GENERATION Z

Generation Z or Gen Z, also known by a number of other names, is the demographic cohort after the
Millennials (Generation Y). There is no precise date for when Generation Z begins, but demographers
and researchers typically use the mid-1990s to mid-2000s as starting birth years. There is little consensus
regarding ending birth years. Most of Generation Z have used the Internet since a young age and are
comfortable with technology and social media.

VIDEOS AND ARTICLES ON GENERATION Z

DESCRIBTION LINK
YouTube Video on Generation Z https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znggH2k7Y6Y

https://www.aqumena.com/generation-z-in-india-
Generation Z in India – Viva La Difference!? viva-la-difference/

https://www.tcs.com/ten-things-to-know-about-
10 things to know about India’s Generation Z india-generation-z

Big Brands and Trust: A Unique Indian
Opportunity for Gen Z and Millennials
http://www.atkearney.in/paper/-/asset_publisher/
dVxv4Hz2h8bS/content/big-brands-and-trust-a-
unique-indian-opportunity-for-gen-z-and-
millennials?inheritRedirect=false&redirect=http
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https://www.thehindu.com/education/connecting-
Connecting with Gen Z with-gen-z/article23934548.ece

http://www.forbesindia.com/article/future-of-
The zing thing: Gen Z redefining work and work/the-zing-thing-gen-z-redefining-work-and-
workplaces workplaces/50941/1

Indian Gen Z prefers Instagram to Facebook, http://newsmobile.in/articles/2018/08/27/indian-

reveals survey gen-z-prefers-instagram-to-facebook-reveals-

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 survey/

https://www.businesstoday.in/opinion/columns/ge
Gen-Y, Not Gen-Z, Holds The Key n-y-not-gen-z-holds-the-key/story/298082.html

https://www.mid-day.com/articles/those-born-
Generation Z members share their views on between-1995-and-2010-are-next-on-influencer-
India, it's problems and social media radar-here-is-why/18901181

The next bunch of youngsters, known as generation z, who are under 19 but setting their sites on getting
a job have very high expectations of what lies ahead in the workplace.

The wish list from Gen Zers includes a desire for more flexible working and the chance to feel that they
are making a difference to the world.

David Mills, CEO of Ricoh Europe, said: “Generation Z has high expectations from their employers – and
so they should. Why shouldn’t flexible and remote working truly become the norm? As history dictates,
these preferences only grow as the world of work continues to evolve at a rapid rate.

“With Generation Z’s appetite to work collaboratively and remotely, across platforms and borders,
adopting new ways of working is a must, not least as a measure to ensure competitive edge and attract
the best talent. But having the relevant underpinning processes, the foundations for success, is crucial.
From the SMB to the large multi-national, no business can afford to adopt new ways of working without
making a genuine commitment to monitoring the strength and relevance of the processes that enable
them.”

The danger is that if Gen Zers are not involved then they will start to express frustration around the idea
that they would not have information shared with them or given some responsibility.

Not only do the next wave of workers expect a lot but according to the majority of those asked they feel
they come with 'exceptional technology skills'.

Phil Keoghan, CEO, Ricoh UK & Ireland, said that the expectations of future workers was largely caused
by the evolution of technology and the tools they had grown up using.

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“Generation Z has justifiably high expectations from their employers because, as technology evolves, so
should their ability to work anywhere using the device most comfortable to them. With new technology
underpinning important processes, employees are enabled to work in the way they prefer, building the
foundations for success," he said.

"Businesses of all sizes should be exploring opportunities to adopt new ways of working – creating an
environment in which employees can flourish," he added.

As well as coming with self proclaimed technology skills the younger generation also feel that they can
contribute some good ideas and new ways of thinking to help the business they choose to work for
move forward. Some of that determination to be part of the decision making process could cause some
friction with management and older workers.

“While tomorrow’s young workers prepare themselves to enter the world of work – helping businesses
become more agile and digitally savvy – working environments can often be restrictive. Given their
desire for constant innovation, instant communication and open collaboration, Gen Z will pose a big
challenge for businesses," Keoghan added.

9 things you SHOULD know about India's

Generation Z

In a world full of information overload, we’re still trying to figure out what appeals to Generation Z.
According to a report by ConsumerLab, India has roughly 200 million children under the age of 18, and 69
million of them reside in urban areas. These young people have a very different childhood to the one their
parents experienced. The study also adds that 40 per cent of urban children regularly dine out at expensive
restaurants and 23 per cent use their parents’ credit cards to buy new things.

