Sparking ideas, debate and action
But as the world of work evolves, and with it the perceptions and wants of future generations, the importance of answering it could not be clearer.
Generation Z, or ‘Gen Z’ is loosely defined as people born after 1995. They are true digital natives.
Received wisdom suggests the vast majority also place a real emphasis on sustainable, inclusive, and socially responsible ways of working – perhaps more than any generation before them.
There is little interest in profit without purpose and concerns about climate change are strongly vocalised.
There is an obvious sense of serendipity which forward-thinking companies at the forefront of many of these agendas can harness, as they aim to recruit and retain future talent.
Demonstrating the work taking place in these key areas has, in theory, the potential to be a major recruitment driver for Gen Z. However, although we accept that in broad terms these shared objectives should align, have we, as an industry, engaged sufficiently with Gen Z to know what specifically they want?
Not just from a top-line industry branding perspective, but in detailed terms across a full cycle of career development, spanning recruitment to reward, and progression.
In partnership, we launched a combined initiative involving six of our recent graduates to help answer those questions.
Over a year-long programme, they were asked to help us identify ways to attract Gen Z talent and to establish what this group of future leaders prioritised throughout a career lifecycle.
They were given a blank canvas to propose innovative ideas aimed at attracting, engaging, motivating, and rewarding their peers.
The external research discussed in this white paper forms the second half of the programme. We wanted to understand how some of these innovative ideas and policies from our Gen Z cohort would be received by a broad, diverse sample of their peers and, more generally, to take stock of current perceptions of the construction and property industries.
Crucially, we wanted to gauge sentiment from all sections of the prospective built environment workforce; not simply those considering the graduate-level roles our three businesses employ directly, but people more likely to thrive in skilled hands-on trades.
The ongoing shortage of bricklayers, masons and welders impacts every company working to shape the built environment.
Is awareness of the positive steps being taken to address the climate emergency, deliver social value for communities, and diversify the workforce cutting through? Or does the built environment still suffer from an enduring image problem?
In sharing these findings, we hope to spark collaborative cross-industry action to address the areas of concern they highlight; while also shining a light on innovative ideas and key drivers which progressive businesses working across the built environment should prioritise to secure a future-fit Gen Z workforce.
There has never been a better opportunity to change things in our industry, and now we have the ideas, data, and evidence to fuel the journey. We hope you can join us.
Karina Connolly Generation Z Project Lead
