Skills and Motivation Factors of Generation Z for Creating Successful Employer Branding Strategies ^†

Abstract

The digitization in which the protagonists who are the subject of this paper’s research were born—the so-called Generation Z—has influenced everything aspects of life, including the attitude of new generations towards work. Working environment, expectations of jobs, working hours, motivation and loyalty of workers change a lot from generation to generation. There changes greatly affect the entire labor market, as well as the preferences of members of this generation regarding the choice of employers.

1. Objectives

When you looking back at the history, in the simplest explanation, the ground for generational variations is the ever-changing path of life [1]. The aim of this paper is to determine the perceptions and skills of members of Generation Z in the workplace, as well as their preferences in terms of their employer. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z members have always had and will have instant access to a wealth of information on a variety of topics [2]. As Gen Z has been branded with the epithets of digital talents and/or digital natives, it is evident that the Internet is a key factor that completely shapes the world of this generation since they do not know a world without social media, smartphones, and computers. Additionally, members of Generation Z are, compared to millennials, more socially oriented and very interested in social problems, corporate social responsibility, and environmental issues around the world. Bearing this in mind, the aim of this study is to indicate what the expectations of members of Generation Z are from employers, which can serve as a solid basis for defining successful employer branding strategies. Employer branding can be described as the process of creating an identity that is recognizable and unique, which greatly affects the company’s differentiation from the competition [3]. Also, employer branding denotes the activities directed towards influencing the opinion of a brand and it also signifies a company’s image as an employer [4].

2. Methodology

A certain amount of research has been devoted to examining and defining the skills of members of Generation Z, as well as their views on employer branding and financial and non-financial motivators at work. Being part of the most technologically advanced generation has allowed members of Generation Z to realize some clear distinctive advantages [5], since they were born into challenges era, starting with the issue of terrorism, the world political instability to the environment concerns [6]. However, due to an increase in global development and technological progress, the disappearance of many occupations and the emergence of new ones that require the mastery of new skills, and a lack of talent, there are difficulties for employers in attracting and retaining the best digital natives. Organization can attract the employees only when, it has a positive image as an employer in the market [7]. This research will be conducted in August and September 2022 among members of Generation Z (persons between the ages of 18 and 26) who are employed. During this period, 300 questionnaires will be distributed online.

For the purposes of this paper, based on an analysis of previous research, an original questionnaire was designed and composed that consists of several parts (answers to the questions, except for the first part of the questionnaire, will be given in the form of a five-point Likert scale):

• the first part of the questionnaire includes the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents;
• the second part of the questionnaire includes the DNAS (Digital Natives Assessment Scale) [8];
• the third part of the questionnaire includes the Executive Skills Questionnaire scale [9];
• the fourth part of the questionnaire is devoted to the Scale Development in Employer Branding [10];
• the last part of the questionnaire includes Herzberg’s motivation scale [11].

After data collection, preliminary analyses will be performed, and the data will be processed in the statistical program IBM SPSS-26.

3. Results

Expected results:

• Determine what level of digital skill members of Generation Z possess.
• Determine the level of executive skills of members of Generation Z, their mean values, and the correlation between them.
• Determine what members of Generation Z prefer in an employer, and then show the relationship between the skills they possess and job satisfaction.
• Determine the basic motivation factors of members of Generation Z at work, as well as whether they are more motivated by material or non-material factors.
• Determine the correlation between the level of digital and executive skills, as well as motivation factors, and expectations from the employer.

4. Implication

Gen Z is made up of a workforce that is likely to disrupt current trends in the work environment [12]. Members of Generation Z are more prone to risk, but they are also in constant search of stability. This means that employers will have to offer financial security in order to improve the long-term stability of jobs and to prevent potential brain drain. In the process of building a brand, by applying knowledge in the field of marketing and human resources, employers try to present themselves to candidates from the labor market as employers with ideal working conditions, while they try to increase the degree of satisfaction, commitment, motivation and loyalty of existing employees [13]. Recognizing the role that employer branding plays in the process of attracting and maintaining a continuous inflow and retention of talent through providing employment opportunities and creating working conditions that meet the needs and preferences of members of Generation Z is very important. In addition to financial motivation, Generation Z is focused on the so-called “other side of the coin”, which refers to the hybrid model of work and team-building activities, through which digital natives achieve harmony between their private and business life.

5. Originality Value

Nowadays in the dynamic transformational environment, organizations face many challenges to become more knowledge-based, more emphasis on innovation and technology, as well as facing intensive competition for attracting and retaining a high-quality workforce [14]. There is a very pronounced need to determine the perceptions and skills of members of Generation Z, a generation of young people entering the labor market with a new outlook on the world. The original value of the work is based on connecting knowledge about the skills possessed by and motivation factors of members of Generation Z with the expectations of employers. Due to the comprehensive challenges that affect most aspects of our lives, major innovations are continuously taking place in the labor market, but also ups and downs in terms of the availability of qualified talent [15], which leads to major changes in existing jobs but also to the creation of modern, hitherto unknown jobs that require the mastery of new skills. Therefore, employers must create a business environment that will provide employees with a sense of security and comfort but also a desire for advancement, achievement, and growth, with earnings that will be equivalent to a job well done, which means that both tangible and intangible benefits are equally important [16].

6. Contribution

The results obtained from this research can be used by employers to improve organizational culture and communication, team spirit, work tasks, opportunities to build international careers, benefits, reputation, work–life balance, training and development, task diversity, customer relations, autonomy and socially responsible business in order to adapt to the expectations of members of Generation Z. The above could result in the better attraction and retention of talent, which is the greatest intangible value of modern organizations.