no no. Our owner/CEO is a seriously old school Cypriot and takes his (mainly British inherited) civility very seriously.