EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
GARY SILBERMANN , CO-FOUNDER AND INNOVATION
DIRECTOR , ONE DEGREE
Workers had barely adapted to a remote and hybrid workplace before businesses demanded more time in the office without exception . The reasons put forward by businesses who want employees in the office may vary but there are common themes , such as lower productivity and a struggling or absent company culture .
There does not have to be an ongoing battle between C-suites and younger workers . An open-minded approach to an entirely different way of engaging crucial skills – as opposed to hiring full-time staff – could well be the answer to improving productivity , with the added benefit of finding scarce skills and filling vacant roles quickly .
Independent contracting , especially in the skills-scarce IT sector , represents a paradigm shift to a way of work that suits Gen Z . Platforms that remove all the friction of recruitment are 100 % aligned to the worldview of younger , digitally inclined workers .
In just six short years , Gen Z will make up 40 % of the workforce , eventually becoming the dominant demographic . Unlike some of their Gen X counterparts , Gen Z has grown up in a digitally enabled world , making remote work feel effortless – second nature . Understanding what motivates this generation , beyond their digital savvy , will be essential for employers looking to future proof their hiring strategies and plans . simply must deliver as their next contract , and maintaining their remote lives , depends on it .
Gen Z cannot see how structured 9 – 5 work hours results in financial stability or wealth creation . They cannot afford bonds ; they struggle to pay rent . They see their working parents constantly stressed and exhausted . 50 % of their parents are divorced . Quality time with their parents is rare . It is a model which does not inspire them because they see the damage that it has done to their families – and to them .
Gen Z independent contractors will know that they simply must deliver as their next contract , and maintaining their remote lives , depends on it .
They are purpose driven , and the environment matters to them . Try telling a Gen Z to spray carbon into the atmosphere because you say so . They blame the older generations and their industries for the environmental crisis .
Gen Z will thrive in a world of highly skilled , projectbased independent contracting , where businesses can choose the talent they need , engage them immediately , and move on without cost or reputational damage when the engagement has run its course . Gen Z independent contractors will know that they
Many cannot afford to live in inner cities . If they are told they must , in order to commute to an office , they see it as discrimination . They are acutely aware that poorer people simply cannot entertain the idea of moving closer to the office in a country crippled by institutional spatial inequality . Inclusion matters to them .
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