The key facts
- Generation Z has turned flexibility, work-life balance and psychological safety from bonuses into a standard for all employees.
- The labor market is being shaped by demographic shortage, digitalization and changing attitudes toward work — employers compete not only with salaries.
- The expert advises evaluating employees by results rather than hours and not creating a culture 'only for zoomers'.
Zoomers have changed the labor market
Common complaints from HR specialists about Generation Z — 'young people don't want to work,' 'they demand remote work and care about balance instead of a career' — in the view of Irina Pak, HR director of logistics operator NC Logistic, prevent us from seeing the main thing: the labor market is changing irreversibly. In a comment to Gazeta.Ru, she explained that young employees make demands that just a few years ago were considered options: flexible schedules, respect for personal boundaries, regular feedback and development opportunities. For them, this is not a bonus but the norm.
It's not just about the generation
According to Pak, the market is influenced not only by zoomers' demands but also by demographic shortage, digitalization and a changing attitude toward work. Employers have to compete not only with salaries but also with conditions. At the same time, Generation Z's demands are ceasing to be exclusively 'youthful': work-life balance, flexibility and psychological safety are becoming the standard for all employees regardless of age.
Results instead of hours at the workplace
The expert emphasized that business does not need to agree to any demand — companies need productivity, but today the question is not about hours at the workplace but about results. 'If an employee can complete a task in four hours, there is no point in making them spend another four hours pretending to be busy. This leads to decreased motivation or resignation,' Gazeta.Ru quotes Pak as saying.
Changes are reaching production too
The changes affect even areas where remote work is impossible. In warehouses and factories, it is difficult to explain to young employees the need for strictly regulated conditions, so employers are moving training to digital formats, implementing motivation systems and automating routine tasks.
A culture 'only for zoomers' is a mistake
Pak considers creating corporate culture exclusively for young people a mistake: companies work with several generations at once. Older employees value stability, millennials value development, and young ones value flexibility. The key role in reconciling these different views belongs to management, which translates them into the common language of project goals.