On one hand we talk about Generation Z’s ‘disregard for rules’, and their ‘lack of brand loyalty’. We question
how they handle relationships, and feel that they spend too much time on social media. On the other hand we
hear stories about their pressured lives under the tyranny of social media and the uncertainty of the modern
economy.

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Recently, a study conducted by UK’s The Varky Foundation, took a deeper look into how this generation
approaches day-to-day events. The 61-page research paper focuses on topics such as happiness, anxiety, global
issues, politics, same-sex marriages, gender equality, and the future of the world.

“For Generation Z, rapid change has been a constant. This is the first generation of digital natives who have
grown up living the profound human experiment of social media – in which our attitudes towards information,
relationships, and privacy have greatly shifted,” the paper says.

While explaining the reasoning why these nations were chosen, Varky Foundation said that these nations
represent a good geographic spread across continents, whilst also being accessible using an online survey
methodology. The size of the online panels in these countries was sufficient to allow a robust, nationally
representative sample of 15- to 21-year-olds to be achieved

Happiness quotient
When asked whether they would describe themselves as happy, 68 per cent of the individuals from all nations
said yes. Interestingly, the happiest Generation Z came out of Indonesia (90 per cent), Nigeria (78 per cent) and
India with 72 per cent.

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Factors that contributed to happiness included being healthy both physically and mentally, having a good
relationship with family, as well as friends, fulfilled in study and work, enjoying social life, having enough
money to lead a comfortable life, and faith in a religion.

For young people in India having a good relationship with family was deemed to be at least as important as
being healthy (96 per cent), while 65 per cent said that they were happy with their commitment to a religion or
faith.

What makes them anxious?

When it came to what made them anxious, the pressure of earning money, and doing well in school topped the
list. When it came to India, 46 per cent said money made them anxious, while 32 per cent said they faced the
pressure of doing well academically. However, coming third on the list was violence in the country, which was
on par with family-related issues. India, along with China and Indonesia said that access to basic resources
such as food and clean water also made them anxious.

Local community versus wider world

An interesting number that came out of the study was that out of the 20 countries, 19 said that they were more
concerned about the well-being of the wider world than the local community. Nigeria, however, said that they
weren’t concerned with either the local community or the wider world’s well-being. India, Indonesia and the
USA were the only three nations where two per cent of the individuals interviewed said that they were
concerned with the local community. Only one per cent in the remaining nations said they focused on local
community.

While the numbers for local community are low, it isn’t exactly high when it comes to global well-being.
Turkey tops the list with 9 per cent focusing on global well-being, while five per cent of India feels that global
well-being is important.

Skill sets
For Generation Z in India, developing skill sets mattered more than earning money. Only 10 per cent of the
people questioned said pay mattered the most compared to 37 per cent who said they wanted to develop their
skills. For Indians, opportunities for advancement, and travelling to meet new people came above money.

Personal values
In trying to understand young people’s identities, respondents were asked to reflect on their values and what
they considered most important to them personally. For Indians, honesty topped the list, followed by helping
family members. Working hard to reach personal goals came third, while kindness was fourth on the list.

New ways of living

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When questioned on gender equality in India, 92 per cent of Indians said that men and women had the right to
be treated equally. India also scored well at 79 per cent when it came to transgender people having the same
rights as non-transgender people. However, the numbers came down to 53 per cent when it came to same sex
marriage and whether people should have the right to non-violent free speech in all circumstances even when
what they say is offensive to a religion.

What they feel about India

Forty-four per cent of Indians believed that India is a free country where they have the freedom to live the way
they want to and added that family and school were the major factors that would increase sense of belonging to
local community.

The youth also feel that the government is doing too little to tackle the current global refugee crisis. However,
barring Turkey, all the other nations feel the same way as India does.

Indians, too, feel that quality education across the board will be the single biggest factor that would make the
greatest difference in uniting people. Other parameters taken into consideration include an end to prejudice on
the grounds of race, religion and gender, more economic equality, for example, more evenly spread income
distribution, more cooperation between countries to solve the world's problems, greater use of technology in
connecting people, and a greater role for religion in society.

The future

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Young people have a negative outlook on the future of the world and believe the world is becoming a worse
place to live in. Indians felt that extremism and global terror was the single reason for a unsafe future, while
conflict and war, and the rich and poor divide came second and third respectively.

How can they make a difference?

The research suggests the world over generally espouse views on equality and progress to overcome social
discord. Making a wider contribution to society (beyond looking after oneself and one’s family and friends) is
considered important to a majority of young people at a global level, with 67% saying it is important to them.
Contributing to wider society is considered most important to young people living in South American
countries.